Thanks to Baring Foundation funding, Tees Valley Arts is able to employ a specialist Arts Project Worker to support newly arrived individuals and community groups who are interested in the arts.

TVA can work with people who were artists in their original countries; we will try to help them rebuild and restart their careers; we will try to help them understand how culture works in the UK; we will try to help them find out about opportunities and contacts.

TVA can work with groups who want to celebrate their own cultural traditions; we will try to help them find funding so they can practise and improve what they do; we can also work with people who want to work with others from different backgrounds to, for example, make a film or have an exhibition or put on a concert.

TVA runs some cultural events and can help people find out about other events where groups might perform or show their paintings or read their poems; TVA runs the WorldFest which celebrates diversity and showcases world-class talent and has links to lots of other events and networks.

Our Refugee Arts Worker is Maurice Dezou.

TVA has been awarded funding by the Lloyds TSB Foundation to run the Big Sky Arts project. This project will work with fifteen people from Hartlepool who have learning disabilities and will support them in taking part in, enjoying and making original music.

We hope that the group will record a CD, and that some of the group will be able to perform their music in public. The music making will add to other creative activities that the group is involved in.

The project is hosted by Hartlepool Adult Services.

The main festival weekend takes place in late May, with satellite events in the week leading up to it.  The Festival includes all and any artforms (eg film, poetry, dance, visual arts), but the gala events are music concerts.

WinterFest 06 performers included Sakoba Dance, Dede Saint Prix, Steven Wright Band and Transglobal Underground.

WinterFest 07 performers included Les Freres de la Rue, Kanda Bongo Man and his Band, the Northern Lights and Tinariwen.

WorldFest 08 performers included Gregory Isaacs and the Live Wyya Band, Beta Simon, Kanda Bongo Man and Kasai Masai.

WorldFest 09 featured Horace Andy, Aswad, Kasai Masai, Rafiki Jazz, O'nel Mala, Shimmer and Delsena and Robert Maseko.

See website www.worldfest.co.uk for further details

WorldFest 2009 Photo Album