Transported

Bringing art to people and people to art
Artist Alisha Miller designs wraps for ten FreshLinc lorries
Artist Alisha Miller designs wraps for ten FreshLinc lorries
Photo: Electric Egg
 Sketchcrawls in summer 2014.
Sketchcrawls in summer 2014.
Photo: Electric Egg
Tangled Feet in Spalding
Tangled Feet in Spalding
Photo credit: Kamal Prashar
Faceless Arts wire working workshops 2014
Faceless Arts wire working workshops 2014
Photo: Electric Egg
Photography project with the Fenside Community Centre led by Paul Floyd Blake
Photography project with the Fenside Community Centre led by Paul Floyd Blake
Photo: Electric Egg

Where: Boston Borough and South Holland including Boston, Spalding, Holbeach and surrounding villages.
With: University of Lincoln, Boston in Bloom, Boston College

Transported enables more people to enjoy and take part in fantastic arts experiences and events in and around Boston and South Holland. It’s a mainly rural area whose industries include transportation, agriculture and food processing – Lincolnshire produces 20% of the UK’s food. As well as transporting the arts, artists and activities to residents in remote places, the project also brings people to the arts.

Another key goal is to encourage collaborations between communities, arts organisations, local authorities, the private sector and museums and libraries. This has given individuals and organisations the confidence to experiment with compelling new ways of developing inspirational and sustainable art programmes. One project has seen Transported working with the RSPB to create a piece of public art at Frampton Marsh, helping improve the Marsh’s visitor offer while extending the reach of the arts. Transported is continually working strategically to increase the value of larger scale investment, such as developing a partnership with the Pilgrim Roots communities in the East Midlands, and the County Council for public realm.

Partners are therefore wide-ranging, and Transported has already worked closely with local businesses, including a haulage firm that features artworks on the sides of twenty of its lorries. Another project involved the creation of a dance theatre piece with the workforce of a seed growing company in the area, which has led to subsequent arts projects in that workplace. The way that businesses have embraced the value of arts in the workplace has been one of the project’s biggest achievements so far.

Transported works on smaller scale projects as well as larger public events, and this is all part of a strategy designed to lay the foundations for future partnerships. The programme aims to support local people to develop their arts skills over the long term, creating a legacy of regular arts activity. Those groups are then encouraged to be involved with other projects, which leads to higher levels of participation, and spectacular events created with a local voice.

Consultation has been central, and have really involved the communities Transported serves by continually asking them what they needed. This particular initiative has brought together civic societies, parish councils, action groups, community centres, housing associations and church groups. It’s all part of Transported’s mission to boost inclusion and spread the arts as far and wide as possible within the area. 

Transported has also been the first programme to start using a Loyalty Card scheme, which not only encourages audience members and participants to keep coming to events, but also facilitates better audience evaluation.