^26.01.12   
The Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership is holding its first ‘open access to finance’ event on 26th January 2012, at the Staffordshire County Showground (4.30pm to 7pm). Find out the right way to apply for loans, and get expert advice on access to finance. There will be details on the successful^* Staffordshire Business Support Fund from Staffordshire County Council (although those in Stoke might note that Stoke-on-Trent City Council has recently reportedly decided to hold off from setting up a similar Fund for the city). Bookings via:  events@bcrs.org.uk

 * Only seven firms with loans have failed, since the Fund started in 2010. 109 new jobs have been created, through the use of only £1m of loans.

^26.01.12   
The Mitchell Arts Centre, in Hanley, is hosting a lunchtime event to help local organisations find out about the creative apprenticeship scheme. The date is 10th February 2012 (12.30pm – 2pm). Bookings via:  bookings@creativealliance.org.uk

^26.01.12   
Ross Hetherington is planning to create and project a 50ft Super 8mm cine film (approx 3 mins 30 seconds) of Stoke-on-Trent. He’s looking for suggestions that show the unknown / different / new / creative places, and small businesses that are really successful and which show the way forward for the city.

^26.01.12   
Added to the Directory:  Paul Briscoe, Biscoe Photography. Based in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

^26.01.12   
Added to the Directory:   Sean Jones of Jones Instruments. Sean is a master traditional bagpipe maker, based at Biddulph Moor.

Above: a set of Sean Jones Shepherd Pipes about to go into action at a Bagpipes Society event.

^26.01.12   
Ashbourne Arts in the Peak District are seeking makers for their Street Theatre festival in Ashbourne (23rd/24th June). Specifically, for the paid creation of an ‘army’ of large-scale / life-sized scarecrows. The successful artist will also deliver scarecrow-making workshops in the community, predominantly to primary schools. Full details from Graham Shackell at:  sometimesoonarts@yahoo.co.uk

^26.01.12   
Wolverhampton’s Looked After Children’s Services participation team and Wolverhampton Arts & Heritage Service are working together to enable the production of a new film for children aged 9 to 11. The aim of the film is to communicate something of what it is really like to be in ‘care’. Application deadline: 27th January 2012. Full details from Angela Tombs at Wolverhampton Art Gallery:  angela.tombs@wolverhampton.gov.uk

^26.01.12   
Free ceramics courses are back, at the Burslem School of Art! If you are 19+, unemployed, and out of education or self-employed (but on low income), then…

“this could be the right thing for you. Depending on your skills you can join a beginners pottery class or if you have some basic skills in ceramics making you can enjoy free ceramics studio time to work on your own projects. And it gets even better as you will have all materials and firing free-of-charge.”

Visit the Web link above, or contact Ieva at Burslem School of Art at:  ieva@burslemschoolofart.com

^26.01.12   
The U.S. -based National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts has one grant available to sponsor one artist for participation in a six-week residency with A.I.R. Vallauris (starting May 2012). Application deadline: 1st February 2012. To request an application form, email with NCECA RESIDENCY in the subject line, to:  contact@air-vallauris.com

^26.01.12   
Sam Astbury has made an online documentary about the artist-run Electric Picture House project in Congleton…

The first exhibition has now been held there, and the team has completed all-but-one of the artists’ studios.

^26.01.12   
Bilston Craft Gallery, down in the Black Country, is seeking exhibitors for their Drawn to Craft exhibition (21st July — 22 Sept 2012). This will explore the graphic line in contemporary craft, across a wide range of media. Application deadline: 12th March 2012. Full details from:  natalie.cole@wolverhampton.gov.uk

^26.01.12   
Birmingham Institute of Art and Design (BIAD), the largest UK art & design teaching institution outside London, has a rare funded AHRC Doctoral Studentship in Art and Design available, for an October 2012 start. Deadline: 11th April 2012.

^26.01.12   
The Patient Environment and the Arts is a one-day conference at Austin Court, Birmingham on 15th March 2012 (venue is round the back of Broad Street, within walking distance of the train station). The event will…

“look at the future of arts programmes across all areas of healthcare”

^26.01.12   
The Tatton Park Biennial, at Tatton Park in Cheshire, is seeking a Project Manager for Flights of Fancy.

^26.01.12   
A useful free book, from an offshoot of the Creative Regions in Europe Research Network, Creative Business: 10 Lessons to Help You Build a Business Your Way.

^15.01.12   
Added to the Directory:  Richard Hearn has set up the new Ardua Music music management company based in Stone, North Staffs, plus a new blog about artist development for musicians. He’s also in the process of setting up a social-enterprise record label.

^15.01.12   
Added to the Directory:  Shelton Pottery, based in Alsager, near Stoke-on-Trent. Ken and Valerie Shelton offer hand-painted bowls, jugs, plates and vases.

