Bradford Arts Centre is Open!

Bradford Arts Centre has opened to the public, celebrating South Asian culture, contemporary performance and its heritage as Kala Sangam and its founders, Dr Shripati Upadhyaya, and Dr Geetha Upadhyaya. With a state-of-the-art, highly accessible, Grade II listed, creative home and its new name chosen by the community, this marks an exciting new moment for the legacy of Bradford’s City of Culture year as we open our doors for everyone with a welcome moniker of ‘Hiya, Love’.

Joining the Board of Trustees as Chair at this historic moment is Shagufta Bibi, a marketing and communications director, born and raised in Bradford. Also joining the Board as a Trustee is Deepak Sharma, Vice-Chair of Bradford Race Equality Network.

Shagufta Bibi, the new Chair of Trustees, said: “It is exciting to be joining Bradford Arts Centre at such a key time with the £7.9 million transformation and opening and all the opportunities that come with this. I look forward to working with the Trustees, Alex Croft (CEO) and the entire team so that Bradford can benefit from inspirational performances, an environment that fosters imagination, collaboration and connection, with resources that nurture diverse creative talent. This is an exciting new chapter in the Bradford Arts Centre story, and I am looking forward to working with the team at such a welcoming cultural hub for the community.”

Named by its community to represent the city, Bradford Arts Centre offers a welcoming creative home for performance, artistic development, meetings, education and community workshops spotlighting the city’s brilliant culture and heritage. The opening programme includes premieres from Jaivant Patel Company, Mobius Dance, and Natalie Davies, and four festival takeovers of the building.

Inside the building, local graffiti artist Stewy has created a life-size stencil artwork of Dr Geetha Upadhyaya near the dance studios. Hangout spaces like the ‘Sangam Lounge’ and mezzanine create space for creative conversations and socialising, and dance classes can take place in the glazed mezzanine studio. The new studios will be filled with artists creating and rehearsing throughout the year, and there is a new dedicated community space for schools and youth workshops.

Modernised meeting rooms and conference spaces have been created as commercial hire spaces that enable the centre to offer £1 tickets for performances and £1 a day studio hire for artists.

Dr Mitul Sengupta and Dr Shambik Ghose, of Rhythmosaic, a Leeds based Kathak dance company and Associate Company of Bradford Arts Centre said: “We are proud to be an Associate Company of Bradford Arts Centre and it was an honour to be the first company to perform on their stage as part of the opening celebration. Bradford Arts Centre team’s tireless efforts led to the success of the establishment of Bradford’s signature arts building that epitomises Creativity, Community and Excellence. Continuing to work with Bradford Arts Centre and its creatives will lead to some memorable moments to learn, create and execute together with Bradford, for Bradford and by Bradford.”

Founders Dr Shripati Upadhyaya and Dr Geetha Upadhyaya said: “We hope that Bradford Art Centre now flourishes and grows for many, many more years to come. We wish that Alex, the team and organisation also grow, and so many people, young and old, continue to enjoy the services of this company and grow in their creativity, finding a change in their lives through Bradford Art Centre. We were sorry we were not there for the launch, but we are there in spirit and send good wishes to everyone. Thank you very much.”

Jaivant Patel, Artistic Director, Jaivant Patel Company said: “The opening of Bradford Arts Centre is important not just for local but also for national dialogue with British-South Asian artists and their voices. As the relationship between Jaivant Patel Company and Bradford Arts Centre continues to build with the evolution of the building and its new identity, I look forward to how these dialogues will develop and contribute to the legacy of City of Culture 2025 into the future.”

Dr Ria Meera (Artistic Director) and Rushi Munchi (Producer), RiRi’s Dance Academy said: “We were honoured to attend the grand opening of the newly redeveloped Bradford Arts Centre (formerly known as Kala Sangam). Our relationship with Bradford Arts Centre, Alex Croft and the team spans decades, and we couldn’t be prouder of this stunning transformation. A huge congratulations to the entire team for creating such an inspiring space for the arts! We’re thrilled to be bringing our next touring children’s theatre production, ‘The Magic Stick’, to this beautiful new venue in Autumn 2025!”

Balbir Singh of Leeds based dance company Balbir Singh Dance Company said: “Stepping into the building was a transformative experience. The design draws you in, compels you to explore, climb stairs, look around corners and open doors. The building has soul, character and a creative vibe. To think this is in Bradford makes me feel proud as a Bradfordian. I am excited and looking forward to being in the space, creating work and presenting to audiences, and I cannot wait to bring my Kathak Guru Padmashri Pratap Pawar MBE into the building next week”

The Sangam Lounge artwork is by artist Razwan Ul-Haq. Razwan said: “I feel very privileged to have been able to do a piece of calligraphy for the Bradford Arts Centre. The piece celebrates the past and points to a new and exciting future. The Arabic calligraphy has a bold new interpretation on the ‘Muthanna’ (doubled/mirrored) style and celebrates Bradford’s rich heritage. The piece includes pigment made from an old Kala Sangam brick. It was a sheer pleasure working with the Bradford Arts Centre team.”

This is a flagship £7.9million capital redevelopment project opened during Bradford’s year as UK City of Culture 2025. It is supported by DCMS through the Arts Council England administered Cultural Development Fund, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Garfield Weston Foundation, Foyle Foundation and Bradford Council.

Bradford Arts Centre’s first performance will be Jaivant Patel Company’s world premiere ‘ASTITVA’ on Thursday 9 October, followed by a building takeover by Bradford South Asian Festival on 11 & 12 October. Get your tickets here.

Header image c. Guzalian all other images c. Karol Wyszsynski