C-Art is back with its biggest programme yet

C-Art is set to take place from Friday September 8 to Sunday 17, with 152 artists in 60 places, the big C-Art exhibition at Rheged, Art in Extraordinary Places, a new Art Fair and the popular Open Studios trail making it the biggest event in its history.

In addition to all this Cumbrian talent on display, the new approach for the 2017’s festival includes both international and nationally-renowned artists such as the UK’s Lone Twin, and Captain Boomer from Belgium.

Already one of the biggest visual rural arts projects in the North of England, C-Art organisers Eden Arts have been working to grow this year’s programme so that it features an even wider range of contemporary work.

Eden Arts is celebrating a new four-year funding agreement with the Arts Council with this exciting development of C-Art.

Joan Shelley from the USA - fresh from featuring on Later...with Jools Holland - is one of the key overseas visitors to look out for, and amongst the Cumbrian artist highlights there will be Charlie Whinney and his intriguingly titled Man Bends Tree project.

The Festival kicks off on Friday 8 with the preview of C-Art Cumbrian Artist of the Year Awards and Exhibition, followed by more special events across the next 10 days including an Art Fair featuring arts and crafts from across the north of England, national and international commissions from international performance and spoken word artists joining the line-up alongside the Open Studios and Art in Extraordinary Places programme.

Adrian Lochhead, director at Eden Arts, says: "We have been working hard all year behind the scenes to create a new approach to the C-Art programme, building on the incredible success that C-Art has had over the last seven years, seeing hundreds of thousands of visitors to Cumbria to share our incredible artists in incredible landscape.

"The additional support from the Arts Council has been crucial in us being able to programme more widely, creating an arts and culture festival of excellence truly with something for everyone.

"This is something truly exceptional for Cumbria. I think we should issue a special prize to whoever is able to get around the whole thing. In fact I think we will do just that – that’s a challenge!"

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The programme of special events is also C-Art's most impressive so far, with unusual and incredible projects popping up in all corners of the county.

Belgian artists collective Captain Boomer, fresh from escapades in Paris and at the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, present a special one-off opportunity that brings into question the very nature of the Lake District, hundreds of feet deep beneath Rheged. The heritage centre near Penrith also hosts Come As You Are, a participatory performance about you, where artist Bill Leslie delicately interprets brief responses on an LED display, accompanied by Alex Bradley’s improvised soundtrack.

Children-only project Beastie, by Lone Twin, is a mythical creature made real by children’s imaginations. The work is dependent on the facts given by the participants - presenting a version of themselves to the world.

Adult Youth Club with Katie Hale, sees the poet invite participants in a spoken word event as C-Art transforms Rheged’s Mountain Hall into a laid-back lounge.

Richard Dedomenici will be premiering his "Redux" of cult classic Withnail & I – his attempt to disrupt the cinema industry by making counterfeit sections of popular films.

Away from the Rheged hub, a C-Art Soirée featuring Joan Shelley takes place at Brunswick Yard, in Penrith, with the American folk singer performing an intimate concert, which will act as a closing party for visitors and participating artists.

The most southerly project is the Razzle Dazzle Hides of South Walney Nature Reserve - an important stop-over for migrating birds. The bespoke hides designed by Art Gene reflect the ship-building heritage of Barrow and are a new concept modular prefabricated de-mountable wildlife watching hide design.

The Art in Extraordinary Places Programme always throws up some interesting sights: passengers on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway will be treated to Sarah Taylor’s vibrant and eccentric animals that have unexpectedly taken up residence along the route.

Artists will also be found in Cumbria's remarkable locations such as Allan Bank, or located at the 15th Century Great Barn at Dalemain House. Karen Guthrie, artist in residence at the National Trust’s Acorn Bank, will create a scent-rich exhibition inspired by Acorn Bank’s extensive gardens and plant collections, and Honister Slate Mine's artist in residence Terry Hawkins has created two must-see, site-specific pieces.

The backdrop of Carlisle Cathedral offsets Christine Hurford’s piece inspired by ancient footsteps of early man to the last footsteps on earth, and an artist collaboration of Debby Akam, Gary and Phoebe Power and Michael Hedges at the Penrith Old Fire Station, Migration, retells past and present recollections in a compelling narrative combination from sound, film and performance.

Jocelyn McGregor’s monstrous sculptural landscapes based upon a fragmented female form are sited at the former World War II gunpowder factory at the Merz Barn, in Elterwater; The Old Courthouse, in Shap, hosts the Highlights Rural touring show Luminosity - an exciting exhibition based upon the theme of light; Charlie Whinney's Man Bends Tree can be seen in the woodlands near his Witherslack studio; and an intimate, immersive digital installation, Empire II is an artist led satellite project devised and curated by Vanya Balogh in collaboration with Rebecca Scott for the 57th La Biennale di Venezia, at The Provincial Project Space, in Kendal.

As well as all this, the Cumbrian Artist of the Year Exhibition opens at Rheged and runs until November, featuring an eclectic mix of artworks working across all media from traditional painting and sculpture to contemporary video installation and photography, with a number of guest artists joining the submitted entries. The 2016 exhibition saw over 22500 visitors and 43 exhibiting artists selected from 87 entries.

The Cumbrian Artist of the Year Award is shortlisted and selected by the chosen Young Curators, to be announced on the preview night of the exhibition.

Rheged will also be hosting a free Art Fair on the opening weekend, with more than 50 stalls, and offering the chance to meet the makers and new and established artists.

Perhaps the part of the programme C-Art is best known for is its Open Studios trail, inviting visitors in to experience the contemporary practice of artists Cumbria-wide.

Celebrating and bringing together the creative talents and diversity of the area in an open studio trail of artists and designers across this beautiful county provides an exciting opportunity to gain insight and inspiration into the life, work and workplaces of Cumbrian based artists - many of whom will also share their expertise with demonstrations and workshops.

There is even more to be announced in the coming weeks.

Printed programmes will be available at participating galleries and tourist information centres across Cumbria throughout September. Yellow C-Art road signs will also guide people to participating studios, galleries, installations and events.

For a full programme of events announced so far, visit www.c-art.org.uk