Mayflower 400 UK
Mayflower 400 UK marked the 400th anniversary year of the ship’s sailing from England to America and its often challenging legacy. We believe it is important to explore all of these stories and histories, and therefore Plymouth Culture supported arts organisations and projects to achieve this.
In 2020 and 2021, Mayflower 400 UK marked the 400th anniversary year of the ship’s sailing from England to America and its often challenging legacy.
Mayflower 400 is a complicated story with a history which traverses generations, cultures and people. We believe it is important to explore all of these stories and histories, and through an ambitious cultural programme, we supported 20 arts organisations and projects to creatively do so.
Through funds from the Government Treasury via the Department of Digital, Culture Media & Sport and Arts Council England, Plymouth Culture launched the Mayflower 400 Cultural Fund and supported the Mayflower 400 Community Sparks Fund (previously Vital Sparks), that brought to life projects such as:
Speedwell - a large-scale art installation that transformed the Mount Batten Breakwater in Plymouth into a public forum for discussion and debate about the impact and legacy of the Mayflower's journey, colonialism and the ecological state of our planet during the Mayflower 400 commemorations.
We are the Land - gave the Wampanoag National a long-awaited opportunity to tell their story on stage, on English soil, at the Theatre Royal Plymouth, through a piece of drama with singing, dancing, drumming, and testimony, created and performed by them followed by a week of workshops and other performances.
The Hatchling - an outdoor theatre performance that saw a giant puppet in the form of a dragon hatch and roam through the city, before taking flight from the coast in a unique feat of artistry and engineering. This unique theatrical event was a poignant reminder of the power of community, with more than 250 local people from groups across the city joining the cast of the performance.
Explore the other events, exhibitions, productions and projects that were part of Mayflower 400 throughout this website.