Newark Creates is a celebration of creativity, linking an artistic programme to our heritage and history, exploring stories and spaces.

Members of the Cultural Consortium launched Newark Creates in the summer of 2021 with a series of outdoor events celebrating Newark and our heritage spaces.

Starting in July to coincide with Newark Book Festival, poet Leanne Moden was commissioned to create poems inspired by our Heritage buildings around Newark Market Place to create a Heritage Poetry Trail.  Poems were displayed throughout summer alongside the promotion of an activity trail. Why not download the poems and trail and have a go yourselves.

Download the poems here: Newark Heritage Poems (PDF File, 912kb)

Find the trail activity sheet here: Our Heritage Poetry Trail - Activity Sheet (PDF File, 457kb)

You can also watch two of the poems being performed by their writer Leanne Moden below:

In August we hosted a Family Play Day in Newark Market Place and Castle, which included a family themed market with pop up museums, festivals and outdoor play, street theatre and circus acts.

Over the Bank Holiday we showcased dance groups from across the region as part of the Brass Explosion in Newark Castle and the Steampunk market. Dancers could be found demonstrating skills in Scottish Country Dancing, Swing, and Clog Dancing.

As part of Heritage Open Days on 11^th September, we hosted a twilight event at Newark Castle. The evening included performances by The Muskham Pinkies and Jukebox Jive, with The Cake Ladies Street Theatre and pop up stalls featuring local produce, Newark Ramblers' anniversary town trail and pop up arts and crafts workshops. With supplies included from the National Civil War Centre, families spent the evening sat around the Castle drawing and painting.

Our first year programme ended in March 2022 with Musical Whispers. A co-created project with soundLINCS music development agency working alongside community groups in Newark – from drop in sessions at St Mary Magdalene Church and Newark Library to a family day at the National Civil war centre and sessions with Newark’s Carers Dementia Group. The aim of Musical Whispers was to help local people create a soundtrack celebrating Newark’s history, heritage and buildings. They used instruments, percussion and technology to support and guide participants in this fun musical journey. The music created can be heard below:

At the end of September 2021, Newark hosted our first Fun Palace! A Fun Palace is a celebration of community skills, creating 1000s of tiny revolutions. A bit like a jumble sale of creativity! 2021's Fun Palace took places across 3 days with drop in workshops and activities in Newark Library, St Mary Magdalene Church, YMCA, the Palace Theatre Newark and National Civil War Centre, Newark Market Place, Secret Garden Studios, LetsXcape Board Game Café and other venues. From large knitting to puppet theatres, basketball to learning how to play chess, everyone offered their time and skills to share with members of their communities.

In 2022, we enjoyed origami, balloon modelling, ninjutsu, cocktail making and even learning how to wire a plug, with diverse events taking place at Newark Library, St Mary Magdalene Church, the Palace Theatre, YMCA, Newark College, Newark Heritage Barge, Newark Art Gallery and Inspire at the Buttermarket.

Here's our short film showing our 2023 highlights:

• ADHD Foundation: Neurodiversity Charity – we commissioned the ADHD Foundation to be one of the first in the county to host a unique Umbrella Installation – with colourful umbrellas adorning over our Marketplace, Bridge Street and Stodman Street. Running throughout the summer we created an associated community engagement programme – from an opening ceremony with community performances to a closing ceremony with the Inspire choirs, and an arts day creating a long community-collective piece of artwork; 5 schools took part in the education programme; various community groups performed under and connected to festivals; partners of the consortium undertook Umbrella creative workshops and we promoted use of the digital app to raise awareness of Neurodiversity.
• Outdoor Arts Fest in association with SO Festival - We joined the Lincolnshire Festival Consortium to aim to strengthen our skills sets and enable our partners to bring international dance and street theatre to the town. This programme included Go and See visits and training opportunities. We welcomed Sonia Sabri Dance Company and ICHI one man band to Newark.
• Urban Canvas co-created three interactive pieces of chalk art on our pavements. Rainbow Road, Historic Street Games, and 3D pavement art based on Porters Shop.
• Artist in Residencies - This included Nicky Rafferty, our storymaker and James Mayle, graffiti artist. They worked at festivals including Newark Book Festival, Newark Beach, Newark Festival, Heritage Open Days, Fun Palace, Big Draw, Christmas Light Switch On and Steampunk Christmas weekend in addition to working directly with a variety of community groups.
• Fun Palace returned
• Fallen From the Same Tree – a Sound & Light Installation. Inspire Youth Arts, artists Urban Projections, C J Mirra and students from Magnus Academy co-created a sound and light installation at St Mary Magdalene Church for two free evening viewings.
• Book Bench prep work – In 2023 we commissioned Wild In Art to work with us, artists, and communities to co-create Book benches for a Sculpture Trail to look at wayfinding.

