Brent to get £1 million legacy from its year as Borough of Culture

Free artist’s studios and regular music and art festivals in Brent will all benefit from a £1 million legacy from the area’s stint as London’s Borough of Culture.

Among the projects getting financial backing from the council is free studio space in Kilburn for 14 visual artists and regular art and music biennials which will see public art go on show across the borough.

There is also a plan to overhaul arts education in the borough which will see artists continue to work with teachers as they did during the Borough of Culture last year.

Brent, which became the second borough of culture after Waltham Forest in 2019, had to adapt its plans when the pandemic hit and ran several virtual festivals and used podcasts and public art to reach a locked-down audience.

Its artistic director Lois Stonock said: “This is a defining moment for Brent as we look back at what has been achieved during the year of the pandemic, and forwards to delivering a sustained plan for the future.

"Cultural experiences contribute immeasurably to rebuilding communities broken by Covid-19. We cannot create a healthy future for our young people without these experiences.”