Maddie Exton is the Creative Producer of MarketPlace Arts, which recently shone the spotlight on Brandon in Suffolk, with a free Light Up The Town event. Here, Maddie explains how the mission is to ensure everyone can enjoy creative experiences where they live
Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Maddie Exton and I’m a Creative Producer here at MarketPlace Arts. I lead on our social engagement strategy in West Suffolk, working with local people to understand what arts and culture they would like to see in their area. Our work is research and action, so I listen and then deliver public events and happenings. The producing keeps me on my toes because we run a super broad range of projects from festivals to street art, to participatory theatre, to mobile art studios; there’s something for everyone.
How long have you been Creative Producer at MarketPlace Arts
I’ve been here for nearly 2 years, so I joined when we were touring The National Gallery’s Art Road Trip. My first project was curating 50 works of art for an art trail across Mildenhall town centre (you can still find some of this work in the Mildenhall Hub community centre!).
For those unfamiliar, what is MarketPlace Arts, and what is the organisation’s aim?
We’re proud to be part of Creative People and Places, an Arts Council England initiative backed by National Lottery funding. This network of 42 organisations across England focuses on areas where people have fewer opportunities to engage with arts and culture, putting communities in the lead to shape their own creative experiences. Our mission is to ensure everyone has the opportunity to create and enjoy high-quality, ambitious creative experiences right where they live.
What sort of area does it cover?
We create exciting projects in Fenland and West Suffolk across seven market towns, from Brandon, Mildenhall, and Newmarket in Suffolk to Chatteris, March, Whittlesey, and Wisbech in Cambridgeshire.
Any recent projects you would like to mention? What has been happening in Brandon, for example?
We’ve just wrapped this year’s Light Up The Town which toured Brandon in Suffolk and Chatteris and Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire. Over 1200 people joined us for 6 nights of light art. We work with a mixture of local, national and international artists because we think these towns deserve amazing art. We were so pleased to commission West Suffolk artist Henry Driver to exhibit Water Portals, an interactive video artwork inside churches, creating an immersive experience. Light Up The Town takes place in the late-winter lull, using this transitional moment to open up conversations about climate adaptation. As spring starts to take shape, we bring in artworks that think about the environment. Henry’s work explored the hidden microbial world of water, which was accompanied by a community-led event in each town including lantern displays and a guided folklore Light Walk. This year also saw the unveiling of a permanent mural with hidden UV elements at Brandon Heritage Centre, co‑created with local young people and members of the Breckland Astronomical Society to feature images of Brandon night skies.
How can people find out more about Market Place Arts?
Give us a follow on social media at MarketPlace Arts and sign up to our newsletter to hear more about the work going on and opportunities to get involved
Any future projects you would like to mention?
We’re really excited to be running Light Up The Town again in Brandon, Mildenhall and Newmarket in 2027. There’s going to be lots of ways to get involved and shape the project so it’s really worth following our social media to be the first to hear more.
Visit MarketPlace Arts.
Featured image of Maddie Exton – supplied
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