^15.01.12   
Added to the Directory:  Mothertown at the The Old Post Office, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. Mothertown Gallery & Studios offers exhibition space in our gallery and work space available for hire in the studios — which includes use of kilns, spray booth, casting area etc.

^15.01.12   
Added to the Directory:  Stoke-on-Trent storyteller Alan Barrett has a new website.

^15.01.12   
A free two-hour dance class is on offer in the North Staffordshire town of Leek. These are on Tuesday lunchtimes at Brough Park Leisure Centre in Leek, and are taught by Julia Griffin. Spring term starts 24th January for 10 weeks. Full details at the Web page.

^15.01.12   
Retina Dance will be holding open dance workshops at the new Jubilee 2, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, on Wednesday 15th February 2012 (10am – 12 noon, and again from 1pm – 3pm). Workshops cost just £1.50. Please wear loose comfortable clothing that you can move around in. To book a place please contact the venue directly.

^15.01.12   
Art in the Park is an annual arts celebration funded by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, in Brough Park, Leek over the weekend of 12th and 13th May 2012. Artists and crafts makers can book tables at £25 per table. Application deadline: 20th January 2012. Full details from Alice Lockett at:  alice@beyondthehills.co.uk

^15.01.12   
Aspiring crafts makers and land artists can learning the ancient art of hedgelaying, from rural crafts expert Simon Fowler. Simon will be running a course at Biddulph Grange Country Park on 10th and 11th March 2012 (10am to 4pm each day). No previous experience is necessary, and all tools will be provided. The two-day course costs just £35, and places can be reserved by calling the Countryside Team on:  01538 395522.

^15.01.12   
The PINT Contemporary Arts Festival in nearby Burton-upon-Trent is looking for artists and volunteers to become involved. Submission deadline: 15th February 2012. Full details at the website.

^15.01.12   
“Creative Connections: survival skills for artists moving into self-employment” is the title of a new evening course starting in nearby Wolverhampton on the 21st February 2012. 2 hours per week, for 15 weeks, 6-8pm at the City Learning Quarter, Wolverhampton. Enrolment is taking place now, for further information contact Moya Lloyd, lead tutor at the Adult Education Service on 01902 558180. If you are in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance or Work Related Employment Support Allowance then you will be exempt from course fees.

^15.01.12   
Jobs:  The University of Keele has a series of Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships 2012 available in English and Creative Writing, and Music and Music Technology. Early Career Fellowships aim to provide career development opportunities for academics who are at a relatively early stage of their academic careers but who have a proven record of research. Application deadline: 13th February 2012.

^15.01.12   
Jobs:  Down in West Bromwich, Multistory are seeking six Action Research community artists for a three-day residency in February/March 2012…

“to explore how new or existing connections to and from Dartmouth Park to West Bromwich town centre can be established, highlighted and improved.” [you] “will produce a set (or family) of potentially realisable ideas for permanent public works (presented through drawings and models) or a new visual language that identifies, signposts and waymarks routes from the town to the park.”

Fee is £800. Application deadline: 27th January 2012. Full details at the website.

^12.01.12   
Staffordshire University has teamed up with The Sentinel newspaper to organise the 2012 Young Journalist Awards. The competition is open to primary school and secondary school children, and also to sixth-form students. Simply research and write…

“an intelligent piece of journalism which might be worthy of publication in The Sentinel.”

The submitted article must be no more than 400 words. It can be a news article or a feature article, but the writer must base their text on… “original stories from their community”. Deadline is 18th April 2012. Send your entry including name, age, address, school or college, and daytime and evening telephone numbers to…

Young Journalist Awards, Newsdesk,
The Sentinel, Sentinel House,
Forge Lane, Etruria,
Stoke-on-Trent.
ST1 5SS

^12.01.12   
North Staffordshire’s PiCl, formerly Creative Partnerships, has a number of afternoon creative sessions on offer in Spring 2012. These are: Animation (17th Jan); Music (9th Feb); Creative Writing (8th March); and Craft and Textiles (29th March). Each will run from 4.15pm to 6.15pm, and cost £20 each. See the website or contact PiCl for full details.

^12.01.12   
There is to be an Early Years Music Conference for music teachers and associated creative musicians in the West Midlands. The date is 23rd January 2012. The event will be free to attend, and will take place in south Birmingham. Full details from the above Web page or from:  donna_n_hounsell@birmingham.gov.uk

^12.01.12   
Staffordshire University’s Creative Communities Unit is offering a number of short courses in community arts management, in the first half of 2012. These include: Managing in a Youth or Community Context; Community Arts in a Global Perspective; Regeneration; Volunteering; Project Cycle Management; Evaluation in Community; Working with Groups in a Youth or Community Context; and Commissioning Local Services.

