JULY 2023

Co-Lab is our annual summer project that sees us collaborate with local arts organisations and community groups to co-programme activity at Exchange Place. Our partner for Co-Lab 23 is The Creators Hub, a grassroots organisation and community events space led by young creatives from the Global Majority.

Throughout July 2023, we co-produced a vibrant programme of workshops and events that helped The Creators Hub to develop professional skills and experience and generated more creative opportunities for their audience.

The four week takeover featured arts workshops including printmaking with Kedisha Coakley, life drawing with Anomaly, and ceramics with Rebecca Read. Sheffield's first Poet Laureate, Otis Mensah, joined us to lead a workshop in writing and performing spoken word poetry.

It also hosted pop-up exhibitions in our gallery by D'Affichage, Stando & Friends, and Miriam Levy. These were often accompanied by musical performances or open mic nights.

As a culmination for the takeover, our underground carpark was transformed to host a fashion show featuring emerging talent. In preparation for the catwalk, The Creators Hub provided masterclasses for aspiring models, who walked the catwalk against live music by a string quartet. This represented The Creators Hub's largest and most ambitious event to date, allowing them to apply the skills they had developed throughout the takeover.

Co-Lab 23 was generously supported by the Sheffield Town Trust and Arts Council England.