Milton Keynes Arts Centre was created in 1974 as one of the then new town’s earliest arts centres. The chairman of Milton Keynes Development Corporation and President of what was then Great Linford Arts Centre, Lord Campbell of Eskan, said upon its opening:
“We are aiming to make something special at Great Linford – a creative centre to which people will really want to come – not just to fill in time but to find out their own capabilities and to develop them in the company of other kindred minds and spirits.”
Over the subsequent five decades, Milton Keynes Arts Centre has gone through many metamorphoses, not least in terms of its name, which has been the Courtyard Arts Centre, Arts Workshop Trust, Artworks MK, and finally Milton Keynes Arts Centre. Registered as a charity in 1992, however, the Arts Centre’s purpose – “using creativity to change and enrich the lives of Milton Keynes communities” – remains unchanged.
Today Milton Keynes Arts Centre is a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England and delivers arts projects, events and activities both at its base in Great Linford and across Milton Keynes, which are developed in partnership with the city’s residents and benefit thousands of people each year. Milton Keynes City Council has funded Milton Keynes Arts Centre since its inception and continues to fund the organisation in its mission to deliver accessible, high-quality cultural experiences to MK’s communities.
In 2023-24, the Arts Centre’s services included 30 artist-led wellbeing sessions for adults and young people aged 12 –17 experiencing mental health challenges. We worked with 126 children under 5 and their families in encouraging both free and environmentally-friendly ways to play outdoors and to enjoy nature from an early age. 45 children helped us to research and develop teaching resources designed to increase understanding of South Asian heritage through art. From meeting and working with a group of Afghan women living in bridging accommodation, we celebrated the culture of Afghanistan – and the importance of women to that culture - with an event that enabled 961 people from across Milton Keynes to enjoy traditional Afghan music and food, to take part in calligraphy, miniature painting and kite-making workshops. We also worked with 872 school and college students over 28 artist-led workshops; we promoted ideas for a low-cost sustainable Christmas through exhibitions and workshops attended by 380 people; and we supported the professional development of 32 artists working in creative health.
However, standstill or reduced public investment in the organisation ; reduced rental income associating the closure of buildings; rising overheads and high competition for grant funding have combined to make the charity’s occupation of its heritage site at Great Linford no longer financially viable. In April 2025, Milton Keynes Arts Centre will leave the site it has occupied for 50 years in order to reduce its overheads and to focus more of its resources on achieving its charitable aims: Delivering programmes of work co-designed with communities across Milton Keynes to take place in the spaces they occupy and on their terms.
Our vision is of an Arts Centre not bound by buildings or geographical location; but one that is future-looking, dynamic and fleet-footed: able to respond to need across MK and to invest its resources where they have greatest impact whilst reducing our own negative imprint upon the environment.
Dr. Camilla Alexander-White, Chair of Milton Keynes Arts Centre’s Board of Trustees says:
“Over 50 years, Milton Keynes Arts Centre has evolved with the city it was created to serve, creating opportunities for hundreds of thousands of its residents – from infancy to old age – to work with artists, to learn new skills and to feel part of a creative and inclusive community. The decision to leave our site at Great Linford has been a difficult one, but one made in order to safeguard the future of the Arts Centre - ensuring it is here to work with generations of Milton Keynes residents yet to be born. We view this next chapter of the charity’s evolution with trepidation but also excitement and look forward to working with diverse communities across the city for many years to come.”
Milton Keynes City Council will work closely with Milton Keynes Arts Centre to ensure that transition to a new model of working is successful. Additional support has been offered to enable the organisation to develop a new business model and effectively communicate future plans to MK’s communities. Milton Keynes City Council is currently conducting a feasibility study for future of the Great Linford site for the short, medium and longer-term.
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