The Retrospective Blog. 6. Preston Arts Festival - 25/04/20

The Retrospective Blog. 6. Preston Arts Festival - 25/04/20

Apr, 25 2020


~Welcome to ‘The Retrospective Blog’. Each week I’ll be reminding members and friends about some of the excellent events the CCG has had the absolute privilege to be a part of. This week I’m looking at Preston Arts Festival.

This fantastic event has been showcasing some of the best arts in and around Preston for some considerable years. It has helped provide a viable platform for local artists, musicians and film-makers in their desire to create new and innovative pieces of art.

The Festival is notable for being a champion of art in the following seven areas:-

  1. Music
  2. Dance
  3. Poetry
  4. Exhibitions
  5. Plays
  6. Workshops
  7. Film

Two years ago The CCG  collaborated with the Preston Arts Festival in celebration of the film week. There were two notable contrasting films throughout the week which covered drama and musical theatre.

On the Wednesday the film ‘Platoon’ was shown. Directed by Oliver Stone and starring Charlie Sheen. It captured the horrors of war at the time of the Vietnam era.

Then came ‘Cabaret’ on the Friday which featured music, song and dance all taking place in a female girlie club and starring Liza Minnelli with Bob Fosse taking lead as Director.

In addition to film the festival has also prided itself in encouraging writing and last year it had a series of associate partnerships which promoted the idea of creative writing, including the following:-

  • Damson Poets
  • Preston Poets’ Society
  • ScRibble
  • UCLAN

Also in 2019 came the inclusion of local libraries which  contributed to a wide range of activities including Fun Palaces, musical entertainment and workshops such as embroidery and Chinese calligraphy.

 PAA Secretary Mike Cracknell expressed his thoughts on the diverse mix of talent in Preston,

 “Preston Arts Festival was originally designed to showcase the work of Preston Arts Association member groups, but it is now just as much concerned with trying to show the vast range of artistic activity in and around the city.

In whatever capacity it returns to in the autumn you can be  assured it will provide the  very best in cultural recognition be it from the world of film, music or art. It will continue to raise the bar for others to reach and the CCG will play a significant part when it comes to choosing and selecting appropriate films for the film week.

^Alex Ashworth CCG Art Blogger