The first arts partnership project, between Bideford and Manteo, came to fruition on Friday 3rd June 2011. The Bideford Bay Creatives lead exhibition at the Burton Art Gallery in Bideford went very well. There was a very good turnout on the evening of Friday 3rd June for the Postcard Exchange with eight pieces being sold on the first day. Although a 6×4 postcard is very small many of the visitors stayed for over an hour reading the 60 suspended images and their text reverses.
Jamie Daniels, Mayor of Manteo, cut the ribbon to open Bideford’s first First Friday. Also in the Manteo camp was Nadine Daniels, Jamie’s wife, and Kermit Skinner, the Town Manager. The live Skype opening of First Fridays was a great success with around 30 excited people gathered outside Froot Loop in 
First Fridays is an American phenomenon, every town and city has one; or a third Thursday, second Saturday etc. It is a community event, with a creative leaning, bringing people out in the streets to celebrate the richness of their hometown’s culture, socialise with their friends and enjoy local food and drink. Bideford's twin town of Manteo, in North Carolina, has First Fridays and Bideford has it's first on 6th May. It is hoped that there may be many partnership activities for the twinned towns. Planned so far is a virtual official opening on May 6th, via Skype, by the Mayor of Manteo, Jamie Daniels, outside Froot Loop in Mill Street (Jamie will be on the DCAC front steps at about 11am on 3rd June to 'cut the ribbon'. There will also be a joint opening of Bideford Bay Creatives and Dare County Arts Council's Postcard Exchange on June 3rd.
The North Devon Journal ran this story for about us on 17th Feb 2011:"WISH you were here… I've painted the scenery so you can see what you are missing". Hand painted pictures on postcards will be exchanged between artists in Bideford and artists in its new twin Manteo, US for a special exhibition this June. Both towns have vibrant art communities as well as seasonal tourism which brings with it the tradition of sending postcards.
Artists in both towns will make hand-created postcards with their artwork on the front and words of greeting on the reverse to exhibit in their home town; for each postcard a similar or duplicate will be posted to their twin town. Simultaneous exhibitions of the postcards will be shown at the Arts Council Gallery in Manteo and at the Burton Art Gallery and Museum in June 2011.
The Postcard Exchange is the first phase of a three-year arts plan written between Bideford Bay Creatives and Dare County Arts Council.
The exhibition in North Devon was due to take place at Appledore Visual Arts Festival but it was then announced the festival was taking a sabbatical in 2011. As the publicity for the project had already gone out in the States, an alternative venue needed to be found very quickly. Fortunately, a fruitful meeting with Tilly Clarke, visual arts manager at the Burton Art Gallery and Museum, saved the day.
"She was understanding of our predicament and was desperate to help us out," said Dave Green. "Bideford Bay Creatives are really excited about this project and look forward to more than 100 handmade postcards being on show in the Burton Gallery in June."
Artists in the Bideford area wanting to take part in the exchange can e-mail: info@bbcdevon.org Details can be found on the website at: www.bbcdevon.org and also from the Burton Art Gallery and Museum.
Thanks to Mike Bentley for the moonlight photograph and Rosanna Rothery for reporting on the arts in North Devon.
In October 2010 Dave and Sadie Green, representing Bideford Bay Creatives (BBC) met with the arts community in Manteo, North Carolina, Bideford’s twin town. This was part of a Winston Churchill Travel Fellowship for Sadie and a NAN go-and-see award for Dave. The aim in Manteo was to extend the hand of friendship from Bideford’s arts community and to work towards making links and strengthening the bond between the two towns through the arts. Sadie worked with Laura Martier, director of Dare County Arts Council (DCAC), based in Manteo, on a three year plan and Dave collaborated with Fay David-Edwards, gallery director of DCAC, on the first partnership project, an Artists Postcard Exchange. This project gives an artist in the Bideford or Manteo area an opportunity to make contact with their twin via a postcard, handmade in any medium, to reflect in image and words something unique about where they live. Up to six postcards can be made, half of which will be exhibited in their home town and half will be sent to their twin town and exhibited in a group show there. The exhibitions will open simultaneously on June 3rd to coincide with Manteo’s 1st Friday (of the month) celebrations and the Appledore Visual Arts Festival (AVAF) three miles downriver from Bideford.
To take part in the Postcard Exchange you need to be a DCAC member, Dare County resident or a member of Bideford Bay Creatives. A leaflet, brochure or, what the Americans call a prospectus, is available now as a download for our Postcard Exchange at from the BBC website.
Boating and sailing are very big in Manteo; as they are in Bideford too. We've been out on Jamie Daniel's kayak a number of times now exploring the 'mosquito lanes' which connect houses and boat moorings to the open water and getting out in the sound where the water is a bit choppy from the wind. You see fish jumping here, an osprey if you're lucky as we were, pelicans woodpeckers and frogs. Here Sadie is seen in front of the reproduction Elizabeth 2 and I was reminded of a similar image from Bideford, where I'm rowing in front of the 3 masted schooner Kathleen and May.
