Heartlands welcomes Mexican officials

Mexican delegates have made a visit to Heartlands in Pool as part of their tour of Cornwall.

As part of the weeklong trip to explore links between the two lands, Mexican state and government officials have learnt about how the Heartlands Project will transform 7.5 hectares of former mining land into a truly inspirational cultural landscape with World Heritage Site status.

The Heartlands team gave the officials a tour of the Heartlands site and talked them through the key areas of the project. Among the visitors were Omar Fayad Meneses, Mayor of Pachuca and Jessica Blancas, economic development minister.

The links between Mexico and Cornwall date back to the early 1820s when local mineworkers were recruited to help reopen redundant silver mines in and around a small town in Northern Mexico. The visit by the Mexican officials follows a visit to the country by a delegation from Redruth and Camborne in the summer this year.

Cllr Loveday Jenkin, Kerrier Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Arts and Culture, who also joined in the tour, said: “The visit has been a fantastic opportunity to bring together Cornish and Mexican cultures and demonstrates the close links our communities still have. It is essential we keep these relationships strong and the visit to Heartlands clearly illustrated to the Mexican delegates how elements in the project will celebrate the links our two regions have.”

Scott James, Heartlands programme director, said: “We were delighted to welcome our visitors from Mexico and were grateful for the opportunity to give them a taste of what we’re aiming to create at Heartlands.

“We know our local communities share close cultural links with Mexico and it was fascinating to hear about this. The Mexican officials were really interested to learn about how elements of the Heartlands project will celebrate both Cornish culture and the links with Diaspora countries such as Mexico.”

Calling all Cornish creative talent

The creative community are being invited to register an interest in being included in the Heartlands Arts Directory.

The directory will be a resource for the design teams during the construction phase to identify creative practitioners with the right experience, skills and quality of work to be able to deliver the creative elements at Heartlands over the coming months.

The Heartlands team is developing the Heartlands Arts Directory which will include full details of all artists interested in being part of the project. It will also be a valuable resource for the future Heartlands Trust in developing creative projects, such as events and workshops, when Heartlands opens.

Heartlands is keen to hear from local artists and makers with a contemporary approach, with experience of working on creative and innovative public arts projects. The team would particularly like to hear from creative practitioners with a specialism in metal, stone, mosaics, wood and audio visual installations to register an interest.

Sarah Williams, Heartlands Arts and Culture project manager, said: “We’re keen for local artists and makers who want to get involved with the Heartlands Project to get in touch. We are looking to build a comprehensive directory and would particularly welcome interest from contemporary artists and makers and local crafts people to create a directory of as many and diverse artists as possible.”