A new arts festival featuring some well-known names will becoming to St Peters Cowleigh in Malvern this June.
St Peters has long had an association with the arts and forthe last few years has been running its own printmaking group using somebeautiful antique printing presses. Last year, with the appointment of its newVicar, The Revd Phillip Johnson, the Parish began to further develop this linkand is restyling itself as a dedicated Arts Church with a festival runningfrom Friday 14 to Sunday 23 June.
The arts festival will feature some big names including DukeSpecial, Brian Bilston and the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy performing alongside some local acts and arts workshops. It will be possible thanks togenerous grants from Malvern Town Council, local councillors and some grantmaking trusts. All will be welcome.
Mr Andrew Judd, Churchwarden at St Peters and a local Artsteacher and artist said: The festival is a realisation of my vision of a churchthat uses the arts to engage with the local community and to express our faith.St Peters provides as intimate and atmospheric setting in which artists loveto perform and the festival will be a very special occasion. Alongside theperformances we are building an exciting community of artists, musicians andperformers who use the space as an inspiration and particularly love theopportunity to really engage with an audience.
The Vicar, The Revd Phillip Johnson (who originally trainedas an Actor and worked as a theatre director) said: In the short time Ivebeen here, Ive been able to help the parish develop St Peters as an ArtsChurch and use some of my skills (and contacts) to help put together aninspiring week of events. Im very grateful to the generosity and hard work ofall those who have enabled the arts festival to happen and Im looking forwardto continuing to build up our skills and resources to create something reallyexciting at St Peters. Together we hope to establish a beautiful arts venuethat speaks of the creativity of God.
More information is available on the Arts Church website www.sparc.church and tickets are on salenow.
