On display outside the Johnny Cotter gallery... Familiar with the Dickies back catalogue Mr C? |
Or, a day trip to the seaside.
Time was when Folkestone was just another fading English seaside town, with only a brief flirtation with booking interesting new bands (we're talking early '80's so think New Model Army, Brilliant and er, The Milkshakes, at dingy 60's nightclub Pipers), to suggest any kind of cultural life.
Fast forward to 2012 and Folkestone is being pre-fixed with words like 'groovy'. As David Coleman might have said, 'quite extraordinary!'
It's been going on for years of course, as artists have long had a fascination with the Kent coast for its open sky and natural light.
More recently Saga mainman Roger De Haan has invested in 'The Cultural Quarter' an arts led regeneration of the harbour area that's led to the Triennial arts festival, a string of small creative businesses opening up on the Old High Street and lots of spin offs, like music events, such as the 'Skabour' festival.
All highly commendable. And then the global economy went belly up. What's that do to your average arts led regeneration?