Arts service

The arts cover a wide range of creative opportunities including visual arts and crafts, media arts, performing arts and literature.

We aim to help and encourage everybody in the community to have equal access to a range of high quality arts opportunities, either as participants or audiences.

We work in partnership with other organisations to make sure the arts opportunities on offer reflect the needs of the local community.

Wiltshire Cultural Strategy

Wiltshire Council is creating a 2024-2030 Cultural Strategy, which is in part funded by Arts Council England, to place culture and creativity at the heart of Wiltshire's economic and social future and we want to hear people's views by completing our survey.

Culture is a way to reconnect people with the places they live, providing a sense of belonging and contributes to health and wellbeing and connects people with their communities. It stimulates growth, provides employment, and supports enterprise, making cities, towns and villages vibrant places where people want to live, work, and raise a family.

Wiltshire Council is designing the strategy around five key themes:

• Economy - Culture is a central pillar of our approach to economic development, regeneration, and the development of vibrant local communities
• Identity - Culture connects people with the places they live. It helps to discover more about our environment, its history, and its heritage
• Tourism - Culture is also a key component of our offer to visitors, both from the UK, and further afield
• Health and wellbeing - Culture contributes to both mental and physical health. It helps people get active. It stimulates minds, and encourages healthy, active, and engaged lifestyles
• Community - Culture brings communities together, whether it's through village fetes, community fairs and festivals

As part of the development of Wiltshire's Cultural Strategy, the council will be engaging with a range of stakeholders. so please share your views by completing the Forms: Wiltshire Cultural Strategy public survey (opens new window) by Sunday 24 March 2024!

Forms: Wiltshire Cultural Strategy public survey (opens new window)

If you are not online, you can pick up a paper copy at your local library.

Arts in Wiltshire

The arts service hosts its own blog The Arts in Wiltshire (opens new window). The blog is used to help identify and share opportunities and ideas that come to the arts service from the arts sector, and help those with a great project to reach out across the county to connect with other artists and communities. As well as being a creative space, the blog is a place for those working in arts and culture to keep up to date with jobs, opportunities, funding, resources and training.

If you would like to contribute please visit The Arts in Wiltshire blog (opens new window) or contact arts@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).

Join our mailing list (opens new window) to receive our Arts in Wiltshire newsletter to keep in touch with opportunities in arts and culture in Wiltshire.

Information, advice and signposting

The Arts Lead is based at the Trowbridge Wiltshire Council  office but also works from the  Young Gallery in Salisbury.

You can keep up-to-date with the service and opportunities in the sector on The Arts in Wiltshire blog (opens new window).