ARTIST COMMISSION

We’re looking for an artist to produce new work for the 2023 Ryde Carnival.

As part of the Waving the Flag project for Ryde’s Heritage Action Zone, Ryde Arts commissioned Pete Bradley to produce original artwork to promote the 2022 Ryde Carnival.

Pete’s artwork can be seen throughout the town this month; on posters, carnival programmes and stickers. On August 17th, Pete will be recreating his poster in the exhibition window at Aspire Hub in Ryde High Street. The artwork will be there throughout carnival season until Sunday 4th September.

Instagram: @pete_bradley_art

For more information about the commission keep reading….

We asked Pete to consider what makes Ryde Carnival unique and we discussed the participants in the processions, the route and the iconography of the town.

The initial phase involved a series of sketches and the development of characters that we felt represented a real sense of Ryde’s people, place and the joy of its carnival!

In addition to the promotional posters and the Ryde Carnival programme, Pete’s illustrations have been used to create stickers and an animation. We’re delighted that Ryde Carnival 2022 has a distinctive visual identity that reflects the spirit of carnival.

HAZ - what’s happened so far?

Following Ryde’s successful application in 2019 to Historic England’s High Street Heritage Action Zone fund (HAZ), the programme is now underway. Sally Thompson has been recruited as the Ryde Programme Officer.

The programme has three strands:

• Physical Interventions (Public realm/Shop front improvement etc)

• Community Engagement

• Cultural Programme

Emphasis on engaging the community with the heritage of Ryde High Street is central to the programme and public opinion will shape the HAZ projects so that the funding provides improvements that reflect the needs and wants of Ryde residents. Throughout the whole term of the funding, Historic England will be providing hands on support and guidance.

For more information about Ryde’s High Street Heritage Action Zone visit iwhaz.uk/ryde

What is the Cultural Consortium? In order to manage the cultural strand of the High Street Heritage Action Zone (HAZ), Historic England required each HAZ to form a small consortium to act as a steering group. Ryde’s consortium is made up of six heritage and arts organisations, experienced in working with funders and with a track record of delivering cultural engagement activity. This group managed the funding application for the HAZ cultural programme; Waving the Flag.

Waving the Flag - Ryde’s HAZ Cultural Programme Waving The Flag is a collaborative project between locally based cultural organisations; Ryde Carnival Association, Ryde Arts, New Carnival Company and Shademakers. Via a programme of consultation, community workshops and live events, Waving The Flag will celebrate, support and develop Ryde Carnival ensuring its sustainability for the future. In 2021, Lily George was recruited by the project team as Freelance Carnival Development Worker to assist with the programme. Ryde HAZ is one of more than 60 high streets to receive a share of £6 million for their cultural programme.

Grants of up to £120,000 have been awarded to local arts organisations for cultural activity on each high street. This is part of the four-year-long High Streets Heritage Action Zones’ Cultural Programme, led by Historic England, in partnership with Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The Cultural Programme aims to make our high streets more attractive, engaging and vibrant places for people to live, work and spend time.

The funding builds on the success of a series of national pilot cultural projects that have run since August 2020 across 43 High Street Heritage Action Zones. Ryde’s pilot project, Spring Windows, engaged local organisations Network Ryde working with artists Teresa Grimaldi and Sarah Vardy, New Carnival Company and Shademakers UK to create window installations that explored aspects of Ryde’s commercial and cultural heritage. The pilot projects have not only helped high streets offer cultural activity during lockdown, but also discovered what local people would like to see happening on their high streets.

IMAGES COURTESY OF RYDE SOCIAL HERITAGE GROUP

Ryde Carnival Poster Commission

Ryde Arts is pleased to announce that Pete Bradley @pete_bradley_art has been commissioned to provide the artwork for the 2022 Ryde Carnival poster. We are delighted that this commission has been reintroduced after some years, bringing a fresh opportunity to commission new work and to create partnerships between the town's oldest cultural event and local artists. There was an extremely strong field of applicants and we're excited about re-establishing the commission as an annual opportunity. The final artwork will be available in a series of limited edition prints as well as providing Ryde Carnival's visual identity throughout the 2022 season.

Pete Bradley has lived in Ryde for 22 years. Throughout his life he has experimented with music, poetry and various visual arts. Right now he is obsessed with painting, and in a style that falls within the general area of outsider art, naïve art and abstract expressionism.

Waving The Flag is a collaborative project between locally based cultural organisations; Ryde Carnival Association, Ryde Arts, New Carnival Company and Shademakers. The commission will fall in the second year of the project, launching the return of Ryde Carnival’s main and illuminated processions after a two year hiatus caused by the Covid pandemic. Waving the Flag is a three year project funded by Historic England, Arts Council England and Heritage Lottery as part of the Ryde Heritage Action Zone initiative.

For further information about Ryde Carnival events, visit www.rydecarnival.com