^12.01.12   
Job: a Technical Assistant (ref: AMD11-8) is wanted by the Photography and Digital Imaging team at the Faculty of Arts Media and Design, at the Stoke campus of Staffordshire University. This is a full-time permanent position. Deadline: 16th January 2012

^12.01.12   
The Theatrical Management Association has a half-day training event, in Stoke-on-Trent…

“a half day ‘Train the Trainer’ course for those involved with the training of staff working in the field of Get ins, Fit ups and Get outs [in theatre]“

^12.01.12   
Newcastle-under-Lyme employers interested in youth apprentices are invited to a morning event on 14th February 2012, at Newcastle-under-Lyme College (8.30am – 12.30pm). There will be speakers from Staffordshire County Council, other Newcastle employers, and the National Apprenticeship Service. Please register your interest via an email to:  apprenticeshipevent@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk

^12.01.12   
UK Trade & Investment is looking for the UK’s best new export ideas and has launched an Exporting for Growth competition open to all UK small to medium firms. If you have a big export idea, enter before the first-round closes on 31st January 2012.

^12.01.12   
Designer Maker West Midlands has an afternoon seminar event in Birmingham, “New Contexts: Contemporary craft in historic settings”. The date is 19th January 2012.

“This seminar will explore ways in which makers can work within historical contexts, through a range of invited speakers who will be discussing their experiences and highlighting the variety of opportunities for makers within the heritage sector.”

^12.01.12   
Added to the Directory:  Stamp Arts, based in Stoke-on-Trent. Stamp Arts is run by Teresa Pattison who has twenty years of experience working as a dancer, dance teacher and event organiser. Teresa was also Head of Dance at St. Margaret Ward Catholic College, Stoke-on-Trent. Teresa is also a mosaic artist.

^12.01.12   
Added to the Directory:  Haley Ryan, a make-up specialist based in Newcastle-Under-Lyme.

^12.01.12   
Want to learn how to plan, shoot and edit a short film using the camera on your mobile phone? Hanley’s Uth Centre is offering a free mobile phone film workshop to 15 and 19 year olds. The workshops will be at Soniq Studios and City Uth Centre, Stafford Street, Hanley, on 21st and 28th January and 4th February 2012 (12 noon to 6pm each day). Full information from John Cummings at:  john.cummings@stoke.gov.uk

^12.01.12   
The nearby Buxton Festival Fringe organisers are now inviting entries for this Peak District arts festival, which is set for 4th – 22nd July 2012. Entrants pay £45, which rises from 1st March to £65, and again from 1st April to £80. Full details and an application pack can be found on the Fringe website.

^12.01.12   
The Prince’s Regeneration Trust has released official video coverage of the recent visit of Prince Charles to Middleport Pottery, in Stoke-on-Trent…

^12.01.12   
The Big Lottery has announced it will extend the Reaching Communities buildings fund, which helps fund projects that improve or replace existing buildings where a wide range of community activities take place. The Fund will now run for an additional two years to March 2015. It only supports buildings or sites in the most deprived “Lower Super Output Areas” (LSOAs) in England — which are small local areas with concentrations of poverty and health problems, of which Stoke-on-Trent appears to have about 50.

^06.01.12   
‘Apprenticeships for Growth’ is a morning event to support small businesses in Stoke and Staffordshire interested in recruiting apprentices. The date is 8th March 2012, and the venue will be the Staffordshire County Showground. Full details from the Economic Development Officer of Stafford Borough Council, Mary Timmis, at: mtimmis@staffordbc.gov.uk

^06.01.12   
21st century learners: investing in skills for their future is a forthcoming education conference on 7th March 2012 in Stoke-on-Trent. Cost is £95. One of the four key themes is the “Creative Curriculum”, and Partners in Creative Learning (aka Creative Partnerships, now PiCL) will be giving a talk on its work in Stoke and Staffordshire. The organisers say: “places are limited, so book now”. See the Web page for full details.

^06.01.12   
North Staffs Minerals is the name of an addon pack being actively developed for the RailWorks Train Simulator 2012 3D train simulator videogame. The pack will feature an authentic 3D interactive recreation of the old industrial train lines in Stoke-on-Trent…

“The hub of the route is Stoke-on-Trent, headquarters of the Stoke Division of the London Midland Region, within Stoke are Stoke Yard, Cockshute Yard and Cockshute Holding Sidings, all local freight traffic originates from the two yards and serves the Collieries located along the former Biddulph Valley line and the North Staffs Colwich to Macclesfield Line.”

^06.01.12   
Job:  The University of Derby is seeking a Lecturer / Senior Lecturer in Popular Music.

^06.01.12   
Job:   The Co-op Academy At Brownhills, Stoke-on-Trent, require a Teacher of Drama KS3 and KS4 for a one year maternity leave contract. Application deadline: 27th January 2012. See the website for full details.

^06.01.12   
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery has several one day creative courses in early 2012. These include: An Introduction to Video Recording; An Introduction to Video Editing; and An Introduction to Digital Photography.

