After such a long time of being kept away due to lockdowns and restrictions, the Suffolk creative community had the opportunity to come together earlier this month, for a networking event organised by Art Eat, Aspire Black Suffolk and Noise of Art.
Suffolk Creates was a wonderful gathering of professionals from across the creative industries, such as artists, musicians, curators, photographers, video game designers, designers, marketing specialists, and so many more!
The afternoon was filled with fantastic music by DJs Ben Osborne and Daniel Lee Harvey, setting a fun and friendly mood, which along with the warm sun which shone through the windows at The Hold, made guests feel relaxed and at ease as they enjoyed their free drinks.
Upcoming live art and spoken word artist Queenette Cunningham enthralled the audience with thoughts on what we consider art, and the value we place on certain styles of art over others. Why are the words of some more revered than others? Their words gave those attending plenty of food for thought.
While organic networking was happening everywhere, guests also had the chance to participate in speed networking games hosted by multidisciplinary artist Hannah Aria, which really helped to fulfil the purpose of the evening.
When discussing where the idea for Suffolk Creates came from, Elma from Aspire Black Suffolk spoke of how she has a desire to build a more united creative community in Suffolk - as she has seen in other areas of the country - as well hoping that these networking events will help to diversify the local sector. This gathering has definitely started the ball rolling in that direction, and we can only hope that more opportunities arise to make this vision a reality!
The event was made possible thanks to funding from Ipswich Borough Council and the European Union Regional Development Fund as part of Welcome Back Weekend and was also generously supported by The Hold. Thank you to all funders, supporters, performers and all those who attended.
Image Credits
Photos by Raquel Stirling at Stirling Photography