“What Metal offers is …care, hosting and hospitality. They understand the need for ‘safe’ spaces for creation and offer a sense of family. The staff make time and are never too busy. There is a real sense of belonging due to a shared sensibility. It is an open and inclusive environment”. – Choreographer Kimberley Harvey
Metal Peterborough brings together artists, residents and other partners across nature recovery, education, social justice and more to inspire local change through creativity. We host dinners and gatherings for people to share ideas; work with young people; create public art projects; host residencies in gardens, community venues and across the city. Every project is different and involves many hands.
We are interested in the role of artists in cities and supporting artists and creatives – from those who don’t know they’re artists yet to those with internationally renowned careers – in Peterborough and across Cambridgeshire is therefore a large part of our work.
Alongside our local work, we share programmes which have a national resonance with our sites in Liverpool and Southend, including The Unlonely City and Working Artists Weeks.
We are part of Peterborough Cultural Alliance (PCA), a network of local cultural organisations working together to develop the Cultural Strategy for Peterborough through to 2031. Alongside this, we are part of the following networks:
- Peterborough Presents Steering Group
- Voluntary Sector Committees – Syntax Poetry Festival, Peterborough Women’s Forum, Peterborough Cultural Form
- Disability Consultancy for Creative Change (DC4CC)
- East Anglian Artist Development Network
- East Youth Voice Consortium
We also run our own network, the Peterborough Festivals Network, which creates space to connect with people working across festivals and events in Peterborough.
Metal first came to Peterborough in 2011 in partnership with Peterborough City Council and Arts Council England. Metal renovated Chauffeurs Cottage to create an inviting home for artists creatives to show and make work in partnerships with the wider communities of Peterborough. We left this space at the end of 2024, and we’re currently working across the city. You can get in touch with us via email at peterborough@metalculture.com
