About us

Wur Bradford (Wur means ‘we are’ or ‘our’  is an independent grassroots arts project which is about exploring how we can make our city and our world better through imagination and collective action.  Run by artists Jean McEwan, Chemaine Cooke and  Uzma Kazi,  Wur work with people to explore how creativity might be used to make empower us and connect us.
Our activities are led by the people who we work with, and have included a wide range of things from  workshops, events, projects, campaigns and discussions. We ran regular weekly sessions in a stall in Kirkgate Market for 2 and a half years from 2015 – 2017,  and we also work in  public spaces and venues throughout the city. We regularly work in partnership with and for other organisations Bradford and have done projects in collaboration with Bradford Council, Impressions Gallery, South Square Gallery, The Brick Box, University of Bradford, Bradford Civic Society, Purple Patch Arts to name but a few.

In 2017 we also ran a year long action research project ‘Power Up Creative Resistance’, exploring creative responses to social and political shifts, in collaboration with University of Bradford’s Peace Studies ‘Thinkspace’ groups, funded by Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

In 2018 we ran a project in Oastler Market called WE ARE HERE, which was celebrating it’s unique history, communities and stories,  working with market traders, members of the public and BCB community radio to tell the stories of the Market and its people through guided walks, printed ‘zines and sound. We shared this work at an exhibition at arts space Kala Sangam after the project.

To get an idea of some of the things we have done ( everything from creative  workshops to bannermaking to art parties to zine-making , self publishing fairs and guided walks) watch the slideshow below, and you can also watch a short video about Wur Bradford, made in late 2015 here at our space in Kirkgate Market.

We are currently looking at how how we can put our respond best to the challenging times we are living in. A new website is coming soon, which we will be updating soon with our plans. In the meantime, take care of yourselves and each other, and stay safe.

With love

Jean, Uzma and Chemaine, July 2020

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POWER UP! Sister Corita Art Party, Thursday 24th November

Thursday 24th November
12-3pm
POWER UP! Sister Corita  Art Party

Wur Bradford arts space, Kirkgate Market (opposite Home From Home cafe)

Sister Corita ( 1918 – 1986) was an American artist, teacher and nun who used words phrases and slogans  from billboards and magazines and mixed them with poetry to make them into bold prints banners and installations which she put into everyday places.
Sister Corita believed that art is for everyone, and that we can take words from advertising and the media and subvert and reclaim them back as our own to say what we want to say.  She encouraged the creativity of everyone she met and her work  challenged the political and religious establishment as well as as revolutionising graphic design long before the days of punk.

On the week of what would have been her 98th birthday on 20th November, we celebrate her joyous inspiring art with a creative session which we’ll create our own slogans representing our own truths and hopes and make these into posters.

Drop in any time between 12 and 3pm for a super friendly and fun session
in which we’ll take inspiration from each other and the stuff around us. We’ll use simple printing techniques along with collage and drawing and anything else we can think of and we’ll explore how we get our art out into the world.

As always, the session is free and open to everyone!

PS. If you can, please bring a non-perishable food donation for our Bradford Metropolitan Foodbank collections box. The foodbank, which is run entirely by volunteers, is struggling to meet the demand and are now regularly giving out more than 950 food parcels each month, which is having a huge impact on their resources.They need the help of as many supporters as possible to help them keep up with this level of demand.

Wur Bradford is supported by Bradford Council, Two28 and Bradford Markets. Our thanks to them for their ongoing support