TOWN OF CHILDREN
youth activatiON OF positive social change
-
CREATIVES NOW
‘YOUNG PEOPLE AS EQUAL PARTNERS, EMPOWERED TO MAKE POSITIVE CONTRIBUTIONS AS AGENTS OF CHANGE’
CREATIVES NOW is an artist collective for 12-18-year-olds in Bolton. Led by youth, we emphasise co-design and invite new members eager to collaborate in amplifying youth voices and creative initiatives in Bolton.
Our town centre studio hosts weekly Saturday meetings, supplemented by online programmes. We actively involve artists through commissions, fostering collaboration in crafting innovative projects with our members.
It's more than just creating art; it's about making a meaningful impact and using creativity to inspire others to think, feel, and act for a better world.
-
BASECLAN
´THE BIGGEST NATION IS IMAGINATION´
BASECLAN is a collective of artists and filmmakers based in the Canary Islands, whose mission is to transform communities through creativity, experience design, and education. They act as facilitators in intergenerational community processes, exploring the relationships between people, spaces, experiences, and positive social changes. Their creative and educational approach is based on activating emotions through play, reflecting on common themes, and creating symbols and collective memories that give new meanings to spaces.
BASECLAN envisions a world where children are at the center of community decisions, and where play and creativity open up endless possibilities.
WE ARE ONE
-
VÍCTOR SEUS
CREATIVE DIRECTOR BASECLAN / ARTIST
Seus is a Canary Islands-based artist whose main focus is creating large-scale murals through socially-driven actions designed specifically to each occasion and place. He is co-founder of BASECLAN and considers the question as the key to knowledge. He opens a dialogue between the body and emotions, giving space to imagination, listening, creative expression, critical thinking and disobedience as a pedagogical tool.
-
LA BERTINA
CREATIVE PRODUCER BASECLAN / ARTIST
La Bertina (Bertine Bielderman) is a dutch artist, creative producer and co-founder of BASECLAN. She brings experiences of play and collaboration to public spaces, recognizing the urgency of enabling people to re-connect with each other creatively to activate and empower our communities.
-
NAOMI LORD
DIRECTOR CREATIVES NOW / ARTIST-EDUCATOR
Naomi is a specialist leader of cultural education, a champion of creative thinking and a co-director of Creatives Now. Naomi believes that all children and young people should have the opportunity to participate in the cultural life of their town and have a say in the direction of its cultural development.
-
SIMONE TURINESE
FILM DIRECTOR / MUSICIAN
Simone is an Italian filmmaker, producer and musician based in Tenerife. He is a co-director of the BASECLAN documentary. By pursuing new perspectives through art, Simone develops a personal and creative vision for cinema and audiovisual projects.´If we improve our creativity and we allow ourselves to break the rules, we will discover the real and pure talent within us.’
-
GAYNOR COX
DIRECTOR CREATIVES NOW / CREATIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Gaynor is a co-director of Creatives Now and has worked in arts and community engagement in Bolton for over 20 years. She leads public art initiatives, brings art to district communities and develops well-being programmes and cultural partnerships. Her passion is using the arts to support place-based engagements with heritage.
-
Stewart Knights
CREATIVES NOW FACILITATOR / ARTIST
Stew explores the concept of community through research-driven projects across diverse art forms. He curates exhibitions for Greater Manchester artists and is a member of Neo:Artists Studios in Bolton.
-
Ben Cain
CREATIVES NOW FACILITATOR / THEATRE - MAKER
Ben is a Manchester-based theatre practitioner and community-focused arts project manager. Ben brings experience of working with young people from a range of settings, including SEND schools, LGBTQ+ youth groups, youth theatres and ESOL groups.