MEMORIES and artefacts from an arts centre’s 30-year history are being collated into an archive which will form an important part of its future. 

People who used the former General Post Office, St Peter’s House, will be able to record their memories and stories to contribute to the project, as part of Kala Sangam’s transformation into Bradford Arts Centre for the City of Culture events next year. 

Archivist Alex Wilson will capture oral histories from both people involved with the organisation – including former staff, artists and audiences – and members of the public. During the project, there will be a series of events where people can have their stories recorded or filmed and their artefacts scanned for digitisation.  

Central to the project will be protecting Kala Sangam’s existing archive of print and publicity materials, which have been at serious risk of deterioration, as well as collecting and digitising physical materials relating to Kala Sangam and St Peter’s House that aren’t currently housed in the archive. 

Work is well under way to expand and improve the venue, including creating a 200-seat theatre, five new studios for artists and community groups to use and the installation of a lift to ensure all floors of the building are accessible. The building will reopen to the public as Bradford Arts Centre next summer, as part of the City of Culture celebrations. 

Alex Croft, creative director of Kala Sangam said: “Whilst 2025 will see us change our name to Bradford Arts Centre, we will still be the same organisation at heart, and we remain immensely proud of our rich 30-year history. This project will ensure that those founding years are properly preserved and stored for the future, so they can be accessed and inspire artists for years to come.”

Alex Wilson said: “I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to help shape this archival project for Kala Sangam as it stands on at the crossroads of an exciting moment in its history. We can help forge a living archive that represents the past of Kala Sangam and St Peter’s House but also the future of the new development, the arts centre, and all the exciting things going on across the city in 2025.”

Kala Sangam reflects the diversity of contemporary Britain through its work. In addition to the company’s two performance programmes a year, Kala Sangam works with schools and communities across Bradford and across the country, as well as delivering classes and workshops in a number of art forms.