Thalaya Darr is an award-winning artist and educator from Pendle who has worked in the creative and digital sectors for 7+ years. Her experience and projects range from writing and performance, digital and social media, events, community activities and fundraising. She is currently Project Manager at CIC SharpFutures, one of three Directors at Community Arts by ZK, and a freelance artist. Previous roles Thalaya has held include Trainee Theatre Practitioner at Burnley Youth Theatre, Social Media Assistant at Community Arts by ZK, Educator and Speaker at EU Project H2020 Promise, Intl. Development Practitioner and Media Manager at ICS Progressio, among others.
Thalaya has featured in and headlined several art and poetry festivals, exhibitions, publications, and events over the years including Building Bridges Pendle Festival of Culture (2021 & 2022), Manchester Metropolitan University The Home Symposium with Carol Ann Duffy (2019 & 2020), Kinara Festival Live Borders Co-headlining artist and Q&A with Lemn Sissay (2016), Absent Ginsberg: An Anthology of Contemporary Poetry (2016), and UK Unislam (2014 & 2016), to name a few.
"Connecting with people, storytelling, and challenging socio-political issues remain an integral part of the work I have done and continue to do. I believe in myself and in people. I know that art and culture is about connecting and feeling, and because of this I care about the stories we tell. I care about exploring and expanding the stories we share and how we share them: in creating, digital and social media, conversations, and lived experiences."