Following the success of 2023’s ‘Open Space 70’ environmental arts project, festival and arts trail last July, Hebden Bridge Arts is back with more creative opportunities for everyone including a call out for your art! 

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The team are excited to announce its ‘The Man Who Planted Trees’ project which, as a key commission for Calderdale’s Year of Culture 2024 (Culturedale), features community events, workshops and exhibitions from March to July. The culmination of the project will be a professional-led dramatic retelling of the tale that will be performed in Hebden Bridge and Elland in July, featuring community casts.  

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Writer of the new play, Amanda Dalton, said "This is the perfect story for our times and for Hebden Bridge Arts’ environmental focus. It’s all about the value and legacy of caring for the environment and the possibilities for what apparently tiny, single-handed, positive action can achieve. We’re particularly excited to be developing the production and exploring these themes with a range of communities, partner organisations and artists, and can't wait to see how people respond creatively to the project.".

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Hebden Bridge Arts is inviting the people of Calderdale to get involved - and there’s loads of ways to do so, whatever your age or artistic confidence.  There’s opportunities to try out creative writing and drama; you could take part as community cast members or get creative as part of one of the charity’s free weekend art workshops to help create collaborative large scale art works for exhibition. 

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But people don’t need to join in an organised session to get involved – Hebden Bridge Arts has just launched a huge call out for artwork on the themes of the story of The Man Who Planted Trees for its three public exhibitions. This open call celebrates everyone exploring their creativity through making art. Artists at any stage of their hobby or career are welcomed to submit work themed around nature, legacy, rebirth and celebrating the power of the individual. 

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The first exhibition opens on 28 May at Hebden Bridge Town Hall and runs for three weeks, with further free public exhibitions happening in July in Elland and another venue in Hebden Bridge to coincide with the performances. There are two cut-offs to submit work for public exhibition - 7 May & 17 June - and submission of artwork is free. 

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More creative workshops will be launched as spring progresses and community creative sharing & activity days are planned for Todmorden College (Saturday 1 June) and The Space @ Field Lane, Rastrick (Saturday 15 June). 

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Visit hebdenbridgearts.co.uk to read or listen to the short story ‘The Man Who Planted Trees’, book on a workshop, submit your creative work for exhibition or to sign up to the mailing list to be kept up to date with project news. 

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