Bideford Manteo

First Arts Partnership Project

2011-06-06T08:50:00.003+01:00

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

Bideford's first First Friday

2011-05-16T11:05:00.003+01:00

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 Mill Street.

First Fridays in Bideford

2011-05-03T14:37:00.007+01:00

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

Art on a Postcard

2011-02-18T17:31:00.002Z

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

Artists Postcard Exchange and Exhibition

2011-01-17T10:31:00.003Z

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

Seeping Fuschia - Outer Banks Art... Cool Art... Traditional Art... = Katy Caroline Art

2010-12-17T17:30:00.001Z

Seeping Fuschia - Outer Banks Art... Cool Art... Traditional Art... = Katy Caroline Art Um was trying to post this on what I thought was my blogger account. I am very unfamiliar with blogger so... I am trying to figure out how to delete this post but I can't seem to do so. But, it is a happy oooops cuz you can check out my latest art direction. This is a painting using pasto paint and

Boating

2010-10-16T19:24:00.005+01:00

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

Searching for the real Manteo

2010-10-14T16:27:00.006+01:00

We met up with John Wilson, Manteo's ex-Mayor and architect, and responsible for the reproduction Roanoke Marches Lighthouse and the look of Manteo today; a look that is making it a tourist hit and has put the town in the top 10 places to get married in the country. But what does Manteo look like away from the waterfront, where the 'real' people work and live? Here is a selection of photographs

Twinning

2010-10-13T19:46:00.003+01:00

Connected historically through the first American colony of 1587 (later known as the 'lost colony') under the command of Sir Richard Grenville, Bideford's Lord of the Manor; Bideford (Bidufud) and Manteo (Maneo) are twin towns or sister cities. The towns were twinned in April 1984 in Bideford and this is a photograph, by Angel Khoury from her historical book Manteo A Roanoke Island Town 1999,

Art Heritage

2010-10-06T16:49:00.007+01:00

Manteo laps it's history up, where it exists it is exonerated, where it is vague the mystery and myth are celebrated and where it doesn't exist it is subtly added. Yet it has the vibrancy of a college town rather than the sterility of a heritage site.Sunshine brings it alive, the first for 5 days put the last farmers market of the year in the shade of trees by the waterfront. There are no farmers

Flooding in Manteo

2010-10-01T17:26:00.002+01:00

After 5 days of rain and the Easterly wind blowing the sea up into Manteo from Roanoke Sound we got flooding this morning on Elizabeth Street. I was alerted to this from a new photography friend at 7am by a phone message. This is a real rarety here so we should be pleased to witness it. Let's hope the sun comes out soon!

First Contact

2010-09-30T18:16:00.006+01:00

This trip has been so long in the dreaming, imagining, planning and organising that a reception for Sadie and I on Tuesday 28th September 2010 was a little daunting. We had blogged, emailed and even phoned people in Manteo prior to the visit, but nothing beats face to face contact. Sharon Enoch, restaurateur and potter at the Full-Moon café/gallery had offered to organise the reception some time

Getting to Manteo

2010-09-30T17:53:00.004+01:00

We've been in Manteo for 2 days now, and it hasn't stopped raining yet! The rain started earlier in Wilson NC, we'd checked in early at a Jameson Inn with a coupon and were driving downtown towards our destination Golden Corral 'all you can eat buffet' (excellent food from Raleigh based national company), when the first rain for 6 weeks came. We had earlier read about the drought that the

Raleigh

2010-09-25T02:48:00.003+01:00

We've just visited North Carolina's State capital, Raleigh. We all know who Raleigh is but did you know that the name in Olde English meant oak forest? That's what this city was before it came into being. The oak motif adorns the city in various public art often using stainless steel.I went in search of art while Sadie took care of her official business. One encouraging place was Art Space,

From the UK to NC

2010-09-22T14:15:00.006+01:00

Sadie Green is on her 'Sir Winston Churchill Travel Fellowship' trip to North Carolina and Virginia to see where North Devon's 17th and 18th century pottery was exported to and to make contact with the people and arts community in Manteo on Roanoke Island NC. I her husband Dave am accompanying her on the trip and representing Bideford Bay Creatives (BBC). I go partially supported by a Networking

Bideford Heritage Day

2010-07-11T13:01:00.004+01:00

I have been an enthusiastic member of Bideford 500, a local voluntary group researching and celebrating Bideford's history, for the last 2 years. In June I got the 2 day per week job as Project Development Worker for the group. This post came about through a Leader 4 grant which also financially assists the inaugural Heritage Day on 17th July. It's a very exciting position to have at an exciting