^06.01.12   
Staffordshire’s first Humanities Conference for school teachers will take place at the Kingston Centre, Stafford, on 14th March 2012. National speakers and leading professionals will talk on shaping the National Curriculum in areas such as History and English Literature. Cost is £178.

^06.01.12   
Staffordshire Creative Health and Wellbeing Network is running a ‘Writing a Case Study’ event on 1st February 2012 (6pm) in the Mitchell Arts Centre in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent…

“a practical, hands on workshop on how to write a case study that effectively communicates your work and its benefits to potential employers. You will need to bring a laptop to write and upload your completed case study to the Praxis website.”

To book a place or ask for more details, contact Sarah-Jane Watkinson at:  sarah-jane@praxisartsandhealth.org.uk

^06.01.12   
The new Foxlowe Arts Centre in Leek town is starting a new Saturday morning youth theatre class, for ages 7 to 16. These drama workshops will be led by Katie White, a graduate of the prestigious Central School of Speech and Drama in London. The workshops will start in late February 2012 and run in six weekly blocks to coincide with school term times. Each block will cost £39 per person.

^06.01.12   
There are places available on the Writing Squad writers’ group for young people in Stafford town. The group is specifically for elective home-educated young writers. Full details from:  joanne@writingwestmidlands.org

^06.01.12   
Stoke-on-Trent indie band All The Young have set a release date for their first album. Welcome Home will be released on 12th March 2012, and will be the first of six albums released as part of their major Warner Brothers contract.

^06.01.12   
The South Cheshire Young Composer competition is also open to entries from North Staffordshire, and the entry deadline is 6th July 2012. Anyone aged up to 19 years old can enter. See the Web page for full details.

^06.01.12   
The FinboFinbo blog has posted a fascinating illustrated article on the Stoke-on-Trent painter John Shelton: “The oil paintings of John Shelton (1923-1993): an ongoing catalogue“.

^06.01.12   
Blood, Sweat and Stone: A History of Mining in the Peak District is a new DVD documentary film. The 120-minute film is by Byron Machin, a local Leek geography teacher. The DVD is available for £10 from Byron’s Seven Stones Publishing.

^06.01.12   
Wolverhampton Art Gallery is offering a workshop exploring the role of place and atmosphere in writing, on 14th January 2012. All levels of experience welcome but you must be over age eighteen and the group will not be working on poetry. Cost is £16. Full details are online here.

^06.01.12   
Applications are now being accepted from crafts makers and artists for stalls at the Lichfield Festival Market on 7th July 2012.

^01.01.12   
Tunstall Public Library in Stoke-on-Trent is offering a short course in the Windows Movie Maker video-editing software. Starts Wednesday 18th January 2012, 5pm – 6.30pm for six weeks.

^01.01.12   
Volunteer post: A Group Facilitator is required for the Stoke-on-Trent Libraries “Get Into Reading” scheme. Shared reading groups meet in libraries and other venues around the city. Stories, poems and extracts from novels are read aloud, and discussed by members of the groups, led by a Shared Reading facilitator. Members find that the weekly sessions are fun, relaxing and enjoyable. This opportunity is currently on offer with a closing date for applications of 31 January 2012. Training takes place on the first three Wednesdays in March 2012. For more information on becoming a Group Facilitator please contact Anne Mackey at:  anne.mackey@stoke.gov.uk

^01.01.12   
A new local blog has been started, to collect together just the good news from Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire.

^01.01.12   
Added to the Directory: Jennifer Collier creates unique one-off pieces with recycled vintage papers.

^01.01.12   
Stoke Stone & Stafford Social Media Surgery has a meeting on 9th January 2012 (7pm – 9pm), at The Sun Inn pub in the town of Stafford.

^01.01.12   
Staffordshire County Council’s ‘Making Moves’ craft development initiative is offering a two month residency in Solihull (south Birmingham). This will run between 6th February and 30th March 2012, and will work with local elderly residents. Deadline for applications: 6th January 2012. Full information from Aimee Green, Solihull Arts Development Officer, at:  agreen@solihull.gov.uk

^01.01.12   
Woodfest is a festival of countryside crafts, set to happen as a fringe part of the major 2012 Staffordshire County Show (6th – 7th June 2011). Woodfest will include: Charcoal Making and Chain Saw Carving; Oak Swill Basket Making with one of only two professional oak swill basket makers in the Country; Country Crafts workshops; and Clog Making with Jeremy Atkinson, Britain’s last remaining clog maker, and more.

^01.01.12   
Interested in playing folk music for dancing? Stafford Folk Players now have a variety of workshop dates set for 2012, including their big 2012 Music Day on Sunday 13th May 2012. Details of ticket costs at the website. The website says…

“All of our tutors are very well qualified to both teach and perform at a very high standard. They are well-known and highly respected on the National Folk Circuit, and abroad. Many are teachers of music, or lecturers at colleges of music. The caller is also of national repute and is also a musician.”

