What Is ARC?
An arts centre in Stockton on Tees in the North East of England dedicated to supporting its community through engagement in arts and culture
By Arts Council England
Story curated by ARC Stockton
arc (2) (2021) by Lizzie LovejoyArts Council England
ARC as a community hub
A place where people can come together, to experience new ideas through performances, screenings, workshops and classes, and a range of other activities. Through arts and culture, ARC supports different people to share their stories and enhances the wellbeing of communities.
Millennium Bridge 1 (2021) by Lizzie LovejoyArts Council England
People are what make ARC
ARC provides vital opportunities for local people. They bring together local communities to raise awareness and funds for exciting new projects, enable more people to be creative and engage in the arts and provide a safe space for people to meet.
Participant Richard discusses the impact ARC has had on his quality of life.
ARC Associate Artist Scott explains why the stories ARC tells are so important to their local audience.
Teresa explains her journey from ARC participant to volunteer.
Recent graduate Jake explains the important support ARC provides as a hub for local young creatives.
Adam filming Lizzie Lovejoy as part of the internship by Adam McLeanArts Council England
Connecting to community through artists
ARC prides itself being community-first, in the work they present, programme and develop. In 2020 they introduced Artist of Change, a co-creation model, giving local people and artists a bigger say in what they see within the arts centre, as well as transforming how it is run.
A Working Class Artist of Change
ARC appointed Lizzie Lovejoy as their first Artist of Change, to work with ARC on a full-time basis for a year, working across the whole organisation to produce work, and make an impact on the way ARC engages artists and communities.
How Lizzie changed ARC
ARC's Programmes Manager worked closely with Lizzie during their time as artist of change, and reflects on the impact Lizzie had particularly on the way Chloe now works with visual artists.
An exploration of what it means to be Northern
Lizzie focused on talking to communities in North East England about their experiences of being Northern focusing on three areas; home, family, and working classness.
See Lizzie's work on home
See Lizzie's work on family
See Lizzie's work on being working class
This story was curated by ARC Stockton as part of Arts Council's Northern Stories collection.
