🧢 RAW, but ready
Berry RAW is an exhibition combining the centenary of Stoke on Trent’s city status with the centenary of Arthur Berry. This is the first event for #ArthurBerry100, which marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of this Stoke-born British artist, poet, playwright and broadcaster. The exhibition, which runs from 30 January to 1 March shows a collection of never seen paintings, drawings and artifacts from the archive of Arthur Berry - as well as first-time-ever reference sketches from the studio. All artwork is also available to purchase.
🧢 Save the date for Derby’s Summer Sessions: 3 to 13 July
Markeaton Park, the city’s most-visited outdoor destination, will not only host ‘TK Maxx presents Derby Summer Sessions’ this July, but will also help it to be seen as one of the biggest city-centre music festivals in the whole of the UK. Rain or shine, Derby Summer Sessions has “got you covered”. The Big Top Tent ensures that nothing can dampen the spirit of this festival. If the sun is blazing, you can step out to the outdoor spaces and enjoy some well-earned shade. Top acts for 2025 include The Human League, 3 July; Blossoms, 5 July; Rag N Bone Man, 6 July; Simple Minds, 8 July; Faithless, 11 July; Jess Glynne, 12 July; and UB40, 13 July.
🧢 This week’s ‘Top Pick’ @WeightmanPR: Sedan Medieval Festival
It’s one of Europe’s greatest fortified castle, and was voted France’s most loved historic monument in 2023. And over the weekend of 17 and 18 May, Sedan Fort will host the annual Medieval Festival - featuring camps, shows, workshops, children’s play areas, re-enactments of daily life and a medieval market with over one hundred stalls. The castle and its surroundings will be enlivened by scores of travelling companies - from musicians and street theatre, to reenactors - all of whom will take part in the grand procession on the Saturday evening, followed by a show featuring 400 other costumed participants. The event attracts around 23,000 visitors each year. Sedan Fort’s other great claim to fame is a modern day 4-star hotel, set within the structure of this magnificent monument.
🧢 The UK’s oldest photography business developing into a great media story
While FORMAT takes place in Derby next month, the city itself is also planning to bring its own photography heritage into full focus. One of Derby’s great claims to fame is its association with pioneering female photographer Constance Mundy, the wife of William Henry Fox Talbot. Another is Winters of Derby, the longest running photography business in Britain - which produces four Newsletters a year. Read the Autumn 2024 edition to find out why this might make for a fascination news item for national newspapers.…