LGBTQIA Archives - Blackpool Social Club

03 Jan

We’re Still Here! Bigger, bolder and back for 2026

Catherine Mugonyi0 CommentsHeritage, Local NewsBlackpool, lgbt culture, LGBTQIA

LGBTQIA+ heritage project We’re Still Here! has been awarded £235k from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for an exciting series of public exhibitions in Blackpool in 2027. Abingdon Studios commissioned project We’re Still Here! is delighted to announce it has secured major funding for the continuation of a pioneering LGBTQIA+ heritage project, producing two new major exhibitions at the Grundy Art Gallery and Showtown. We’re Still Here! was founded in 2021 by Garth Gratrix and Harry Clayton-Wright - two internationally acclaimed artists from Blackpool with deep roots in the local cultural landscape - with the aim to create the first…

06 Feb

Exhibition Review: Celebrating Blackpool’s LGBTQ+ history

David Simper0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitionsblackpool arts scene, Exhibition, LGBTQIA, photographic exhibition

As part of Blackpool's Winter Pride Rainbow Weekend, HIVEArts delivered a decade-spanning exhibition of photographs and memorabilia celebrating the town's LGBTQIA+ culture. David Simper nipped down to the Church Street gallery to catch the display. Entering the HIVEArts gallery through an arch of appropriately brightly coloured balloons, the walls were covered in photographs of people, usually in a social or performance situation. These were complemented by memorabilia – mainly posters for evenings featuring local artists and national stars, including Mark Almond and Toyah Wilcox. It's all smiles from the photos' subjects – I can imagine people spending a long time…

26 Oct

Make! Craft! Live! The Halloween Crafternoon Tea Party

Blackpool Social Club0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitionsceramics, crafts, LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQIA, workshops

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] On their 50th anniversary, the Crafts Council has announced that they have selected Blackpool's Aunty Social as a Make! Craft Live! partner. The Crafts Council celebrates this special birthday from October 2021 to October 2022 with a season of nationwide exhibitions, learning events, fairs, and digital activities that celebrates the value of craft to empower, enrich and connect our society. These craft activities will take place at venues across the UK such as craft studios, museums, galleries, schools and community centres. Aunty Social is pleased to be selected as one of the Crafts Council’s partners. Working together we will…

20 Oct

Open casting call: Trans women, Trans men, Non-Binary and Gender Diverse people

Blackpool Social Club0 CommentsOpportunitiesacting, casting, Film, LGBTQ, LGBTQIA, Trans

Casting call for Trans women and men as well as people who identify as Non-Binary or Gender Diverse to star in a Blackpool-based film in the first half of November 2021. Shaheen Baig Casting is looking for UK based people to feature in an exciting Short Film produced by Mercury Studios shooting in Blackpool in November 2021. They would love to hear from the following: TRANS YOUNG WOMEN AND/OR TRANS FEMMES (16+) This is to play the lead character Charlie (she/her) who is 16 years old You must be 16yrs or older TRANSGENDER, NON-BINARY AND GENDER DIVERSE PEOPLE (16-25) This…

07 Oct

Artists to explore LGBTQIA+ heritage in Blackpool

Catherine Mugonyi0 CommentsHeritage, Local Newsheritage, history, LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQIA, local history, Queer

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Abingdon Studios has received funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to create the first permanent collection of LGBTQIA+ heritage in Blackpool. The ‘We’re Still Here’ project, led by Abingdon Studios director Garth Gratrix and producer and artist Harry Clayton-Wright, will capture stories from members of the community, and will kick off with a sound installation at new arts space The Old Electric on Saturday October 23. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] As well as viewing the installation on the day, members of the public will also be invited to share their stories, have them recorded and added to the digital archive which…