Taking the arts on a Walkabout

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Narrator: The Lowry Centre’s stunning arts complex has brought a new sense of pride to Salford.

Woman 1: This is the first time we’ve really come up to The Keys and had a look. You know, it’s one of those things where you think ‘oh, I must do it’ and you never actually get around to it. Now we’re actually here, I think it’s an amazing site.

Woman 2: I think it’s nice, yes, definitely.

Man 1: It makes Manchester look like you could be in any cosmopolitan European city with these sort of buildings, the bridge going across there, the lovely Lowry building… and the centre of Manchester as well. I think it all looks really modern and it does make it look like a more modern city.

Woman 2: We’d heard lots about it, and we just wanted to see what it’s like and what there is here. From what we’ve seen so far, it’s very nice.

Woman 3: We’re both from the North originally and it’s something you think ‘we must do’ and then never do, so it was convenient so we came along to look at the exhibition. I think it’s an amazing achievement along with all the other buildings in the area. It’s great. It’s very modern and exciting and a good place to have.

Woman 4: Well, just seeing his work because I’m from Manchester, we’ve talked about it for so long and said ‘we must go and see the exhibition’ and never got around to it. Just to actually see it… And what I enjoyed the most was actually being there in time for the talk and it was by a student who’s just done a thesis on Lowry and actually it was very good. It was very informative.

Narrator: This is a Big Lottery Fund podcast, for more information go to: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

The Lowry’s Walkabout programme is helping local communities renew themselves through creative partnerships

“If you build it, they will come.” The famously whispered words from the ’80s baseball movie Field of Dreams might equally have been the guiding principle behind the arts organisations of the past: create a space, open the doors and wait for the visitors to show up.

Not so at The Lowry on Salford Quays. Although it bears the name of one of England’s most famous 20th century artists the centre has developed a distinctly 21st century approach to cultivating relations with the local residents.

There are, of course, visual and performing arts activities inside the building specifically aimed at involving the community as well as curriculum-linked workshops based on the theatre and gallery programmes.

But The Lowry has also made a name for itself outside the building through its groundbreaking Walkabout programme and its tenth anniversary local community-led heritage project Unlocking Salford Quays, launched in nearby Little Hulton in 2007.

“By going out to Salford communities and finding out what they are passionate about, we can respond to their interests and encourage social participation through creative activity”

“First and foremost we’re interested in helping to build communities through creativity,” says head of community and education Andy Farrell. “By going out to Salford communities and finding out what they’re passionate about, we can respond to their interests and encourage social participation through creative activity.”

did you know?

• The Lowry opened on 28 April 2000, bringing together a wide variety of performing and visual arts under one roof
• The Lowry houses two main theatres and studio space for performing arts (1,730, 466 and 180 seats respectively)
• The Lowry gallery has 1,610 metres of floor space, showing the works of LS Lowry alongside contemporary exhibitions