^01.01.12   
Nearby Stockport Arts has issued its call for participants in its Artists 2012 Open (12th May – 24th June 2012). Deadline: 20th April 2012.

^01.01.12   
Redstone Willows has announced its 2012 programme of willow-weaving workshops. The workshops are held at Alsager, and are booking now.

Willow sculpture made at Redstone Willows.

^01.01.12   
The Textile Study Group is holding its residential summer school in nearby Shropshire in July 2012.

^01.01.12   
The nearby Shrewsbury International Cartoon Festival is set to happen in April 2012, and will have a range of workshops and masterclasses on offer. The full programme will be listed online in early 2012.

^01.01.12   
The Peak District Artisans‘ Young Artist of the Year competition 2012 is now open, to those aged 16-19 who are resident… “in and around the Peak District”. Young artists are invited to submit work on any subject matter and in any creative discipline, both 2D and 3D. The PDA are especially seeking work that… “demonstrates a unique insight and creative vision as well as skill with materials”. There is a £200 cash prize, and the opportunity to take part in the annual PDA exhibition. Deadline for entries: 8th June 2012. Full details can be found here.

^01.01.12   
The UK Heritage Lottery Fund has recently agreed an increased budget for new awards in 2012-13 of £375m, an increase of £120m on the previous year. They currently expect the increase funds to filter into programmes with community arts potential, such as: the Parks for People budget (£24m across the UK); the Townscape Heritage Initiative budget (£14m, with an additional application round in 2012 for decision in March 2013); and the Young Roots programme (provides grants of between £3,000 and £25,000 for heritage projects which engage 13-25 year olds).

^01.01.12   
The Prince’s Foundation for Children and the Arts has a ‘Start’ scheme, for children to begin to develop a lasting relationship with a specific arts venue and art form. ‘Start’ is now actively seeking passionate and committed partner organisations to work with it to develop and deliver ‘Start’ for pupils from primary and secondary schools in their local area. It is looking to recruit six to ten new partners for the 2012/13 academic year. Application guidelines are online here (PDF link). Application deadline: 1st February 2012.

^01.01.12   
The UK’s Nominet Trust is currently inviting applications for funded projects working with older people (65+) to design new and better ways for older people to access and use the Internet. Deadline: 1st February 2012.

^30.12.11   
Added to the Directory:  Despite the demise of local architects Hulme Upright, their former employees are still here. Two of these have started a new architectural practice in North Staffordshire. Hewitt & Carr Architects is based in Cheadle and run by Mark Carr, Natalie Hewitt, and John Sambrook (who designed the local New Victoria Theatre).

^30.12.11   
Keele University in North Staffordshire currently has several studentships on offer. The PhD Studentships in the Humanities (ref: RIHUMS 2012/13) include English and Creative Writing, Cultural Studies and Literature, and Music and Music Technology. Keele also has funding for an M.A. Studentship in Creative Writing (ref: RIHUMS MA 2012/13), and an AHRC Masters in Music, MRes (ref: RIHUMS MRes 2012/13). Application deadlines are in February 2011.

^30.12.11   
Staffordshire Library Service is running a £1,000 Poetry Competition. The deadline is 28th February 2012. Entrants can be of any age, and are asked to submit a poem of no more than 40 lines — along with a cheque for an entry fee of £4. Local, national and international writers are all welcome to submit a poem. Entries should be printed and posted to: Stafford Poetry Competition, Shire Hall Library, Market Street, Stafford.

^30.12.11   
Job:  The children’s charity Spurgeons is looking for a group of experienced community artists on a Big Society project to help families affected by prison sentences. This arts project must be completed by 30th March 2012. Spurgeons will work with serving prisoners, and where possible their families, during prison visits and family days to develop “positive parenting artwork” that can be used as imagery across visitor centres within prisons in London and at HMP/YOI Drake Hall in Staffordshire. Application deadline: 18th January 2012. Full details from Jo Davis at:  jdavis@spurgeons.org

^30.12.11   
Job:  Artists or workshop leaders are required for an arts day for disabled children their families and friends, in Wolverhampton on Friday 17th February 2012. Application deadline: 4th January 2012. You’ll run drop-in workshops, and funding is likely to cover two or three workshops or artists. Workshop leaders should have experience in working with disabled children. Please email an expression of interest in the first instance, with a brief description of your suggested workshop and how it could work in this setting, plus your fee. Please attach a current C.V. and website link. Max. budget: £300 including materials and travel. More details from: Christine McGowan at:  admin@newhamptonarts.co.uk

^30.12.11   
The UK Society for Storytelling’s Annual Gathering is happening in nearby Chester in 2012. The dates are 30th March – 1st April 2012, and the keynote speaker will be the novelist Alan Garner.

