Bas-Arts-Index

28/05/2026

WHERE AND WHEN:
11-12:30 Outside Towngate Theatre
12:30-2:00 Various points along the central square between Costa, Mother and Child fountain, and Eastgate.

Basildon is currently undergoing significant regeneration and transformation. However,
understanding how public spaces are experienced by the people who use them is just as important as how they are physically designed.

This project offers a creative way for residents and visitors to reflect on their personal experiences of Basildon’s town centre and Gloucester Park, capturing stories, memories and emotions connected to these places.

By gathering these responses into a collective artwork, the project creates an informal portrait of
how Basildon is lived and felt by its community, revealing patterns of belonging, comfort, tension and change that may otherwise remain unseen.

Please join us to celebrate Basildon and become part of a new piece of public art.

27/05/2026

Saturday was all about exploring with our sense of smell at our Art & Smell workshop at The Great Pitsea Market. Thanks to everyone who came - and for really getting into the Smellwalk methodology (borrowed from Dr Kate McLean after years of work perfecting the format). Pitsea Market was in full swing even during the heat wave. We explored each of the zones with our noses and then returned back to the aircon comfort of The Range cafe where .in.colour had us all with full concentration faces retraining our hands and eyes in mark making. Once suitably loosened up the group sketched the highlights of the smellscape.

Try a smell walk yourself : https://sensorymaps.com/

Images 1-3) exploring the market for smells, using the Smellfie Kit with overlaid sketches from the drawing session:

Image 4) Mark making session with .in.colour

Image 5) getting in the zone, sketch by Carol

Images 6-13) smell sketches by Kem, Eleanor, Demy, Cien, Dave, Elena, Emma, Shenaugh + Elena

26/05/2026

CALL-OUT: Basildon Community Micro-Commissions (Paid Opportunity)

We’re looking for local creatives to bring new ideas to life.

Towngate Theatre is offering 5 micro-commissions of £700 to support the research, development, or prototyping of new creative work that connects with Basildon communities.

Whether you're an artist, maker, performer, or creative practitioner, this is your chance to test an idea, explore something new, or develop something further. We aren't looking for polished ideas, we want to support work in progress.

What’s included:

- £700 commission to develop your idea

- 1:1 mentoring (creative or producing support tailored to you)

- Peer support through group check-ins

- Opportunity to share your work and get feedback

- Connection into a wider network of local creatives

We’re particularly keen to hear from creatives with ideas that:

- Engage local communities

- Reflect diverse voices and experiences

- Bring something fresh to Basildon

To apply, all we ask is you let us know a little about your practice and what the commission would support you to do.

📍 Open to: Basildon-based (or Basildon-linked) creatives

📅 Apply now: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/krhvtEUaQL

📆 Deadline: Friday 26th June @ 1:00pm

Let’s build something together.

21/05/2026

Still some tickets left for this Saturday 🍋

Follow your nose around Pitsea Market to explore the urban environment in a sensory way.

18/05/2026

Saturday was all about exploring the creative businesses of Billericay as part of our Art & series. We strode around the pavements, chatting with the people that make it all happen with our guides for the day Cien and Shaun.

After assembling at the train station the first stop was , where we heard about all the dramatic goings on at this growing 90 seater venue.

Next up was a visit to the recently built Chantry Centre, home of Billericay Town Council, who run a community programme of events for all ages, and is home to 📽️

Then we met Charlotte who were celebrating their 2nd birthday 🎈 offering a community centred programme right on the high street.

Just a few skips away is record shop and cafe, where Carl told us about its history and how it’s survived streaming apps to keep vinyl on the high street.

Final stop on the tour was Billericay Library which is more than just a place to borrow books with arts and crafts, social drop ins and U3A. One of the busiest libraries in Essex, thank you Lisa .artista and Hayley for showing us around. If you visit the library don’t forget to read about the history of the adjoining building Burghstead Lodge, written by .artista - and the spooky activity sometimes known in the building.

18/05/2026

Thank you for showing us around Billericay Library on Saturday as part of our Art & Creative Business walk tour, go and show some love to your local library 📚 .
Sharing these brilliant photos from

18/05/2026

Views of our Art & Nature experience. Sylak Ravenspine from gave a brilliant workshop on junk journalling and wild print making at Langdon Hills.

Look out for more events coming up!
Still to come in the Art& Series we have Art& Smell on 23rd May in Pitsea (by ticket only); and Art& Public Space on 30th which is an open event, just turn up and enjoy the fun! Details of how to book tickets are on our newsletter, website and socials.

18/05/2026

Our Art & Nature workshop with was all about getting outside and understanding the processes, textures and imprints left behind by local materials, be it vegetable or mineral in an introduction to eco art practice.

At the Langdon Essex Wildlife Trust / the Dunton Plotlands, Artist Sylak Ravenspine guided us through all the steps from bookbinding using recycled materials to cooking up our own impression clay from ingredients you can find in your kitchen cupboard.

Sylak gave a short talk about alternate ways of engaging with the landscape and the historical legacy of the plotlands homes.

Armed with these materials, the group were sent out on exploration through the remenants of plotland sites to carry out their wild printmaking.

Thank you everyone that came and to Sylak and Maxine for sharing a new way to make art.

15/05/2026

Fancy a new way of thinking about maps? Sign up to Art & Smell, pitsea!
23rd May 2026 2-4:30, by ticket only.

Find the link on our website, our feed or in our newsletter.

15/05/2026

Look through our posts, visit our website or read our newsletters to sign up via Eventbrite.

Billericay Art & Creative Business, a networking event with a difference!

12/05/2026

🔔Politics is changing, and big decisions are being made right now about the future of culture. Made in Essex are building a Prospectus that will set out our sector’s priorities to our new politicians this July. Help us to shape it by answering one question :

What ideas or initiatives should happen to ensure the creative sector has even greater impact – and why?

Add your voice now !

👉 madeinessex.org.uk/take-part

Creative Basildon
Create Yourself Calm
Together In Musical Expression - TIME
Basildon Borough Council
Towngate Theatre