Thursday 31 March 2011

Jerwood Visual Arts

Have you booked for the JVA SHOW event on Monday 4th April? 
JVA are hosting a panel discussion with Bedwyr Williams (Artist), Catherine Wood (Tate Curator of Performance/Contemporary Art), Laura Eldret (Artist, Curator and part of Collecting Live Art) chaired by Sally O’Reilly (Writer, Critic and Editor). 
Email jva@jerwoodspace.co.uk to book a place

Arts Council England Group funding decision announced!

Arts Council England have announced the group of organisations they will be funding for the three years between 2012 and 2015.

The biggest winners and losers as follows:

• Royal Shakespeare Company: grant cut by 15% to 15.6m
• Zinc, disabled let arts organisation, loses grant after 16 years.
• ICA, London, grant cut by 42%.
• Pioneering contemporary dance company The Cholmondeleys and the Featherstonehaughs, loses grant.
• Almeida Theatre, London: cut by 39%
• Talawa theatre, London: cut by 22%
• Northcott theatre, Exeter, after clawing its way back from administration last year, grant cut
• Mima, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, grant increased by 143%.
• Yorkshire Dance, grant increased by almost £140k to £323k/
• Norfolk and Norwich Festival, grant increased by 87%.
• Britten Sinfonia orchestra, up by 30% to £416,649 – in contrast to most orchestras and opera companies taking hits of around 15%, except English Touring Opera, up by 9%.
• Kendal Arts International and the Lakes Alive festival, new grant of 890,000 over three years.
• Camden Arts Centre, London, up by 30%.
• London based Punchdrunk theatre, up by 141%
• Maltings theatre, Berwick, grant more than tripled to around £180,000 each of the next three years.
• Artsdepot, north London, which lost its entire local authority grant, keeps slightly reduced ACE grant.
Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, grant increased by 22%.
• Standstill funding – effectively a cut with inflation running at over 4%: Bristol Old Vic theatre; Hull Truck theatre; the Arnolfini gallery, Bristol; Circomedia, Bristol; Eastern Angles, Ipswich; Salisbury Playhouse – with small increase from 2012/13; Spike Island gallery and artists' spaces, Bristol.

for more information and news on these funding decisions go to http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/culture-cuts-blog/2011/mar/30/arts-council-funding-decision-day-cuts#block-93
 or www.artscouncil.org.uk/.../arts-council-england-announces-funding-decisions/

Wednesday 30 March 2011

V & A Exhibition The Cult of Beauty opens Saturday 2 April

The Cult of Beauty: The Aesthetic Movement 1860-1900

2 April - 17 July 2011

Book Tickets

The Cult of Beauty: The Aesthetic 
Movement 1860-1900
This is the first major exhibition to comprehensively explore Aestheticism, an extraordinary artistic movement which sought to escape the ugliness and materialism of the Victorian era by creating a new kind of art and beauty. It shows how Aesthetic artists, designers, poets and collectors promoted the idea of 'art for art's sake' and how the idea of the 'house beautiful' became a touchstone of cultured life.
Organised with the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco in collaboration with the Musée d'Orsay, Paris
With further support from
Liberty logo

Tuesday 29 March 2011

Last chance to see "All Things Theatrical" Exhibition at The Singing Soul Gallery Cranbrook

The Singing Soul Gallery presents it’s “All Things Theatrical” exhibition  25 Feb - 31 March

The Singing Soul is Marie Prett’s fantastic new gallery which recently opened in Cranbrook, Kent.

The exhibition features Richard Wallace, Rita Kearton, Sarah Young and Marie Prett.

It runs from the 25th February until the 31st March and is open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5pm.

Challenge to all creatives....

YouTube Good Work at Cannes Lions 

Use your creativity for a cause, and enjoy the spotlight at Cannes

Saturday 26 March 2011

Open Call for entries - 3 Artists to be selected for Bursaries to develop and realise new work.

Three Bursaries through Crowdfunding, Artquest

Contact: nick@artquest.org.uk
    

Description

Artquest is now announcing an open call for visual artists anywhere in the UK. Three artists will be selected for Generator. If our fundraising is successful, the three selected artists will receive:
  • An bursary of £2000 to develop and realise a new piece or body of work
  • Support to produce rewards to funders, including limited edition prints and related merchandise
  • A group show in London with the other two Generator awardees
  • A bespoke programme of professional development support from Artquest over the commission period.
All information here: www.artquest.org.uk/projects/artquest-generator.htm

Thursday 24 March 2011

Major £8.2m donation to cultural organisations in the UK

Donation by The Clore Duffield Foundation

But why won’t the government match the funds?

