20/05/24 Picture by Dawn McNamara
The talented artists to receive unique support and funding from a major new initiative driving forward the arts in Tees Valley have been revealed. Tees Valley Artists of the Year 2024 is a new scheme run by Tees Valley Combined Authority supporting five leading local artists, who will receive a career-changing £30,000 investment.
The project is a bold new approach to develop the next generation of musicians, film-makers and writers and could provide a groundbreaking model for other areas. The successful artists were unveiled at The Globe Theatre, in Stockton, on Monday (20 May). Each will receive a £30,000 package of support over a year, which includes a real-living wage bursary and a professional development budget. All five will also receive industry mentoring and tailored business support to take their creative career to the next level. Tees Valley Artists of the Year supports an ambition to develop the region as an engine room for creative artists and the successful artists were selected after competitive process involving panellists from the region’s leading cultural organisations, Arts Council England, and TVCA.
The five artists showed outstanding strength and quality in their field with the selection panel judging they were each at right point in their careers where the programme could make a tangible and sustainable difference. They are Darlington based author, Lisette Auton; Stockton-based visual artist Claire A Baker; Stockton based film-maker Andy Berriman: Middlesbrough based singer-songwriter Amelia Coburn and theatre-maker Scott Turnbull.
Lisette Auton is a disabled, neurodivergent Tees Valley multidisciplinary artist working in literature as a novelist, dramatist, activist, filmmaker and performer.
Based in Darlington, Lisette is the author of three novels published by Puffin/Penguin Random House The Secret of Haven Point, The Stickleback Catchers, and Lights Up which have been shortlisted for five major awards.
Claire A Baker is a Stockton-based visual artist working with textiles and mixed media. Her work has been exhibited in the UK, Ukraine, Russia, USA, Belgium, Germany and Portugal and she has been a finalist in several national visual arts awards and was Contextile Winner in 2012.
Andy Berriman is an experienced filmmaker, writer and director from Stockton. His film Mortal won the Northern Film prize in 2023 and has had award winning films commissioned by BFI and Creative England. He is also a well-established commercial filmmaker focusing on capturing the region’s festivals, events and cultural attractions.
Ameila Coburn is a singer-songwriter from Middlesbrough who has just recorded and released her first debut album, produced by Bill Ryder-Jones (co-founder of The Coral). Her songs have garnered acclaim from broadcasters and publications including BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6Music.
Scott Turnbull is a theatre-maker, actor and illustrator developing multi-platform work for theatre, television and online. His work has toured the UK and Europe. In 2023 has was awarded a bursary from BBC Comedy Creator Fund to develop his writing skills for TV.
Click here to find out more about the Artists of the Year.
20/05/24 Picture by Dawn McNamara
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said:
“We’ve got a great wealth of talent in our region, and we can all do more to shout it from the rooftops.
“We’re putting the building blocks in place by working alongside the BBC, North East Screen and The Northern Studios, in Hartlepool – plus our investment in our Development Corporations in Hartlepool and Middlesbrough.
“We want to help our brightest talents thrive and build their careers here – and this award is one part of that plan.”
Charlie Kemp, Head of Creative Place at the Tees Valley Combined Authority, said:
“We were utterly blown away the quality, mass and diversity of the applications we received – and it goes to show the incredible depth of creative talent we have in the Tees Valley.
“It’s great to be working alongside the North team at Arts Council England and leaders in the arts in bringing this project to life. The Combined Authority, Tees Valley Business Board and the wider Tees Valley culture sector have a shared ambition to establish our region as one of the country’s engine rooms for creative production, and we’re striving to make it a fantastic and well-supported place to work.
“We hope this funding can provide these great artists with the help and expertise they need to thrive, secure their futures, and take their careers to the next level.”
The funding provided through the Artist of the Year comes via the UK Government and its UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
Alison Gwynn, Creative Economy Lead for the Tees Valley Business Board and North East Screen Chief Executive, said:
“A supported arts and culture scene is essential for nurturing local talent and creating vibrant careers. By investing in our creative industries, we ensure our region becomes a destination for talent, rivalling Manchester and London.”
The award is part of a wider £20.5m programme of investment by the Combined Authority to grow the region’s creative and cultural industries and visitor economies.
Jane Tarr, Director North, Arts Council England, said
“We want the North to be a place where everyone can establish and sustain a creative career so it’s great to see the Tees Valley Combined Authority supporting artists at a key moment in their careers and helping with their business and professional development.
“We were pleased to be involved in the panels for the five Artists of the Year and looking forward to seeing how the opportunity takes their creative journeys forward.”
