Story & Studio CIC

18/05/2026

Call out for poems! 📣

We’re curating a community exhibition that will be taking place on the 16th June, coinciding with Refugee Week.

We would love to include some poetry within this exhibition, specifically poems that explore the idea of home and/or migration.

The poems can be in any language, up to 40 lines and written by any age/background/experience.

If you have something you’d like to submit for consideration, please send your work via email to:
[email protected]

Applications close 5pm 8th June.

Any questions, feel free to drop us a DM or email.

poets

21/04/2026

Great to see our Chris (Open Door Art) creating this stunning mural in Spider Park.

Aisha also popped down to add a poem and some words- she can’t let Chris have all the fun with the spray paints!

This wall looks incredible, it is truly magical how a bit of colour makes the whole world seem brighter!

15/04/2026

Our wonderful Nightfall Poem has been published in this beautiful collection.

We had such a lovely (albeit wet) time at Nightfall and it was wonderful to get such rich content from visitors to be able to create this poem!

When nightfall comes…

Funded by
Produced by

23/03/2026

Perfect Strangers - Bekannte Unbekannte has officially started 🥳

Funded through who celebrate social arts practice through intercultural partnerships between the UK and Germany- we are creating a project that brings together two towns in two countries with similar histories.

This first stage of the project will involve the Kitev team coming to Middlesbrough, and the Middlesbrough team heading over to Oberhausen to connect and start to shape a large scale creative project.

We’ve got a fab team of creatives on board for this and are excited to share the journey with you 🙌

18/03/2026

Great to hear Middlesbrough have been longlisted for City of Culture 🥳

We are so proud of the creativity and culture the Tees Valley have to offer, and we are lucky enough to bear witness to this in every workshop we run.

Also a bonus that an image of our incredible Pieces of Us project features in this post 💖

20/02/2026

This looks great for the little (and big) ones 🤩

18/01/2026

For those who participated in our Pieces of Us project, the funders would love to hear from you!

Can you spare a few minutes to fill out this form to help Middlesbrough Council understand how this project has helped (or hasn't) you with your feelings towards Middlesbrough.

Your time and answers are very much appreciated and we hope we'll be able to run similar projects very soon....

22/12/2025

Last night we had a magical evening on our Team Christmas Do. Held at the brillaint .

Drinks, laughter, secret Santa and some pub painting. A super evening. A massive thank you to all those who were able to attend and to those who couldn’t make it, we will hopefully see you in the new year for more creative collaboration 🙌

In 2025 we were able to directly employ 12 freelance artists as part of our Story & Studio team and the aim for 2026 is to continue to grow this fantastic cohort of creatives.

Thank you all for all your hard work and creativity this year and wishing everyone a very merry Christmas. See you all in 2026 🫟

09/12/2025

GLOW
BRIGHT
GLEAM
SHINE
SPARKLE
LIGHT
ILLUMINATE

Nightfall look at what you’ve created 😍

Which is your favourite board?!

08/12/2025

Looking for something wintery this weekend? Why not pop along to the Saltburn Ice Trail ❄️

You might even see Aisha who will be delivering some festive drop in poetry activities alongside Carmen and Emily!

Poetry meets ice next weekend in Saltburn ❄️

As part of The First Verse: South Tees Poet Laureate Community Engagement Programme, our Pop-Up Poets will be joining the Saltburn Ice Trail with Redcar & Cleveland Council.

Drop into Saltburn Library and you’ll find Aisha Lama, Carmen Marcus and Emily Downes turning winter memories, festive feelings and seasonal stories into mini-poems, all typed on their trusty typewriters.

With nine ice sculptures inspired by polar explorers and arctic animals, you can let the trail spark your imagination…

A haiku about a hare or a poem for a penguin?

There’ll also be Christmas cards to colour and space to turn your poem into something to keep (or to gift! 🎁)

📅 Saturday 13 December
🕙 10am-4pm
📍 Saltburn Library

FREE to attend, bring along family and loved ones to enjoy this festive trail ☃️