By Charlotte Burns | THE ART NEWSPAPER Web only

Published online 24 Mar 11 

National Theatre, exterior of the Dorfman Theatre and the Clore 
Learning Centre as it will look after redevelopment Photo: Haworth 
Tompkins Architects
National Theatre, exterior of the Dorfman Theatre and the Clore Learning Centre as it will look after redevelopment Photo: Haworth Tompkins Architects London. 

A £8.2m donation by leading philanthropist Dame Vivien Duffield will benefit 11 cultural organisations in the UK. The money will go towards the development of new creative learning spaces for young people at institutions including Tate Britain and Kensington Palace. “Now more than ever, I believe that culture should be at the heart of our children’s learning,” said Duffield.

Tate Britain will receive the largest chunk of the donation, with £2.5m going towards two new educational spaces, named after her Clore Duffield Foundation, as part of a £45m renovation project designed by architect Caruso St John. Kensington Palace, currently undergoing a £12m redevelopment that is scheduled to open in time for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, is being granted £500,000 towards a new Clore Learning Centre. Other London institutions benefitting from the donation include the National Theatre, which will receive £2.5m, and the Donmar Warehouse, which will get £500,000,
Seven of the grants go to institutions outside the capital. New Clore Learning Studios are being created at Turner Contemporary in Margate, Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge and at Manchester’s Whitworth gallery, which will each receive £250,000. Bath’s Holburne Museum and Cornwall’s Porthcurno Telegraph Museum are being granted £125,000. The Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon will receive £1m for a learning centre, while the Museum of Liverpool will receive £200,000 towards a new children’s gallery called “Little Liverpool”.

The donation coincides nicely with the UK government’s budget announcement yesterday when Chancellor George Osbourne unveiled several measures aimed at creating an incentive for would-be philanthropists to give more to culture. The government has committed to consult on donations of important works or historical objects in return for a tax reduction. “This is potentially good news for museums and galleries up and down the country. Similar schemes abroad have not only encouraged owners to donate art to the nation, but have helped foster ongoing relationships between donors and institutions,” said Art Fund director Stephen Deuchar.

The government also aims to simplify private-giving practices by cutting red tape around Gift Aid. In addition, it plans to reduce inheritance tax on estates leaving 10% or more to charity.
These measures build on the £80m fund-matching scheme unveiled last December as part of Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt’s ten-point plan to encourage private giving to the arts. He pledged to match private donations with public funds and predicted that the scheme would “unlock at least £160m for cultural organisations over the next four years”.

Around £30m of Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) funds are pencilled for investment in the philanthropy initiative over a four-year period, alongside £50m of National Lottery funding from the Arts Council England over five years, according to a press release issued by the government last December.

Despite Hunt’s statement that he is “extremely grateful” for the “stunningly generous package of funding”, it looks unlikely that Duffield, whom Hunt calls a “role model for philanthropists”, will receive fund-matching on her donation. While Hunt said 2011 would be the “year of corporate philanthropy”, it appears he was referring to the fiscal, rather than the calendar, year. “The £80m match funding scheme has not yet come on stream. We are currently looking at the best way to run [it]” said a DCMS spokeswoman, adding that the initial announcement noted that money would be available from the financial year 2011-2012.

Asked whether it might be possible to match donations retrospectively, a spokeswoman for the Arts Council said: “We are still discussing whether it would be possible.” She added: “However, it is unlikely that it will be matched as the scheme is being designed to encourage new donations, rather than reward past ones.”

The Clore Duffield Foundation, which Dame Vivien chairs, has distributed £50.6m in grants to charitable causes since 2000.

Wednesday 23 March 2011

20 top tips to get readers for your blog

20 top tips to get more readers to your blog

Posted by Katy Cowan in Tips on Wednesday 23rd March 2011. Creative Boom Online Magazine
So you've got your blog up and running, you're writing regular posts but you're still not getting nearly as much web traffic as you'd like? Attracting more readers to your blog is something that can prove difficult, especially when there are so many other people trying to achieve the same thing at the same time.
With so much global noise, how do you rise above it and make sure your blog gets noticed in today's online world? And what can you do to ensure people keep coming back for more? Here's 20 top tips to help you get more readers to your blog. Feel free to add your own suggestions below.

1. Write interesting stuff

It goes without saying, if you want more blog readers then you'll have to write interesting things that will draw people in. How do you find out what people want to hear? Do some research online. Find out what people are talking about and what people share the most. Write about things that people want to read.

2. Be topical

Keep your blog regularly updated and publish topical posts that talk about things happening right now. Offer your opinion and analysis on the news. Share your thoughts and offer a helpful insight into any given topic. Encourage debate and interact with your readers. They will love you for it.

3. Be timeless

Don't just write about topical things, try to offer some timeless articles as well - things that will stand the test of time and will just be as relevant in future as they are now.

