County Durham Creativity Set To Flourish With New Artistic Commissions

20 creative practitioners from across County Durham have been awarded commissions, bringing a new wave of arts and cultural projects to communities.

The successful cohort will share £78,000 after being selected for the 2026/27 Cultivate Commissions, which is a joint partnership between Into the Light and North Heartlands. The 20 new commissions, which span a variety of work from theatre and ceramics to music, dance and visual arts, are worth almost £4,000 each.

Into the Light programme director, Julia Handelman-Smith, said: “It’s fantastic to see the breadth of ideas being brought to life across County Durham. These commissions are about backing local talent, giving creatives opportunities to develop their craft and connecting more communities with creativity.”

The commissions build on the previous Cultivate programme and Into the Light’s wider work to strengthen County Durham’s cultural sector, support creative careers and widen access to arts and culture across the county.

Projects will take place in communities across County Durham, exploring local heritage and identity, nature, wellbeing and people’s experiences of the places they call home.

Katy Milne, creative director at Northern Heartlands, said: “We are so excited to unveil this year’s Cultivate Commission recipients. We received such a strong range of ideas, and it was inspiring to see the talent that exists across the county.

She continued: “What really stood out was the connection the projects have to their communities. Over the next few months, we’ll begin to see these ideas come to life, and we’re really looking forward to seeing where they take them.”

Among this year’s recipients is David Kenney, whose Peterlee – A Guide for Future Visitors will bring different generations together to explore the town through their memories, local knowledge and hopes for its future.

He said: “I feel really fortunate to have received the commission and the opportunity to celebrate Peterlee and the stories we have to share. I’m looking forward to seeing where people’s memories and ideas take the project.”

Elsewhere in the county, Sarah Dobbs’ Underwater Aerial Exhibition in Newton Aycliffe will bring together aerial performance, freediving, mermaiding and underwater dance. Sarah said: “The commission gives us the freedom to experiment with something completely different. I can’t wait to see how people respond and what we can create together.”

The new cohort will come together for the first time at Ushaw House on Friday 18 September to meet, share ideas and begin developing their projects.