A former jeweller’s shop is being given its sparkle back and transformed into a vibrant arts hub.
Over the coming months Vall Halls on Town hall square will see a number of artists taking up residence in the disused shop.
They will be holding free open arts workshops, creating new art works and displaying their current creations.
The project, which is funded by the Arts Council and the government’s Department of Community and Local Government, will see the shop renamed The LET shop, which stands for Liberating Empty Terrain.
Executive member for Culture and Leisure, Councillor Damian Talbot, said: “The initiative is intended to make use of empty shops rather than having them as a wasted resource.
“By using them as arts spaces it helps to keep the high street a vibrant and interesting place that people will want to visit as well as supporting the arts community.”
The Doorstep Collective is the first project to have take up residence in the LET shop.
It is currently open from Thursday to Saturday, 11am until 3pm.
People who visit the shop can pick from a whole host of different activities including boxes bursting with craft materials to encourage them to get creative.
From October 15 until November 8 Blackburn born artist Julia Swarbrick will be opening the LET shop as a gallery.
The artist will be creating her own artworks based on the local area and inviting fellow artists to create their own art for display.
She will also be running workshops in a number of skills including portraiture, abstract painting and creative textiles.
During this time the shop will be open from Thursday to Saturday, 10am – 5pm and various times throughout the week.
Other forthcoming activities will see the shop used for a Christmas art market and as the setting for an opera about homelessness.
In the New Year, artist Jane Samuels who plans to stage a piece of public performance art that including a cast of weird and wonderful costumed characters.
For more information regarding the project telephone Piotr Bienkowski on (01254) 688054 or visit www.creativityworks.info/let
