We hope you can join us for this free, public presentation by Matt Baker, who will draw on 30 years of experience of integrating artistic practice into communities, places and power structures, in the context of Berwick and local momentum for ‘culturally-led regeneration’.

About the presentation

The presentation will start at 2pm and finish at 4.30pm. It is free to attend, but booking essential.

About Matt Baker

Matt Baker is an artist and leader working at community, strategic and policy levels. From his home region of South West Scotland, Baker has taken his pioneering work in Creative Placemaking from an intimate local level to influence regional, national and international initiatives.

In 2011, Matt co-founded and the led The Stove Network for 14 years. A place-based arts organisation, The Stove has driven a community-led regeneration of Dumfries town centre with five High Street buildings now in community ownership and over £10m inward investment attracted. The Stove was the first artist-led community development trust in the UK and manages a creative placemaking network made up of community anchor organisations and creative practitioners, and supports the embedding of this methodology across a local government area of 6,500 sq km.

From 2020-23 Matt Baker was co-chair of the National Partnership for Culture, a group appointed by the Cabinet Secretary for Culture to advise on delivery of the Culture Strategy for Scotland (2020).

About Create Berwick

The North East Combined Authority (North East CA) has designated Berwick as one of only three Culture and Creative Zones (CCZs) in the region.

A CCZ is a designated area set up to support people and grow businesses working in the cultural and creative industries, with the ambition to provide a supportive and attractive environment for cultural and creative businesses and people to locate, start-up, grow, and flourish.

Create Berwick - Culture & Creativity in Berwick-upon-Tweed

Art and Culture as Society’s Superpower for Positive Change