Arts & Heritage Alliance

Arts Gateway MK is a registered charity formed after more than 20 years as the Milton Keynes Arts Association providing funding and support for the arts. Arts Gateway MK promotes the arts in Milton Keynes via their website, weekly newsletter, social networking & quarterly Mingle Networking Events.

Artworks MK is a charity with their main facilities situated on a heritage site in the beautiful parklands of Great Linford Manor Park and additional facilities in Galley Hill and Coffee Hall. Established for over 30 years artworks-mk provides exciting high quality artist led workshops, exhibitions and supports over 30 artists within their studios.

Historic site of secret British codebreaking activities during WWII and birthplace of the modern computer. Collections include: wartime toys, working computers, outstanding Churchill collection, mini cinema and changing exhibitions. This ornate Victorian Mansion was headquarters to intellignece staff during the war. Vaired exhibitions and events on offer.

Specialist museum housing collections of Olney and surrounding area - three floors of Georgian heritage and historic gardens. Come and see where C18th poet William Cowper lived and worked and discover the life and work of his friend John Newton - who began his career as a slave trader, became an abolitionist, famous preacher and author of the poem 'Amazing Grace'. You can also learn more about the town's role in the lace industry.

Set in the heart of the old railway town of Wolverton, Creed Street Theatre and Arts Centre, formerly known as Madcap Performing Arts Centre, is owned by the Madcap Trust Charity. We aim to establish a cultural quarter for the performing & visual arts & media, linked to other local, national & international creative & heritage centres. Creed Street is an independent fringe venue, creatively charged & providing a range of new, professional & experimental artistic performances & experiences.

Destination Milton Keynes (DMK) has provided the city and surrounding area with another first - the first independently-operated tourist information service in the UK. The organisation is the tourism association for Milton Keynes. DMK is also the provider of key tourist services to help promote and develop Milton Keynes as a destination for business or leisure.

Festive Road strives to engage and empower as many people as possible in artistic, collaborative and creative activities. They have a fully inclusive approach; working with people of all ages and abilities and from all walks of life, in schools and communities, for businesses and organisations. The company has a policy of using recycled, reclaimed and green materials and have developed some innovative approaches to mobile renewable energy sources on our carnival structures.

FRINGEMK@Westbury is an independent artist-led, not-for-profit organisation whose aim is to support and promote excellence in the arts. Fringe Mk's base at Westbury Farm is a listed farmhouse building which provides both permanent and temporary studio spaces, as well as rooms and exhibition spaces available for hire. The studios provide a space for professional working artist to create work.

Independent Cinema MK is a grassroots organisation that has evolved from a desire to see more diversity and variety of film in the city, not just for the few but for the many. ICMK has developed a successful touring screening programme: Vagabond Cinema; challenging ideas around cinema exhibition, working creatively and collaboratively with organisations locally and nationally.

Inter-Action MK creates imaginative collaborations between artists and communities and is based at The Old Rectory, a beautiful three-acre, Grade II liested site next to the Grand Union Canal. Inter-Action MK runs a programme of art workshops and events at The Old Rectory. A wonderful place to be creative and to learn new skills.

living archive is a continuing source of wonderful stories of the new city. Such stories have inspired community documentary plays, films, sculpture, song-writing, books, dance, videos, photos and exhibitions. As a result Living Archive has a considerable community archive of primary source materials available by request.

We are the Milton Keynes Arts Education Forum (MKAEF), an independent not-for-profit organisation committed to providing high quality accessible and sustainable arts activities and teacher training opportunities across schools in Milton Keynes.

Work includes artists' training residencies, training to health care staff and music performance within the hospital. The hospital art collection comprises over 400 works, and displays work by local artists and community groups in temporary exhibition spaces around the hospital site.

Milton Keynes City Centre Management (MKCCM) is an independent not-for profit members organisation, their activities date back to the mid 1990s. Funded by membership contributions, MKCCM brings together key stakeholder with an interest in Central Milton Keynes. Our purpose is to ensure the continual improvement of Central Milton Keynes by identifying, problems and opportunities that affect life and work in the City Centre.

The MK Community Foundation is an independent charity working for and at the heart of Milton Keynes. They connect people and resources to projects and ideas to create positive change and long term solutions for MK communities. Whether it's offering resources to support the vital work of the voluntary sector or providing the solution for donors who want to give back to this community, MK Community Foundation's focus is about enriching lives and making Milton Keynes even better, both today and for the future. Over the last 25 years MK Community Foundation has built a reputation for excellence in developing community philanthropy.

