BRADFORD arts centre Kala Sangam is giving local artists and performers funding and the use of facilities to help them get back on their feet after lockdown.

The city centre venue has responded to urgent calls for support from the creative sector by giving 26 dance and physical theatre practitioners a week of studio time and £1,000 to cover living expenses. The Back to the Studio scheme, made possible with funding by the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund and Arts Council England, is aimed at helping artists reignite their creative practice after so long away from the studio, as well as providing financial support.

The first 10 places were filled by artists that Kala Sangam has had a longstanding relationship with. Initially, 10 further packages of support were available to artists chosen through an open call, but after receiving 80 applications, the company made another six places available.

Kala Sangam director Alex Croft said: “We were overwhelmed by both the number and quality of applications and it was immediately clear that there’s a huge need to support artists in this way. We have extended the scheme as far as budgets will allow and are exploring funding options to expand it even further.”

He added: “For many performers lockdowns have meant not only a loss of income but an almost total lack of studio time. Having time to move, think and create without any pressure or expectations is so important to the creative process and that’s what we’re providing with this scheme.”

One of Kala Sangam’s key programming strands is This is Bradford, which focuses on work and artists relevant to the city’s communities, and almost a third of the Back to the Studio artist live or work in the district. In line with the company’s South Asia Now strand, another third of the artists are working in traditional South Asian artforms. Over 75per cent of performers chosen are from diverse backgrounds, exploring their Iranian, Afro-Caribbean or Pakistani heritages.

The artists, who will have time in the studio until April 2021, include Bradford-born dancer dancer Ruqeeya who said: “This package gives me the breathing space and time that’s so needed amidst the pandemic, to help me stay afloat and to continue work on my current practises.’

Ella Mesma said: “This package is such a blessing, it will enable me to keep making work even in these different times. There have been times I thought I won’t get back in a studio again, that I will need to quit the job I have been doing the past 15 years, and this package has given me hope.”