^30.12.11   
Bill Cash, the M.P. for Stone, has published a new book, John Bright: Statesman, Orator, Agitator, on the Victorian statesman and free-trade advocate John Bright. This major new biography is the result of fifteeen years of research. Bright was an M.P. for Stockport, and then for Birmingham for thirty years, and his ideas led directly to the Tories giving the vote to the working classes. Bright’s name lives on locally in the name of John Bright Street in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

^30.12.11   
Local author Mel Sherratt has a new novel available, Taunting The Dead. The book tells a gritty and atmospheric crime story set in Stoke-on-Trent.

^30.12.11   
‘Shooting for Success’ is a forthcoming one-day training course, to be delivered by Helga Henry of Fierce Earth, and is part of the Stoke Your Fires film festival programme. The date is 22nd February 2012, and the venue is The Mitchell Arts Centre in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent…

“Your route to growing your business is by developing great relationships with current and potential clients. Winning more work from your existing clients while gaining new clients – and keeping all of them happy – is the way to make your future secure and helping your business grow. And if you want to deliver bigger projects and more ambitious work – one great way is to work for the public sector on large scale projects. But how do you get started? And how do you maximise your chances of winning work when tendering to the public sector?”

The event is free, with an application deadline of 31st January 2012. To obtain an application form please email:  dean@fierceearth.com

^20.12.11   
The forthcoming museum in the old Spode factory in Stoke town is seeking a contractor who can fundraise and deliver a programme of exhibitions. The name of the museum will be The Spode China Hall, and it is hoped it will bring 80,000 visitors to Stoke town per year. Stoke-on-Trent City Council is now seeking a suitably qualified contractor…

“to develop a programme of exhibitions, a business and operations plan, investigate funding opportunities and make a funding application.”

Application deadline: 9th January 2012. Maximum Budget: £4,700 excluding VAT.

^20.12.11   
The Creative Communities Unit at Staffordshire University is set to host a one-day conference on participatory video in Stoke-on-Trent, on 10th January 2012…

“This conference will be of interest to people working with communities and anyone concerned with issues of engagement and representation. Keynote speakers include Chris High (Lecturer in Communications at the Open University), Su Braden (Author of Video for Development), and Ray Johnson (Emeritus Professor of Film and Documentary at Staffordshire University). Speakers will outline issues in the use of participatory video, and set some questions for the participants to consider during the day.”

^20.12.11   
In the nearby Peak District, freelance community artists are being sought by the High Peak Community Arts organisation. They are specifically seeking new project ideas for Project Earth, an environmental arts and health project for adults experiencing mental distress in the High Peak district of Derbyshire. The organisation works with adults experiencing mental distress. Application deadline: 31st December 2011. For a full brief please email:  alison@highpeakarts.org

^20.12.11   
Georgia Hamilton is planning to put on a steampunk / neo-Victoriana exhibition in Leek in 2012. to showcase some of the fantastic steampunk art and craft creations that are out there. If anyone knows of artists or people interested in this who would like to get involved, please contact her via Facebook or through Leek Art Space.

^20.12.11   
The Marburae Gallery of Macclesfield, Cheshire would like to receive submissions for both 2D and 3D artworks for an exhibition from 26th April through to 1st June 2012 (preliminary dates). Commission of 25% on all works sold. Submission deadline: 1st January 2012. Send eight images of your work (along with the title, dimensions, price inclusive of 25% commission and any specific requirements for hanging, statement) to: marburaegallery@gmail.com

^20.12.11   
Added to the Directory: the Traditional Arts Team. The Team delivers top quality traditional folk music and storytelling to venues across the West Midlands. They are now spearheading a new regional development programme for traditional music and song, fronted by their magazine Folk Monthly.

^20.12.11   
The Midlands folk music radio programme Folkwaves is set to return soon. Formerly broadcast to the Midlands, and one of one of the finest folk shows in the UK, the two hour show was tragically axed by the BBC in early 2011 — apparently because it was deemed “minority radio”. The show is now set to return as a one hour podcast, as is currently seeking advertisers.

^20.12.11   
Cheshire East Council is inviting expression of interest to run the Lyceum Theatre in Crewe.

^15.12.11   
Michelle Holland is set to run four book arts workshops in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, during 2012. No dates as yet, but if you’re interested then please contact Michelle at:  midgesaxon@yahoo.co.uk

^15.12.11   
Added to the Directory:  the Poetry Society Stanza Group meets regularly in The Leopard pub in Burslem. They generally meet on the third Tuesday of the month, but details are posted on their blog. It is not necessary to be a member of The Poetry Society to attend, and admission is free.

^15.12.11   
Added to the Directory:  Staffordshire Creamware, based in Burslem.

^15.12.11   
Added to the Directory:  Photosensor is a new online documentary photography magazine, edited from Stoke-on-Trent.

