Bradford has a great new arts venue and public building. Simply called Bradford Arts Centre, it will build on the arts legacy of both Kala Sangham and Bradford City of Culture 2025.
Debbie Rolls has the details…..
A larger theatre and more dance studios and rehearsal spaces will increase creativity, whilst the new layout opens the building as an accessible public space.
St Peter’s House dates back to 1886, when it opened as Bradford’s General Post Office. This is just one of many historic buildings in the Little Germany area of Bradford. The renovations have brought back to life historic features, such as round Victorian windows in the side staircase, which had been hidden. At the same time, this is a thoroughly modern building with an emphasis on accessibility and with glass and wood used to develop open vistas.
The building had been partially used by Kala Sangham, the South Asian arts organisation set up in 1993, since 2008. The rest of the building had been council office space. When in 2017 the council let it be known that they would not be extending their lease when it ended, plans began to form for the whole building to become centred around the arts. The multi- million renovation has been years in the planning and drawn upon a variety of funding, including the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, the Foyle Foundation and Bradford City of Culture.
Dr Geeta and Dr Shripati Upadhyaya, founders of Kala Sangam, have talked about their acorn growing ‘into a massive oak tree as Bradford Arts Centre.’ The change of name came following a public consultation, with thirty out of thirty-one community groups, suggesting Bradford Arts Centre as the new name. Geeta’s contribution to the arts in Bradford is celebrated by a stencil portrait by artist Stewy (Stewy Stencils) on one of the upstairs walls.
Other new art includes calligraphy by Razwan Ul-Haq in the Sangam Lounge and a sculpture by Eve Wright on the mezzanine. The latter was chosen by an arts council at Carlton Bolling School who asked students from Bradford College to design a work for the new centre. They were impressed by Wright’s ability to present a narrative in sculpture of her life as an autistic woman. Ul-Haq’s work has incorporated pigment made using discarded brick from the building.
Community will be at the heart of the new project and there is already work on display from the u3a and Womenzone community groups. The centre will welcome families and young people. A consultation is currently taking place to find out what activities families would like but there will be daytime activities for younger children and activities for school age children at the weekend. The regular schools takeover, when hundreds of children take part in dance activities during certain weeks, will continue. In December, Joss Arnott Dance present Meet the Hatter, integrating dance, storytelling, original music, digital projection, lighting and animation to shine a new light on the Alice in Wonderland story.
While the centre will stay true to its South Asian roots with the popular khathak and Bollywood dance classes returning soon, there will also be strands celebrating Bradford and diversity in general. A glance at the opening programme suggests there is something for everyone. Dance will of course be the mainstay of the offering. Over recent years, the inclusion of dance in theatrical performances and the popularity of Strictly Come Dancing has opened the world of dance to a whole new audience. Natalie Davis’s Bradford City of Culture commission Bring it Back (23rd – 25th October) is a celebration of Bradford’s clubbing scene, past and present, and connects with the dancing that most of us have taken part in at some point.
Two festivals this month will enable everyone to take part in cultural events inspired by migrant communities in Bradford. The Bradford South Asian Festival (11th -12th October) will see food, art and flowers celebrated alongside dance and music with lots of opportunities for people of all ages to get involved.
The Brave Festival (18th – 19th October) connects to Black History Month and includes interactive workshops in African dance and drumming, Caribbean Carnival dance, Steel Pan, Swing and more. Both festivals will spill out into Broadway and the surrounding streets. Bradford has some great street festivals and it is great to know that they can now connect to an indoor space. Halloween Weekend will see an
exhibition about counterculture in Bradford.
The first public performance, the premier of Astiva by Jaivant Patel Company, takes place on Thursday 9th and Friday 10th October. Astiva, meaning existence, is a powerful dance production, offering a rare and moving portrayal of British-Indian gay men. It will take place in the new theatre space, which has increased capacity from 112 to 170 seats. The new space is extremely flexible and offers performance changing rooms and an accessible wet room. On the 17th October Mobius Dance present the Long Summer Day. Developed here and in Italy, the piece is a ‘celebration of queer body and soul, in harmony with the transformative light of the sun.’
There are five purpose-built rehearsal studios, four meeting rooms, a conference venue and office space for creative businesses. The centre will also become home to BCB Radio. Bookings are being taken for meetings and events. The hall, which still has a high Victorian ceiling and chandeliers, makes a great wedding party or conference space. Commercial letting will subsidise creative enterprises with tickets and rehearsal space available for £1.
Alex Croft, CEO, is looking forward to welcoming new and regular visitors ‘with warm smiles to a place where everyone is welcome.’ These are not just words; the building has been designed to welcome people in, with open steps to the front and ramped entrances at both sides. Once inside, you can hang out in the lounge or take the lift or stairs to the top of the building. The central open stairs form an organic link between Broadway and the Cathedral grounds. In 2026, the glass fronted café will reopen, giving wonderful views of the historic Cathedral and grassy grounds. On the ground floor, there are changing places and toilet facilities which are open for the public to use whilst shopping or using the centre.
Whether you want to take in a show, practice your dance moves or just enjoy this great new public space, do pay Bradford Arts Centre a visit.