4. Become an expert

So you're a marketing professional? Write about marketing! You're into illustration? Write about drawing. People will keep coming back for more if your blog shows your expertise. They'll want to be inspired and learn from you, so become an expert in your field and share your wealth of knowledge.

5. Write lists

Search engines and humans love lists, so create lots of lists including everything from 'top tips' (such as this one) to things like the 'top freelance resources' you use. Lists are your friend, so use them liberally.

6. Be controversial

If you can get away with it, be controversial and voice your own opinions on certain topics. People won't be able to help themselves but engage with you to voice their own thoughts. By being someone who isn't afraid to stick their neck out, you'll gain a following of new readers, keen to hear what you have to say next.

7. Comment elsewhere

Get commenting on other relevant blogs, similar to your own and write intelligent comments that will spark people's interest and get them to visit your own blog. Avoid adding comments like 'Great article' or 'Thanks for this' as you'll only be wasting your time.

8. Don't hard sell

Your blog will be part of your website and of course you'll want to highlight your own products and services but blogging about these things all the time will do you no favours. People don't want the hard sell these days. They want to know more about you and what you think. Share your thoughts and opinions rather than using your blog as a selling tool and people will stick around.

9. Guest blog elsewhere

Offer your services to larger, more established blogs and guest write for them. Draft high quality articles that will attract the attention of new readers and drive them to your own blog. Tips articles tend to work best, so share your expertise.

10. Chat in forums

Sign up to as many forums as possible and make sure you include a link to your blog in your post signature. Get chatting to like-minded individuals and be interesting, i.e. someone people will want to follow. Share links back to any relevant blog posts whenever possible but try to do this subtly.

11. Ping your blog

Every time you publish a new blog post, you should be telling the world about it. Get your blog listed on Ping-o-Matic!, a service that tells different search engines when your blog has been updated. It's also worth submitting your blog to Google, just to be sure.

12. Link up to social media

Get yourself on Twitter and Facebook, make friends, network and shout about your own blog posts to your followers. To make life easier, you can set up an automated service using sites like Twitterfeed.com or some blogging platforms have ready-made widgets that do it automatically for you. Obviously, one tweet won't be very effective, so try to schedule tweets to run automatically throughout the day. You can use Hootsuite or Tweetdeck for this.

13. Mention other people's posts

When writing articles about any given subject, try to hyperlink relevant keywords relating back to similar blog posts elsewhere. This will attract the attention of the influential bloggers you're trying to impress and hopefully encourage them to give you a mention in return.

14. Write top tips

People don't just type in keywords to Google. They ask search engines questions, like 'how do I do this?' and 'how do I do that?' Feed this insatiable hunger for knowledge by writing blog posts that provide solutions to people's problems. Think about what they might type into Google and write your post title. Make sure your Meta Title is the same and you'll be found by people searching for answers.

15. SEO is your priority

Before you do anything else, make sure your blog is SEO-friendly. What do I mean by this? Make sure your URLs, Meta Tags and content is all put together with search engines in mind. SEO includes the act of altering a website so that it performs better in the organic Search Engine Results Pages or SERPs. This basically relates to 'on-page SEO', i.e. the stuff that's actually on your blog. Read this article on SEO top tips for your website and you'll be on the right track.

16. Add visual interest

Pictures can tell a thousand words and videos are something people love to watch. Add visual interest to your blog posts and you'll have people coming back for more. Make your blog posts easy to read and visually interesting and you'll also encourage people to share your content thus attracting more people to your blog.

17. Extra marketing

Wherever possible, add a web link to your blog on any marketing material you send out, including your own email signature. You want to make as many people aware of your blog as possible, so be sure to shout about it. Don't forget to include a web link on your social media profiles and use LinkedIn's own RSS feed widget on your LinkedIn profile.

18. Make everything easy to share

The internet is about sharing, so make sure your readers can easily share your content. That's whether they want to print, email, Facebook or tweet your articles. Because if people can share, you'll be allowing people to market your blog for you, i.e. they'll recommend your articles to their own followers and thus bring further traffic to your site.

19. Consider online advertising

Advertising is a quick fix no doubt and there's no harm in paying for space on other websites, if you've got the budget to do so. Research what's out there and find relevant sites that will have the kind of target market you want to attract to your own blog.

20. Share links

Make friends with other key blog owners and once you've built up a suitable friendship, request to share links. Obviously, there is little SEO benefit in reciprocal links these days but the human aspect still counts for something. Many blogs have a 'Blog Roll' or 'Blogs I Like' list. Seek them out, build relationships and politely ask to be added to those lists.

Sunday 20 March 2011

Call for artist(s)/creative collaborations - Public Art Commission

Public Art Commission, Storey Homes with Central Bedfordshire Council

Contact: Hilary Western hilary.western@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

Description

Storey Homes working together with Central Bedfordshire Council seeks to appoint an artist, artists or an artist-led creative collaboration to develop a site-specific piece at The Limes, Dunstable Street, Ampthill, Bedfordshire.