^15.12.11   
There will be digital photography workshops at the Etruria Industrial Museum in Stoke-on-Trent, on the 5th and 19th February 2012. The special one day photography workshops are intended to help you… “to find out how to make the most of your digital SLR or compact camera”. The times are 10am – 4pm, and prices are from £75. Booking is essential and places are limited. Phone 07958 007004 for more details.

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Added to the Directory:  One Media Group (OMG) is Staffordshire University’s student-managed media station, available via radio, television and online. Currently covering “everything uni-related, including news, events, music and entertainment”.

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Emily & Jen Dance for Deeron is a new novel based around the ancient Abbots Bromley Horn Dance in Staffordshire. The book is said to… “blend folklore, fantasy, dance and music into a magical adventure of good versus evil and enduring friendship”. The author has recently relocated from the South East to the Midlands, and is planning a related… “high quality film that will feature on many media platforms”.

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Added to the Directory:  Polly Shave, a photographer who has recently returned home to Stoke-on-Trent, from a degree at a university in the North East. Polly is set to have a show at the Burslem School of Art in early 2012.

Above: Self portrait, August 2010.

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The President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Angela Brady will be hosting a “Meet the President” evening on 19th January 2012 (5pm to 7.30pm) at The Potters’ Club at Federation House, Stoke-on-Trent (opposite Stoke’s main train station). Full details at the The Potters’ Club website.

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The 3rd UK Tattoo Convention is set to happen in nearby Shropshire on 15th January 2012, at the Telford International Centre. Full details at the website.

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Added to the Directory: Staffordshire Studies, an academic journal on the history of the county, published from Keele University.

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Middleport Pottery — of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent — has a new website. (The Burleigh brand still has its own website).

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British Telecom has announced that the town of Newcastle-under-Lyme will be the next bit of North Staffordshire to get “super-fast” broadband Internet, sometime in 2012. Staffordshire County Council currently has an online consultation survey about fast broadband in the county (survey closes 31st Dec 2011).

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Women in Rural Enterprise (WIRE) has details of its first two meetings of 2012. Meetings are held at the Tollgate Hotel in Stoke-on-Trent.

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Staffordshire’s Lord Stafford Awards 2012 is currently open for entries in the Midlands round. A prize of £5,000 available for the winners. The Awards recognise and encourage the development of collaborative relationships between businesses and universities, highlighting the value and importance of such partnerships. The objective is to generate increased competitiveness, knowledge, support, growth and economic prosperity. Universities across the Midlands can compete in the following four categories: Innovation in Development; Innovation Achieved; Innovation for Environmental Sustainability; and Open Collaboration. The closing date for entries is 28th June 2012. Full details at the website.

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Blog writers may be interested to hear that the UK’s national event for bloggers is happening in the Midlands in 2012. BlogCampUK 2012 will be held on 21st April 2012 in Birmingham.

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Job: Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s City Renewal department wants to engage casual tutors to deliver on a range of adult education courses. Tutors are required with subject expertise in Arts and Crafts; Sugarcraft and Cake Decorating; Ceramics; Photography. Pay is £13.61 per hour, although it’s not clear if this is only for classroom-contact time, or if it also includes class preparation time.

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Birmingham’s Producers’ Lab is running a free workshop for film producers, at the Mitchell Arts Centre, in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

“find out what it takes to become a film producer [...] The two day Producers’ Lab will offer participants the opportunity to learn all about the role of the producer and how to prepare, produce and distribute a short film [...]“

The dates are Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st February 2012 (10am-6pm, each day) and you must be available to attend both days. Application deadline: 20th January 2012. Full details from:  info@stokeyourfires.co.uk

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The 2012 date has been announced for the Staffordshire Festival of Performing Arts — 6th May 2012. This is a festival of dance & drama, set to take place it the Mitchell Arts Centre in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

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AmeCon is the UK’s largest residential convention dedicated to the celebration of Japanese animation (anime) and comics (manga), and in August 2012 it will be held at Keele University in North Staffordshire.

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The Staffordshire Artists Cooperative is looking for new full members or guests to exhibit in Gallery at 12, Eccleshall. Gallery at 12 is the showcase gallery of a group of artists and makers who live or work in West Staffordshire or surrounding areas.

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The annual Voluntary and Community Sector Conference from Stoke-on-Trent is to take place on 24th January 2012, at The Bridge Centre, Stoke-on-Trent. Full details at the website.

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Newcastle-under-Lyme Cultural Grants can offer up to £1,500 in public funding to suitable applicants.

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Job:  Burton-upon-Trent’s Brewhouse Arts Centre needs an experienced Casual Gallery Development Officer. See the website for full details.