Arts & Heritage within Milton Keynes Council is a small service within Cultural Services. We support Public Art, Heritage and Arts Development within Milton Keynes. It is a forward thinking team delivering to the respective strategies to celebrate the existing and welcome the new through collaborations, creative thinking and innovation. The team was established in 2005 to coordinate the actions that will enable the fast growing city and borough to have a rich cultural environment.

Arts & Heritage within Milton Keynes Council is a small service within Cultural Services. We support Public Art, Heritage and Arts Development within Milton Keynes. It is a forward thinking team delivering to the respective strategies to celebrate the existing and welcome the new through collaborations, creative thinking and innovation. The team was established in 2005 to coordinate the actions that will enable the fast growing city and borough to have a rich cultural environment.

Milton Keynes Gallery has a changing programme of international contemporary art exhibitions and occasional off site artist's projects. A stimulating programme of public talks, tours, artist-led workshops, education activities and family days cater for all ages.

Milton Keynes Heritage Association is a federation of over 60 heritage and community organisations interested in heritage and making it more accessible. Many are local historical and archeological societies with extensive archives and museum objects of their own, some even having public reading rooms or access to historic venues. Access is primarily via talks, lectures and their extensive online website.

The Milton Keynes Islamic Arts Heritage and Culture group aims to promote Islamic arts, heritage and culture through education. They believe that the study of art and material culture transcends the ethnic, linguistic and religious division that plagues the modern world. The group won the Partnerships Award from Voluntary Arts England, which recognises excellent work. Their Islamic Art Banner project enabled local art students from MK College to explore Islamic culture through contemporary and traditional art.

Milton Keynes Museum is a fantastic day out for all the family with interactive, themed galleries, exploring the history of the area since 1800. Housed in a beautiful Victorian farmstead the large, changing selection of displays includes working telephones, a street of shops, agricultural barn, hall of transport and much more. Wonderful, homemade food in the Granary Tearoom.

Milton Keynes City Orchestra gave its first performance under the baton of its Founder Conductor, Hilary Davan Wetton, in February 1975. Over 35 years since, it has built a national reputation, establishing itself as the live classical music resource for Milton Keynes and the surrounding area. It plays an important part in the cultural life of the city, engaging particularly with the education sector, the business community and as a valuable arts resource.

Milton Keynes theatre offers a wide and varied programme of first class dance, drama, musicals, opera, comedy and children's shows. It is also home for Milton Keynes City Orchestra's main concert season.

The Public Arts Trust is a charity set up to deal with the urgent matter of the condition of existing public art in Milton Keynes, in particular the sculptures. As the MK Council knows, this is a large and potentially costly task, involving inventories, condition reports, conservation plans, sourcing of funds etc. We appreciate the need to win support from various bodies, both public and private, and to establish good working partnerships for the years ahead.

The Plays The Thing is a new and exciting professional theatre company for Milton Keynes. It aims to produce challenging and thought provoking work from the classical canon, to modern plays and work from new writers. It will also have an educational strand to its work, running regular workshops, master classes, courses and play readings. It will be linked to the already successful and inclusive Peppers Ghost Theatre Company.

A live music venue putting on over 350 concerts and a similar number of educational activities every year. The concert programme crosses genres - folk, world, rock, pop, classical, country, jazz - whatever you like, you'll find it at The Stables! We also host a programme of conferences and every two years produce IF: Milton Keynes International Festival, engaging people with music and sound in unexpected ways in unusual spaces.

An intimate 250 seat theatre and gallery space. The theatre programme comprises comedy, contemporary drama and family-friendly children's theatre. The theatre is available for hire and supports local productions including musical theatre, big bands, choirs and dance.

The history of the Stowe estate is a long one and its magnificence is still visible today, despite the decline in the family's fortunes. Saved by the creation of Stowe School in 1923, both the house and gardens are undergoing long-term restoration, and are visited by thousands of people every year.

The Thames Valley Partnership works in partnership with the statutory, private and voluntary sectors to provide long-term sustainable solutions to the problems of crime and social exclusion. The Thames Valley Partnership works to protect victims and reintegrate offenders. This is achieved through collaborative working and integrated approaches across sectors, particularly linking Criminal Justice services to voluntary sector and Local Authority providers.

Walton High is proud to be home to The Venue, a 380 seat, professional standard theatre. Walton High students are always making great use of the facility, click on What???s On to see some of our upcoming productions. The high quality of both the design and finish of this fantastic facility is testament to the vision and leadership of Ms Alexander, Vice Principal, who was very ably supported by Mr Upton and Mr Letts in the Performing Arts team and by Glenn Oldfield from Milton Keynes Council's Capital and Assets Department.