The appointed artist(s)/creative collaboration will need to satisfy the following criteria:

• Proven track record of producing high-quality art work for the public realm
• Excellent understanding of contemporary art form practice, coupled with an awareness of current thinking surrounding intellectual access issues
• Experience of creative collaboration with community representatives and have experience in leading workshops with members of the public

The fee for the artwork is £14,400 (to include research, design, 8 x half day community workshops, manufacture, materials, installation and all associated costs) If you are interested and would like to be sent a brief for this work please contact:

Hilary Western, Youth & Community Arts Worker
Central Bedfordshire Council
Technology House, 2nd Floor Annexe
239 Ampthill Road Bedford MK42 9BD
T: 0300 300 4244
E: hilary.western@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
Closing date for artist brief to be sent: 5th April 2011

Open Call for Sculpture. Yorkshire

Open call for works for the Sculpture Garden at South Square, Thornton and Allerton Community Association Ltd.

Contact: Elizabeth Holdsworth e.holdsworth@southsquarecentre.co.uk
    

Description

South Square gallery is looking for artists to engage with their woodland garden by submitting sculptures which highlight the seasonal phases of the space.  In shaded grounds, amongst leaves and trees, sculptures will absorb and emanate the atmosphere of the park, in a symbiotic exchange with the landscape.

These sculptures would be on display over the coming summer months, while the garden is open to the public. The garden is open and unsecured, so South Square is looking for environmental works which are organic and ephemeral, sculpture embodying the wild and natural surroundings of the site.

All suitable proposals will be accepted. Works will be for show only and not on sale.

If you are interested in submitting work, email e.holdsworth@southsquarecentre.co.uk

For more information on South Square Gallery, visit http://www.southsquarecentre.co.uk
South Square Centre | Thornton | Bradford | BD13 3LD

CALL FOR ENTRIES - PHOENIX BRIGHTON BLOWUP COMMISSION

  Phoenix Brighton is seeking proposals from individuals or partnerships resident or originally from the South East region, for a commission to design a large digital image to be printed on nylon gauze 28m wide x 10.5m high.

This 300sqm image will be displayed on the front facade of the Phoenix Brighton building.
 
Click HERE for the artists' brief
Click HERE for the building front elevation details
Click HERE for sample of fabric

Deadline for applications 31st March 2011
For full details visit www.phoenixbrighton.org
Contact: Lucy Greenaway lucy@phoenixbrighton.org 

ART WORKSHOP - WORK WITH ENDANGERED SPECIES - APRIL, The Meltdowns Studios & Howletts Wild Animal Park

Lasting Impressions Workshop – where Art tracks Animals  
(Delivered in partnership with Howletts Wild Animal Park) 

Date: Saturday 16th April (Tiger)
Time: 9am to 1pm
Date: Saturday 3rd September (Tapir)
Time: 9am to 1pm
 

What the course will offer
-
½ day workshop with exclusive access to tiger or tapir enclosures
-
obtain a cast from endangered species’ tracks & learn about their conservation
-
gain an insight into how art can comment on & relate to conservation

For detailed information on the course including cost, payment methods, structure or to book a place, please contact Ben Payne on 01227 723956.

Meltdowns contact: Stacy Keeler stacy@meltdowns.co.uk

Design a Deckchair for the Stade Hastings - Hastings Borough Council Competition

 Closing date

All entries must be received by Thursday 30 June 2011 at 4pm.

The aim of the competition 

The aim of the competition is to encourage members of the public to visit the Stade in Hastings Old Town and explore the cultural and environmental heritage of the area and use this as inspiration to design a deckchair for the Stade.


The theme of the competition

The theme of the competition is: the environment, culture and heritage of the Stade.


Categories

There are two categories:
  1. Children: 16 and under
  2. Adults: over 16


Prizes

20 winning designs will be selected by the Judges and made into real deckchairs.  These deckchairs will belong to the Stade open space in Hastings Old Town and will be cared for by Hastings Borough Council's Resort services.  The deckchairs will be used for events on the Stade open space.  The 20 winners will also be presented with their own full size deckchair printed with their design.  Deckchairs will be produced by Eyes Wide Digital
The competition is funded by the Stade Education Project, which in turn is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.


Judges

The Judges for the competition will be:
All entries will be judged anonymously.  The Judges decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.


Closing date

All entries must be received by Thursday 30 June 2011 at 4pm.
Your deckchair design should be submitted to:
Beatrice Rapley, Stade Education Officer
Old Town Hall Museum
High Street
Hastings
East Sussex
TN34 1EW


Rules

You can enter one design and there is no entry fee.  Amateurs and professional artists are invited to take part, as are residents and visitors to Hastings.
Relatives of the judges and organisers cannot enter.

