Miranda Henderson & Alister O'Loughlin, Co-Founders
Driven by the minds behind award-winning Prodigal Theatre and The Urban Playground Team – an award-winning performance company with a background in arts education — The Creation Works will provide artists and the community with a range of facilities to make work. The space will also act as a centre of excellence for developing models of performance, engagement and participation.
The Creation Works project has had a hugely positive year, successfully acquiring ‘levelling up’ capital investment and currently aiming for charity status. Driven by Prodigal’s founders Miranda Henderson and Alister O’Loughlin, whose work is always underpinned by engagement with at-risk populations of children and young people, the pair have continued to strengthen links to the community.
The team has established an active board and community panel which will soon be joined by a youth panel, ensuring the voice of children & young people in the organisation’s decision-making process.
From residencies to commissions, apprenticeships to arts training, strengthened by ongoing partnerships with schools and FE & HE providers, The Creation Works has the potential to become a centre of excellence for community art and engagement. Scheduled to open in Spring 2025, plans are in place to deliver co-commissioned work, in which members of the community can take a leading role. further engaging with the local area, an apprenticeship model will help train and retain early-career artists to take the next steps in their practice and career. Not only will the centre be a linchpin for local arts — whether it’s free festival events, workshops or collaborative projects — but it will act as a draw to national and international artists, who will also make work here.
“It’s been useful to explore different models of investment, meet others developing their own organisations, and attend workshops with experts. The leadership team has been incredibly supportive. The process has helped us clarify our ambition so we’ve got a better understanding of our own organisation and have accelerated our move to CIO.” Alister O’Loughlin, Co-founder