Download our 2023 colouring in sheet here. (PDF File, 1,782kb)

Over this summer, theatre and circus brought Newark’s Market Place to life over the weekend — with over 2,000 people getting involved.

The Streets Ahead event, held by Newark Creates in partnership with SO Festival, saw two international street theatre companies descend on the town centre for a day of free fun on Sunday (June 16).

There were two performances of De Cuyper vs. De Cuyper, a circus piece by Cie Pol and Freddy, the titular De Cuyper brothers who create their work in Belgium. Zum Zum Theatre, a Spanish cross-disciplinary performing arts company founded in 1994, also brought two performances of their show Hippos to the event.

Over midday, the Circus Starlight team hosted a drop-in circus skills workshop with a trapeze, juggling and a tightwire for attendees to test out their circus skills on. There was even more to keep visitors entertained, with a display of cars put on by Stealth Car Community and a range of arts, crafts and sports throughout the day!

Around 2,250 people are estimated to have stopped by to watch the shows or take part in activities across the day.

Newark Creates worked in collaboration with Wild in Art, commissioning 11 artists and community groups to design and create benches for an interactive trail across town.

The 11 benches were in various locations across the town centre, with visitors flocking to Newark to find them. Many events, workshops, and activities were held as part of our 'Meet Me at the Benches' programme.

Many of the benches now have new homes - some are still in Newark for people to find!

Saturday 5 – Sunday 6 October – Festival of Creativity

Back for the 4th year but with a twist! For 2024 we continue to work with the national Fun Palaces programme but have changed our focus to celebrating creativity even more. Expect a full weekend of drop in, free events from dancing to visual arts, music to weaving, join our play zones, learn more about your town…want to join in with the movement, where community is at the heart of culture? Contact us today to find out more! Taking place in venues across the town…

Saturday 5 October

Access Models - 9am - 5pm

Explore a variety of model-making activities, learn about Warhammer gaming and discover the excitement of radio control cars. Find out more on their website: www.accessmodels.co.uk

Air & Space institute - ASI Tours - 10am and 11am

Fantastic tours of the ASI! Each tour lasts 45 minutes. Book your space on an ASI tour now!

National Civil War Centre - A Day of Dance - 10am - 4pm

Hop, skip and jump your way to a whole day of dance taster sessions. Have a go at country, contemporary, cheerleading, ceroc...we have more types of dance than you can shake a morris dancer's stick at! There is event a tiny tots session. All sessions are free, fun and fully accessible for all.

Newark Art Gallery - 9am - 4.30pm

Come along and colour in King Charles I, II and III. See the new collaborative exhibition 'Play' between Newark artists and the Fosseway Writers group.

Newark Library - 9am - 4pm

Drop in and see Rhubarb Theatre's latest show and have a go at various crafts and activities including:

• Nottinghamshire Handspinners and Weavers
• Gifts From Fairies - making a Christmas card!
• Crafts and Lego - fun with the library team
• Making a Zine with Newark Book Festival Young Ambassador Trudy McIntosh (1pm - 4pm)

Plus enjoy "Collection Day" our family friendly theatre show on at 10.30am, 12.30pm and 2.30pm - it's bin day and two rambunctious refuse collectors are heroically cleaning the streets. But what's this? A dustbin that refuses rubbish. Delving into its depths, we discover that 'one man's trash is another man's treasure', as a wonderful myriad of stories and treats ensure from all that is rubbish and recycled. 

Newark Market Place - 10am - 4pm

Find out more about Newark Heritage Forum and Newark Heritage Barge and look out for our play zone!

Newark School of Violin Making - Tours - 10am - 12noon

Take a tour of the violin school. Book your place on a violin school tour now!

Sunday 6 October

Inspire Buttermarket - 12 noon - 4pm

As the nights draw in, we want to light up your life in a creative and inspiring way by inviting you to:

• Make some beautiful, illuminated lanterns, headdresses and badges to take home and keep - we hope you bring them out for the Newark Creates 'A Likely Story' evening event on Friday 1 November to help light up the Market Square!
• Enter our magical Shadow Booth and make your own shadow puppets and improved show!
• Join in with making our illuminated, vertical city and let's see how big we can get it in just one day!

At intervals, throughout the event, you can enjoy music from the Buttermarket-based Inspire Orchestra.

Newark Art Gallery - 9am - 4pm

Come along and colour in King Charles I, II and III. See the new collaborative exhibition 'Play' between Newark artists and the Fosseway Writers group.

Newark Market Place - Play Zone - 11am - 1pm

Join Circus Starlight for a two hour drop in workshop (11am - 1pm), have fun with bubbles, bring your scooters and trikes, have a go on our hopscotch and enjoy a day of free play!