Corby Community Arts launches new archive website with exhibition
An exhibition charting how life has changed in Corby over the past five decades is to take place this weekend.
For more than 45 years, Corby Community Arts have been creating and accumulating an extensive record of Corby’s social and cultural life, as well as the many changes to the physical environment.
Director at Corby Community Arts Kate Dyer said: “I have worked at Corby Community Arts since 1983, even though I only meant to stay 12 months!
“Corby has a way of drawing you in and 43 years later, thanks to some good fortune from the Ernest Hecht Charitable Foundation we have had the resources to spend some time and money to create a new website that we are delighted to be launching this weekend.”
Thanks to the support of Willow Place, an empty shop unit has been made available to host the exhibition, where you will be able see a selection of items from the archive, such as posters, flyers, booklets and photographic prints.
You will also be able to browse the new website, where a growing number of items from the archive have found a digital home.
On display will be larger scale versions of some of the images on the website, as well as some that are yet to be published on the website.
Kate added: “The website will not be complete when it launches, as the process of digitising all of our archive is going to be a very long laborious process, involving our archive volunteers, as well as people from the community helping us with what they remember about the images we present.
“We hope people will come along this weekend to have a cup of tea and a piece of cake with us, browse the new website, see the exhibition and maybe recognise some people, places or projects on display, that they can tell us more about.”
Over the past few months, volunteers have been undertaking training and working to organise and digitise images held in the archive.
People will have an opportunity to meet and talk to them at the exhibition about the work that they have been doing.
Archive project manager Marian Anderson said: “I am really looking forward to the launch of the website, which has been brought to this stage thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers, who continue to put so much hard work into preserving this precious local heritage for future generations.
“We have all been on a learning journey to acquire archiving skills and every person has also brought their own expertise to the project, whether that is local knowledge, technical skills, or brilliant detective work to help identify people, places and dates!”
Visit the exhibition from 10am to 3pm on Saturday, September 12, and Sunday, September 13, at Unit 7, Willow Place, Corby.