The Arts Development Service provides free advice and
information on arts-related matters for those that are involved or
would like to be involved in the arts.
If you are applying for an arts grant from the Borough Council
or from another funding body we are happy to advise you on your
application. Please visit our grants information on this site.
The Council organises activities for young people during the
Easter and Summer holidays which take place at different venues
across the Borough. Details are posted on this site when they
become available and are available in a widely distributed
brochure.
The Council funds Applause, a rural touring scheme operating
across West Kent. The scheme enables you to book a professional
show in your local venue, helping you to find the right show for
your community, minimising the financial risk to your organisation
and helping you to publicise your event effectively. For more
information visit the Applause web site via the Applause button on
the Leisure and Shopping home page.
The Borough Council funds Trinity, an arts centre based in a
decommissioned church in the centre of the town of Tunbridge Wells.
Other venues in town include The Forum, The Assembly Hall Theatre
and in Cranbrook, the Queens Hall which is attached to Cranbrook
School.
Along side these activities the service runs one-off projects in
the community.
The Borough boasts two contemporary public art features. In
Cranbrook, Aquaflight by Oliver Budd won the coveted Rouse Kent
Public Art Award. Aquaflight is a ceramic mural on the poolside at
the Weald Sports Centre. The Millennium Clock on Five Ways in
Tunbridge Wells has quickly been assimilated as a key landmark. The
5 metre clock is made of steel and bears fruit in the shape of
numbers to represent the passing of time. The most recent
commission is Charles Gurrey's memorial sculpture in the Victoria
Cross Memorial Grove in Dunorlan Park. The sculpture is made of
caithness stone and features text from a specially commissioned
poem by Andrew Motion, Poet Laureate called "Remembrance".
If you are looking to get involved in arts activities locally
The Arts Directory is an up to date list of voluntary and
professional arts organisations in the Borough.