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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The last week in photos

Got a new little table from the British Heart Foundation..

Collage club on Thursday

Graham’s collage

old slides and photos and zines for people to have a rummage though

Food donations box for Bradford Metropolitan foodbank. They need all the help they can get, so please bring a donation if you can

Exchanges waiting to happen. What do you need? What can you offer?

Julie has been researching her Tudor family tree. She has found out loads of information about her ancestors!

Self published magazines and booklets to read and get inspired by. Anyone can make one – if you fancy a go, come down and we’ll show you

Bowled over by the amazingness of people in Bradford

Bowled over today by the amazingness of people in Bradford.

Opening up I met Stacey from the card stall next door, it’s her first proper week this week, she’s just getting to know where everything is. She does Tuesdays and Thursdays just like me.

Chemaine, a friend who is a dance artist came for a catch up and she told me about her ideas and plans for her new project. It’s always so great talking to Chemaine as she has such a different perspective on things and describes the world in terms of movement which is so different and interesting for me. We’re going to start a bit of a collaboration – I gave her some cut outs from the box and she is going to make a story from them. Let’s see what happens!

A man came in after seeing the sign asking for artwork for the walls. He has a mate who does great paintings and he called him from the stall to tell him to bring some of them down.

Two new visitors suggested an affirmations corner after getting into conversation with another visitor who said she was feeling down. We made these together and she said doing it helped her feel a bit better.

She also made this beautiful poem with found words (photographed in two parts). Everyone said they’d try to come back on Thursday to chat more and maybe come to Art club.

Anne Marie passed by and wanted to know what the stall was. She likes sewing (she makes her own bags) and she also paints, and was really interested in the joining the Art Club which we are running on Thursdays. The step up to the stall is too high for her wheelchair to deal with but I’m going to sort out a ramp for next week.

Jenny who runs a digital project called My Bradford came by. The idea behind it is ‘Your City, Your Stories’ and anyone can get involved. She is really enthusiastic about what’s going on in the stall and is going to put it on the My Bradford website. She helps people make and edit videos on their mobile phones and said she would be up for doing a workshop if anyone fancies it. Here she is showing me some of the programmes she uses.

As I was locking up Stacey called me over and said she would bring in some artwork she did when she was at school for the walls, her sister is arty too and she will get her to do some drawings too.

I feel so lucky to be seeing and feeling such friendliness, enthusiasm and generosity from people today. Bradford people are awesome.