Salisbury Arts Centre facts for kids

Salisbury Arts Centre (formerly St Edmund's church)

The Salisbury Arts Centre is a cool place in Salisbury, England, where you can enjoy all sorts of art! It's run by a group called Wiltshire Creative. They help people in the community experience different kinds of art.

The centre hosts many fun events, including educational workshops and community gatherings. Lots of these events are free! They also take part in bigger events around the city, like the Larmer Tree Festival.

You can find the Arts Centre inside an old church called St Edmund's Church. It has a main stage where 164 people can sit, or 400 can stand for concerts. There's also a smaller studio called the White Room, a media space, a pottery studio, and even a café and bar. It's a busy place!

History of the Arts Centre

How it Started

Back in 1974, a festival called the Salisbury Festival of the Arts (now the Salisbury International Arts Festival) was held in the old St Edmund's Church. People loved the idea of using the church for art. So, in 1975, it officially became an arts venue! A group of volunteers started showing art from local artists and holding workshops for crafts.

Growing and Changing

The Arts Centre kept growing over the years. From 1979 to 1981, a famous artist named Henry Moore even loaned one of his big sculptures, "Reclining Figure," to be displayed outside the entrance.

In the 1990s, the Arts Centre faced some money problems and was almost closed. But people in the community really loved it! They started a "Save Our Arts Centre" campaign, and luckily, a new plan was found to keep it open.

A Big Makeover

By 2003, the Arts Centre raised a lot of money for a huge renovation project. They spent £4.2 million to make it even better! They improved the heating, added new floors, created more spaces inside, and updated the bathrooms. They also added new technical equipment and built an extension for offices and workshops. The Salisbury Arts Centre reopened in 2005 with lots of new events for everyone to enjoy.

Joining Forces

In 2018, the Arts Centre teamed up with two other local arts groups: the Salisbury Playhouse and the Salisbury International Arts Festival. Together, they formed a new organization called Wiltshire Creative. This made them even stronger and able to offer more amazing art experiences.

Fun Activities at the Centre

Events for Everyone

Salisbury Arts Centre often has events for people with disabilities and works with groups that support disability arts. They also work with many community groups and offer free events. Two popular free events are the annual Family Fiesta and the regular Live Lunches.

Artists and Shows

The Arts Centre supports many artists who work there. For example, Mirka Golden-Hann is a ceramic artist who studies colors and glazes for pottery. The gallery also has different art exhibitions. The Centre hosts concerts, like the Altar Club band nights, and film nights. Many famous entertainers performed at Salisbury Arts Centre early in their careers. For instance, the band Manic Street Preachers played there in 1990!

In 2015, there was a bit of news when local people were upset because the city suddenly stopped giving money to the Centre. But the community continued to support it.

About St Edmund's Church

The Old Church Building

The building where the Arts Centre is now used to be a church called St Edmund's. It was first built way back in 1269! It was named after Saint Edmund of Abingdon, who used to be an important leader in the church.

The church was rebuilt in the early 1400s. In 1653, the church's tower fell down and damaged a big part of the building. The tower was rebuilt, and the church was made smaller. Later, in the 1800s, more changes were made to the church, including a big restoration project in 1865-1867.

In 1952, the church building was recognized as a special historical building. In 1974, it was decided that the church would no longer be used for worship. Its parish (the area it served) joined with another church in the city. Soon after, it became the Salisbury Arts Centre we know today!