Publicity/copyright

The Stade Education Officer may wish to use some of the designs and photos of entrants for publicity for the project.  By submitting your designs to the Stade Education Project Deckchair Design Competition you agree to the use and publication of your design by the Stade Education Project and Hastings Borough Council.


Your design

Deckchair competition flyer
Your design will be for the fabric part of the deckchair only (ie not the wooden frame) and the design will be for the front of the deckchair (the bit you sit on).  The back of the deckchair will be printed with the winner's name and the Stade Education Project and Heritage Lottery Fund logos.
Designs must be clearly labelled on the back with your contact details:
Full name, email address, phone number (home), phone number (mobile), address, date of birth and age (if 16 or under).  If over 16 please write 'Adult'.
Designs should be submitted on card (white, coloured or recycled).  Please do not submit your design on paper – the designs need to be on card to be included in the exhibition we will be holding (exhibition details will be announced shortly).

Template for your design

To help you with the basic shape of the deckchair design, draw a tapered rectangle with a top length of 12.8cm (5 inches) and bottom length of 11cm (4.5 inches).  The length of the sides should be 35.6cm (14 inches).  The widest edge represents the 'head' part of the deckchair and the narrower edge the 'knees'.  You can collect ready–made card templates at one of the Workshops.
When designing your deckchair remember that the bottom and top 2cm of your design will wrap around the frame so won't be seen in the finished chair – try not to have anything crucial to the overall design along those edges.
Designs can be in any medium or style: drawing, photography, textiles, painting, collage, computer generated, typographic etc but must be flat enough to be scanned.  If designs are too 3-dimensional they may not be suitable for scanning and therefore not eligible to win.
The design you submit must be your own work and by entering the competition you are agreeing to your design being made into deckchairs, if selected.
You must have permission to use any images you include in your design.
If you would like your design returned to you, please include a suitable stamped addressed envelope.

for more info go to http://www.hastings.gov.uk/stade_education/deckchair.aspx

Saturday 19 March 2011

Support a fellow artist....

Calling all Creatives....

Nicholas Godsell Photography:
I am keen to photograph empty creative spaces, whether they are studios, offices or garden sheds. I am keen to show the clutter and chaos that surrounds and stimulates the creative process.

If you have a space I can photograph and are interested in participating in my project, please email me at nicholas.godsell@hotmail.co.uk  Thanks

Facebook Nick Godsell.

Friday 18 March 2011

Sculpture

The permanence and longevity of a sculpture consists in the strength of the idea, not in the material

Wikipedia Sculpture description: Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials - typically stone - or marble, metal, glass, or wood. Softer ("plastic") materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals.
The term has been extended to works including sound, text and light. Found objects may be presented as sculptures. Materials may be worked by removal such as carving; or they may be assembled such as by welding , hardened such as by firing, or molded or cast. Surface decoration such as paint may be applied. Sculpture has been described as one of the plastic arts because it can involve the use of materials that can be moulded or modulated.

Sculpture is one of the earliest known forms of art, with some sculptures dating back to the earliest known civilizations. Throughout the centuries sculpture has remained very popular as a way of teaching people lessons about morality and acceptable social interaction. It is also popular as means of expressing religious beliefs, decorating homes and useful objects, and as a way of remembering the dead.

When Anthony Caro, the great Sculptor, was asked “What is sculpture for?” he replied “To please the eye and feed the soul,” “Human beings dance, they make music, they carve little pebbles or stick pieces of clay together. It’s just a natural human thing – animals don’t do it. I don’t know what it’s for. What is life for?”........... It couldn’t be put better than that.

Comments and discussion encouraged!

Printmaking......

Printmaking was invented to make exact copies, to allow the distribution of information and knowledge in the sciences, in medicine, in politics and religion so our general preconceptions of print as “copies” are inevitably bound up with these origins. This is by no means a bad thing and artists can exploit reproducibility as part of their enterprise; equally they can distort the potential for reproducibility in many ways, through the process itself, modifying the finished print or the printing place/block between each impression, or by printing on a variable materials, or indeed through a decision to limit the ‘edition’ to one unique piece.

Printmaking today provides a myriad of opportunities for the artist to explore and develop its potential. A finished print exists in dialogue with the accumulated layers of activity that contribute to its creation.

The diversity of artworks that contemporary printmakers are creating is both exciting and stimulating. Works which cannot be reduced or contained by a single word, but encompass the sculptural, painterly, ephemeral, tangible, illustrative, drawn and photographic — at times simultaneously. Printmaking is not a peripheral artistic practice hovering at the edges of fine art, but an embedded medium within this paradigm that has both earned and deserves its place.

Printmaking allows for a material process of play, experimentation and exploration, often resulting in both a finite and contained object but also a multifaceted work that leads the viewer down a number of different interpretative paths. 