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Creative England has just opened the British Film Institute’s Lottery Funding scheme for film-makers “in the English regions”. Note that short animations can now be funded…

* The Development Fund is inviting applications from individual writers, writer/directors and/or producers based in the English regions for the development of all
types of feature films, including animation and documentary. [...] Awards will range from £2,500 to £25,000.

* The £150,000 Film Networks Fund is open to networks and organisations whose work supports and promotes filmmaking activities in the English regions [...] Awards will range from £2,500 to £25,000.

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Job: Kedleston Hall, in Derbyshire is a National Trust site. The custodians are seeking expressions of interest for a major contemporary arts commission in the late summer and autumn of 2012…

“The intention is for an artist, architect or designer with a strong track record, to realise a new way of experiencing this incredible site for a period of four months, August to November 2012.”

The fee (inc. materials) is £60,000. Full details from either : james.lee@nationaltrust.org.uk  or  kate.stoddart@nationaltrust.org.uk

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Down in the south of the West Midlands, The Courtyard at Hereford is seeking women’s subversive crafts that involve flowers. Full details from:  kate@kateowens.com

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Staffordshire’s Lichfield Festival invites applications from Education and Community artists in any art form, to take part in the Festival’s “Aspire L+P programme” which provides summer activities for school groups and ‘taster’ workshops. Full details from:  jennifer.smith@lichfieldfestival.org

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Job:  The Buxton Festival requires a Chief Executive, with effect from July 2012. Deadline: 9th Dec 2011. Full info: recruitment@buxtonfestival.co.uk

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The Co-op have a new Simply Start-up website and guide for those starting a community business…

“A guide for anyone involved in the creation of an enterprise that will be owned by, run by, and supported by the community in which it operates.”

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Down in South Staffordshire, the Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust would like to offer a work experience placement opportunity for an artist or student artist specialising in photography. You’ll offer older adult inpatient and day hospital mental health patients the opportunity to engage in a new productive, meaningful project involving ‘photography with nature’ as the subject matter. The project will run for eight weeks between March and June 2012, depending on the availability of the successful applicant. Application deadline: 20th January 2012. Full details from the Creative Projects Co-ordinator:  Ruth.Harvey-Regan@bcpft.nhs.uk

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Job:  Cheshire East Council is seeking community artists…

“to work with identified community groups and children’s centres across the Borough to create bespoke artwork as part of the sub-regional Cultural Olympiad programme for 2012. The art form is open to interpretation and we are welcoming artist proposals as to which art form they would like to use in order to create a visual, movement based or audible interpretation of the concept.”

Application deadline: 19th December 2011. Full details from:  jocelynmcmillan@cheshireeast.gov.uk

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Added to the Directory:  Pro Poly are a Stoke-based firm providing business design, animations, and more.

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Added to the Directory:  Stoke-based Jason Leon Georgiou can provide basic stop-motion workshops.

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Added to the Directory:  The Stoke-on-Trent arts and experimental music group InDustrascapes.

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The British Glass Biennale is set to happen on South Staffordshire (Wordsley and Stourbridge) in late summer 2012, and the organisers are calling for expressions of interest from Midlands glass artists. All works must be available for sale and must have been made since 31st March 2011. No size restrictions. Deadline for application or entries: 20th February 2012. Full details at the website.

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Job:  Stoke-on-Trent City Council requires a creative agency / consultant / project manager to develop and deliver a series of bespoke training programmes/activities to…

“[encourage] locally-based emergent and established artists/companies build capacity within their practice and creative businesses” [and help] creative industries to consider business models and revenue generation” [and to] “deliver relevant training to creative industries driven by inspirational facilitators and speakers …”

“the successful organisation will be required to work with partners to coordinate provision across the city and help prioritise investments and interventions that delivery across the six identified themes set out in the North Staffordshire Creative Industries Strategy and Development Plan.”

Maximum Budget: £15,000 excluding VAT. Application deadline: 5th January 2012. “Programme to be delivered by March 2012″. Full details from:  john.holmes@stoke.gov.uk

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The privately-funded Foxlowe Arts Centre in the town of Leek opened on Fri 2nd December 2011, with the cafe set to open on this coming Wednesday.

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Added to the Directory:  Matthew Basham, a Stoke-based photographer specialising in street photography, photojournalism, and the urban landscape.

Above: Matthew Basham, from a series made inside the abandoned High Peak College.

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Shell’s LiveWIRE Grand Ideas has four £1,000 awards to give away in December 2011, to the most innovative ideas submitted by new businesses. Entrants (and any business partners) must be aged 16-30, been trading for less than 12 months, and be based in the UK. Deadline: 31st December 2011.

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The Stake gives 16 to 21 year olds the chance to decide how £100,000 is spent and allows you to turn a bright idea into a reality. You can either pitch or back an idea, with the chance of making it a reality. The top 20 ideas with the most ‘stakes’ on Facebook by 23rd December 2011 will be shortlisted and judged by a panel that includes representatives of Barclays Bank.