Celebrating 21 years at Greater Shantallow Community Arts

This has been supported by the Department for Communities, to deliver The New Dawning Project, a celebration of the communities outstanding amazing creativity and artistic talent and cultural expression over the past 20 years.

Speaking at the launch of the brand-new digital platform for the New Dawning project, Oliver Green, Artistic Director with Greater Shantallow Community Arts, said: “We are honoured to have been given this opportunity to invite our whole community to join with us in an amazing celebration of 20 years of magical creativity, festivals and local people expressing their artistic and cultural talents.

“The New Dawning project invited hundreds of residents from across the Outer North area to share with us their memoires, reflections and happiest moments of our communities here in Galliagh, Shantallow and right across the Outer North area. Coming together with creativity, colour, fun, music and an amazing sense of community to produce some of the most wonderful cultural festivals our city has ever seen, creating precious memories and a time of togetherness that children of all ages within our community could enjoy.

“Originally we had hoped to bring our communities together physically with amazing showcase celebrations of our communities talent, but unfortunately due to COVID restriction this was not possible.

“Moving to a new online digital platform has seen us develop specially edited films and interviews reflecting our communities legacy of amazing inclusive communities festivals, exhibitions, films, stage productions and cultural celebrations, as well as reflecting the outstanding contribution the Outer North area and its people has made to the artistic, cultural and creative life of our city and its cultural heritage.

“The amazing “New Dawning” films and archives can viewed at www.studio2derry.com/newdawning and we are inviting residents from across the Outer North area to continue adding to our communities artistic, creative and cultural heritage by sending us their own memories, pictures and videos of any of the favourite reflections on the history of the Outer North area and its people.”

Mr. Darren Kirby, Outer North NR Strategy Manager, added: “Given the times that all of our local communities have lived through recently, The New Dawning project is a wonderful reflection back to happier days, when residents from across the Outer North area came together in creative celebration of all that is best about our local people. Their amazing ingenuity and creativity over this past 21 years offers great promise of the resilience of our local communities to create and deliver wonderful times ahead.”

Department for Communities Minister, Deirdre Hargey, said: “The Arts and Creative sector play such a crucial role in our community. This work by Greater Shantallow Community Arts in the Outer North Neighbourhood Area highlights the valuable contribution the arts and the creative sectors have made to cultural life not only in the area, but also in the City of Derry and beyond.”