The notion of flatness can be endlessly associated with printmaking; the flat surface, of the 2D object, hung upon the flat wall. Yet, many of the works created by contemporary printmakers today dispel this pejorative assumption, as the prints venture into the territory of sculpture, playing with form, space, depth and the physical relationship of the viewer to object.

A few of the many artists pushing the boundaries in Print making today: Cathryn Kemp, Brenda Hartill, Dawn Cole, Claire Bayliss......

Comments and open discussion very welcome - in fact encouraged and gratefully received. 

JVA Writer in Residence opportunity

*

The JVA Writer in Residence is a new opportunity within the Jerwood Visual Arts (JVA) programme. The Writer in Residence will work alongside core JVA writers, primarily on their new blog, posting thoughts and essays that open up wider contextual debate surrounding the issues and themes raised in the JVA programme with a focus on national and international issues and trends. 


Three JVA Writers in Residence will be selected to cover three writing slots in 2011. Each of these will cover two JVA exhibitions at Jerwood Space and will span approximately 3 – 4 months. Writers will be asked, as a minimum, to post a blog entry at least once a week.
Writers can apply for the following opportunities:
Slot 2: May - August | Painting and Making
Applications open from 1 March. Deadline for applications 5pm on Monday 28 March 2011

http://www.jerwoodvisualarts.org/page/3088/JVA+Writer+in+Residence+/19

Thursday 17 March 2011

Exciting News from The School Creative centre at Rye - ‘BAFTA winner launches new writers’ hub’


‘BAFTA winner launches new writers’ hub’

A new writers’ hub is set to launch later this month, offering writers in Kent and East Sussex an opportunity to network, share ideas and explore development opportunities. Co-ordinated by BAFTA-winning writer Roy Apps, the Rye Hub of New Writing South, a creative writing organisation, will provide emerging and professional writers from all media with a focal point from which to organise networking and creative opportunities and discuss project ideas.

Following the successful launch of a similar initiative in Portsmouth, the Rye Hub will be launched at The School Creative Centre in Rye on Tuesday 29 March and will feature guest speaker Carole Hayman, a writer, producer and film-maker whose most recent novel, political satire Hard Choices, was shortlisted for the Silver Booker Prize.

The Rye Hub will go on to meet for lunch on the last Tuesday of each month. Each session will feature a guest speaker plus plenty of discussion on a range of issues affecting creative writers and their industry. Forthcoming topics include e-publishing, copyright and writing for soundscape.
Co-ordinator Roy Apps is the author of 58 children’s books, and has written dozens of TV scripts. He is one of only four writers to have received a personal BAFTA Children’s Film & Television Writers’ Award.

Inaugural guest speaker Carole Hayman was born in Kent, which features in her trilogy of novels, The Warfleet Chronicles. Carole’s work has featured on radio and television, for which she co-wrote the BBC Radio 4 and ITV series Ladies of Letters.

The first Rye Hub session is free, and will be held on Tuesday 29 March from 12noon to 2pm. Subsequent Hub meetings will be free to New Writing South members, and £5.00 to visitors. For more details, please contact Roy Apps on ryehub@newwritingsouth.com or visit

www.theschoolcreativecentre.co.uk

Wednesday 16 March 2011

The reasons why your press release isn't getting published.....

Posted by Katy Cowan in Tips on Wednesday 16th March 2011. Creative Boom online magazine
http://www.creativeboom.co.uk

Press releases are a presentation of facts that are sent to journalists in the hope that they'll get published and turned into stories. That's whether you're approaching magazines, newspapers, radio/TV stations or e-zines, a press release aims to shout about something to do with you and your business, helping to raise your profile and consequently increase sales enquiries.

How you write a press release is determined by the 'who, what, when, where, why and how?', i.e. What's the story about? When's it happening? Who's involved? Where's it taking place? How is it happening? Why is it happening? You get the idea. So when you painstakingly put together your own press releases only to find that nothing ever gets published, how do you find out where you're going wrong?

As someone who's worked in both PR and journalism, I've put together these top reasons why your press release isn't getting published and how you can avoid them:
Your subject line looks like spam

When emailing your press releases to journalists, make sure you copy and paste the headline into the subject line. Ensure the headline is punchy, interesting and eye-catching. Don't put things like 'Read this!!!' or 'LATEST NEWS FROM US' into the subject line - it will just look like spam and is likely to get deleted before the journalist even opens it.
You included the press release as an attachment

Journalists don't have time to open documents, that's whether they're PDFs or Word Docs. Simply copy and paste the headline of your press release into the subject line and then paste the rest of the press release into the body of your email. Make it as easy as possible for the journalist to extract the information and they're more likely to use your story.
You used a PDF