Video of the Appledore Arts Festival

2010-06-09T14:26:00.002+01:00

New Town Signs

2010-03-02T10:08:00.004Z

We have new signs on the road entrances to Bideford which now include our American twin Manteo. ‘Little White Town’ was a description that Charles Kingsley wrote in the novel Westward Ho! in 1855. Kingsley was one of Bideford’s famous residents and we have a statue of him near the park. Landivisiau is our French twin

Coming to Manteo in the Fall

2010-02-23T11:11:00.003Z

Great news - I have been awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust travel Fellowship for 2010 and will be travelling to North Carolina and Virginia for 6 weeks. I will be researching the North Devon Pottery Trade and also making strong links with artists, arts organisations and artists’ networks. Exact dates of travel are to be confirmed but I will be in NC and VA from mid September to the end

Official twinning of Bideford and Manteo

2010-02-23T09:53:00.004Z

The twinning of Bideford and Manteo will become official with the signing of a formal twinning charter in the Easter holidays this year. This will cement a connection that has existed since Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Richard Grenville first founded a colony on the site of Manteo in 1587. Here in Bideford Sadie Green and I are members of ‘Bideford 500’ a group dedicated to researching and

Bideford Bay Creatives presents Artrageous! Art for under £100

2010-01-12T14:07:00.001Z

Artrageous! is a new venture in Bideford in the run up to Christmas. I'd be interested to know what 'Art happenings' will be taking place in Manteo over the Holiday Season?[Photo]Artrageous! Art for under £100 is now up and running in Bideford Town Centre. It features work by members of Bideford Bay Creatives and artwork

Culture Show

2009-10-01T14:30:00.009+01:00

Bideford Bay Creatives are a not-for-profit group of creative practitioners, established in July 2009. Practitioners include visual artists, crafts people, musicians and performers who are based in the Bideford area and who wish to raise their profile, whilst creating opportunities for the local community (people, businesses, voluntary groups, arts and non-arts organisations) to host events and

Bideford Folk Festival 2009

2009-09-08T19:07:00.006+01:00

We’ve just enjoyed our week long Folk Festival in Bideford. What a fantastic week. We get some big national and international names in the world of ‘folk’, but what makes the festival for me are the relatively unknown musicians playing and singing their hearts out in one of the many sessions which take place in the local pubs. These sessions often include known folk musicians and are used as

More Tea, Vicar?

2009-06-28T16:27:00.005+01:00

Some things in England don’t change very much over the years – sadly, our red telephone boxes have mostly been flogged off and you don’t see that many helmeted bobbies on the beat nowadays - but come this time of year, you can still see village fetes springing up all over the country. This one took place at the weekend on the Vicarage lawn at Northam. More pictures here...... http://

Northam, Bideford

2009-05-17T22:33:00.007+01:00

OK - the blog is here now, and working well. Only problem is, what to say! I live in the village of Northam, on the outskirts of Bideford - but don't go into town very often as I am mostly interested in the landscape and the fabulous Northam Burrows here on the Torridge estuary.I was going to show you a few pics of the Burrows - but haven't figured out how to get them to do what I want when

Combining Manteo with Bideford

2009-05-16T08:39:00.003+01:00

The Bideford Manteo Blog was set up in Bideford but I would like to see an equal balance each side of the pond. The image used as a banner at the top of this page shows Bideford Quay and the new Torridge Bridge. I would like this banner to be a combination print joining Manteo with Bideford. Ideally an animated gif, alternating between Manteo and Bideford would be the best with Bideford-Manteo on

Why Bideford and Manteo?

2009-05-12T12:01:00.005+01:00

Bideford and Manteo are about to become official twin towns, or sister cities.Bideford has a long and fascinating association with the Eastern Seaboard of America, with the trade in pottery, tobacco and other goods being prominent in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Ships sailed to and from Bideford’s busy port up the river Torridge exporting goods to the Colonies and bringing back a variety of

Welcome to this blog

2009-05-01T14:35:00.014+01:00

Welcome to this blog which celebrates the forthcoming twinning between Bideford and Manteo. The blog is designed to encourage the creative communities on both sides of the pond to interact, communicate with and inspire each other.If you are a creative practitioner based in Bideford or Manteo and wish to add a post about yourself and your work, or about the creative scene where you live, please