PRESS RELEASE
13 November 2019
Food and the Arts: A Marriage Made in Somerset
Take Art to launch the UK leg of International project Ruritage, aiming to support the rural areas of Crewkerne, Chard, South Petherton and Ilminster through a celebration of food and the arts.
Ruritage (like heritage but for rural areas) is a large scale 4-year international project, taking place in 25 countries, with 38 partners, all aiming to prove that the arts and culture are, and always have been, fundamental to the survival and success of rural communities.
Each of the 38 partners in the project are working on a different cultural and rural collaboration. In the UK, Take Art will be focusing on the arts and food and will start by bringing together local people, food growers, theatre companies and artists to talk about how the arts and culture could join forces with farmers, growers and distributors to build happier and healthier communities in and around Crewkerne, Chard, South Petherton and Ilminster.
Take Art aims to create a Hub at the centre of the four communities, where people from the health, food, social and arts sectors can come together to plan events and activity that combines food and culture. These might include travelling theatre shows that feature cookery and/or local history, creative farmer’s markets, storytelling in orchards, barn dances and apple and produce festivals.
The Ruritage project in Somerset will run until 2022 and will feature a whole programme of regular activity, devised in collaboration with the community and the arts and food sectors.
Take Art will be launching their Ruritage initiative on 22 November in Speke Hall, Dowlish Wake.
If you are interested in finding out more about this project or would like to attend the Hub event please visit www.takeart.org/ruritage or email nadine@takeart.org
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