PDFs are an absolute pain for any journalist. They're difficult to extract information from and are so annoying that I simply delete any press releases I receive in this format. Seems harsh but they take up so much of my time that I've grown to despise them. I can not emphasise this enough - do not use PDFs. Copy and paste your press release into the body of the email and make it really easy for the journalist to use your story.
You haven't sent everything they need

Journalists don't have time to chase after you, so make sure you send everything they need first time. That includes the press release and any accompanying images. Don't assume they'll contact you for additional things they might need - just send everything they do need first time. Don't make them chase!
You sent the wrong type of image

Journalists spend most of their time replying to emails requesting an image. It then takes several days for any image to appear and by that time, the journalist might have lost interest in your story. Send the right image along with the press release and you'll have a much better chance of seeing your story published. But make sure you send the right image, which means Jpegs with at least 300dpi and a minimum of 500KB for print and 'web-ready' images for online publications. Journalists won't have time to open up Photoshop and edit images themselves, so make sure they're right. Finally, always send Jpegs as attachments to emails.
Your press release requires an entire re-write

Some press releases are so poorly written that it's difficult to understand what they're actually about. Nine times out of 10, a journalist won't have time to re-write the story. Make sure your press release is well-written, concise and factual. If you need tips on how to write a press release, read this article.
Your press release isn't newsworthy

It's an obvious reason but journalists will only be interested in press releases that carry a genuine story. So make sure your press release has a strong news angle and isn't just something that's trying to sell your products or services. Journalists will only ditch press releases containing lots of sales messages, so keep it factual and newsworthy. What makes something newsworthy? Well, have you just launched a new product that's different from anything else? Or won a client an unusual way? Put a 'journalist hat' on and consider the sorts of stories that are more likely to get published.
You clearly don't know the media

Before you issue any press release, investigate the media you're targeting. Do they have any specific sections where your story would fit in? Do they have a certain style of writing? Do they prefer to have a chat over the phone or do they like to be emailed instead? Get to know the media you're targeting and you'll stand a much better chance of achieving some media coverage.
You're not personal enough

Journalists aren't stupid. They know if you're sending out mass emails to hundreds of different journalists all at the same time. This just looks impersonal and unfriendly. Make your emails personal and try to develop a relationship with each journalist. Create a 'media list' and write useful notes against each contact name so you know how to better deal with them in future. Develop a database of contacts and know how each person likes to be approached.
You're becoming a pain

If someone is constantly bugging a journalist with questions like 'when is my story going to get published?', then they'll be more inclined to move your press release straight to the trash can. Let's face it! None of us like to be hassled. It only leaves a bad taste in our mouths. To keep the journalist sweet, don't chase too much and don't become a pain. Respect the journalist and understand that you can't secure media coverage for everything as it's really up to them.

And those are just some of the reasons why your press release isn't getting published. If you've got any others you'd like to share, please comment below.

Monday 14 March 2011

ROYAL ACADEMY - Mothers day special offer

Special Mother’s Day Offer

Sunday 3 April, from 3pm
mothers day afternoon tea 
Celebrate Mother’s Day and the opening of Watteau: The Drawings at the Royal Academy, by inviting your mum to indulge in an afternoon of the finest art and delicious treats.

Special package includes:
• Classic Afternoon Tea with a glass of Prosecco at The Restaurant
• A ticket to see Watteau: The Drawings, containing over 80 exquisite works on paper produced by the French artist
• Gift on arrival
Restaurant
Price £32 (per head).
Book your table today by calling 020 7300 5608 or emailing reservations@ra-ra.co.uk
Terms and Conditions

Sunday 13 March 2011

Artists Studios available in SE1, Bow Arts Trust

For more info contact: Tilly Hogrebe at property@bowarts.com
    
Bow Arts Trust opened SE1 Studios in Bermondsey in summer 2010.  The studios are designed specifically with graduate and emerging artists in mind and are easily accessible from London Bridge and Bermondsey.
The studios are built around a semi open plan layout, maximising the size and light of the existing spaces, and helping to create a communal atmosphere, rather than the 'closed corridor' effect that is sometimes encountered in larger studio set ups.
The spaces is also ideal for groups of artists wishing to set up space together, and we will be actively welcoming applications from groups and collectives.
For more details about the studios and how to apply for them, visit the SE1 Studios website or contact Tilly on 020 7515 7491

Studio Share available near Waterloo Station.

Studio Space Available to share with 2 others - £90 per month

Contact: Kate katedfindlay@gmail.com
    

Description posted by Kate Findlay:

We have a lovely studio space in Makespace Studios just 5 minutes from Waterloo Station. Although we love it very much we don’t make much use of the space so would like to share with a third person. The space would ideally suit a musician, writer or someone in need of office space. We currently have an electric keyboard, cello, guitars and double bass as well as a desk and futon in the studio. There is room to add another desk and other music equipment if needed.
We use the studio every Thursday evening, but other than this we’re flexible with when we use it. Darren (musician/writer) uses the studio around three days a week, and I use it around one evening or afternoon every other week. So it’s usually empty around 3 full days a week. The rent would be £90 per month, all inclusive.
About Makespace
Make Space Studios is a community of up and coming artists and artisans. There are painters, ceramicists, graphic designers, fashion designers, photographers, an arts management company, sculptors, illustrators, interior architects, print makers, animators, musicians and more.

The studios are multi-disciplinary with fine, applied and temporal arts and design all represented.

The studios are divided in to two block with bathrooms and kitchens in each block and a communal common room with free wifi.

There is 24 Hour access to the studios, with locks on all doors and CC TV monitoring the out of office hours entrance.
Please contact Kate on katedfindlay@gmail.com to ask any questions or to arrange a viewing

CALL FOR ENTRIES - PHOTOGRAPHERS.

Open Here 2011 – Call for submissions, Hereford Photography Festival

West Midlands, International Artform: visual arts   Contact: Caitlin Griffiths Caitlin@photofest.org
    

Description

Call for submissions 
Deadline: 31st May 2011 
Hereford Photography Festival
Submissions are now being accepted for Open Here, Hereford Photography Festival’s open exhibition, to take place at The Courtyard Centre for the Arts from 28th October to 26th November 2011.
Open Here welcomes submissions from all photographers - both nationally and internationally - and are keen to support all disciplines of photographic practice.
Photographers may submit up to 5 images, made since January 2010.
Images maybe individual works or from a larger series.
One prize, of a socially-engaged commission (£2,000) will be awarded, to be realised in Herefordshire prior to August 2012.
An additional prize of £200 will be awarded to the audience’s favourite, voted for by visitors to the exhibition
The Selection PaneL 

Caitlin Griffiths    - Artistic Director, Hereford Photography Festival. 
Melissa DeWitt   - Editor, HotShoe. 
Nina Gustavsson  - Photography Lecturer, Hereford College of Arts. 
Simon Bainbridge – Editor BJP and co-curator Hereford Photography Festival
 
Please download application details from www.photofest.org/openhere. Completed application forms and  images to be emailed to hpfopen2011@gmail.com no later than 31st May 2011.

 All entries to be submitted via email only (JPEG or PDF). Submissions of actual photographic prints are not able to be accepted and will not be returned. 

www.photofest.org/openhere      
Entry Fee: £15

NEW Designers Makers Market, London

Are you a designer maker looking for opportunities to sell what you make..??

If yes, then contact: Sophie at  info@designersmakers.com
 
DESIGNERS MAKERS ARE LAUNCHING A NEW WEEKLY MARKET IN EAST LONDON!

A PLATFORM FOR 50+ DESIGNERS AND CRAFTS PEOPLE FROM LONDON AND BEYOND, THIS IS THE PLACE TO FIND NEW AND UNIQUE PRODUCTS FROM THE BEST OF THE BUNCH!

EVERY SATURDAY 11AM-5PM
...
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BECOMING A STALLHOLDER PLEASE EMAIL INFO@DESIGNERSMAKERS.COM

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SPACE
129—131 Mare St
Hackney
London
UK
E8 3RH

Saturday 12 March 2011

You are invited to the Private View of SHOW - JVA at Jerwood Space - Tuesday 15 March

February 2011
You are invited to the Private View of SHOWTuesday 15 March
6.30pm – 8.30pm / pay bar
JVA at Jerwood Space, 171 Union Street, London, SE1 OLN

An exhibition of three newly commissioned performances by:
Edwina Ashton, Jack Strange and Bedwyr Williams, curated by Sarah Williams

Private View performance schedule
6.30–8.30pm - Edwina Ashton, Peaceful serious creatures (lobster arranging)
6.30–8.30pm - Jack Strange, Zip And Zing
7.30pm - Bedwyr Williams, Urbane Hick
Visit www.jvashow.co.uk for exhibition performance schedule and catalogue
RSVP
E: jva@parkerharris.co.uk
T: 01372462190

Image: Bedwyr Williams, DROMOS, Generator Projects, Dundee, UK, 2010, Courtesy of the artist and Ceri Hand Gallery
Please note: Filming will take place at the private view of SHOW on 15th March 2011 from 6.30-8.30pm. By attending you understand that you may appear on camera and you consent to the reproduction and use of your photograph, image or voice or a reproduction thereof, either in whole or in part to be used by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation for any and all art, advertising or trade purposes and in any and all publications and other advertising media without limitation or reservation.

Read more
Jerwood Visual Arts is a major initiative of the Jerwood Charitable Foundation
171 Union Street, Bankside | London | SE1 0LN

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