Creative Stoke now at The Potteries Post

Creative Stoke is now at The Potteries Post, along with Wild Stoke, History of Stoke etc.

Creative Stoke news update, 27th May 2015

Those in search of Creative Stoke’s News Updates can now find them in a new format at Creative Stoke’s moderated Facebook group, a group that now has over 1,800 members.

As a historian I feel it’s sad to depart from the old newsletter format, used for more than ten years, since it provided an accessible historical record of the growth of the city’s creative scene since 2001. Facebook groups are much harder to archive, in that respect. But a Facebook group is just so much easier for your editor to administer.

Creative Stoke news update, 17th November 2014

17.11.14   
The ninth issue of the Factory creative industries magazine for Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire is now available online…

Download the magazine (PDF, 6Mb).

The magazine has a full listing of business events and training, details of Factory opportunities, funding news, feature articles and more.

17.11.14   
Staffordshire University now has a new ‘University Diploma in Professional Selling – For Business’, aimed at employers with staff who need a better grounding in…

* Customer Relationship Management
* Key Account Management
* Effective Business Negotiation
* Leading the Sales Team and Managing the Sales Function

More information from: forbusiness@staffs.ac.uk

17.11.14   
A new M.A. degree for theatre professionals will launch at Staffordshire University in 2015.

17.11.14   
There’s a call for selfie photographs, for a forthcoming Gallery 116 exhibition in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent…

17.11.14   
There is to be an open public meeting about the 2015 Stoke Pride event, which is now ‘under new management’, on 20th November 2014 in Burslem. An excellent set of pictures from the 2014 event can be found here.

17.11.14   
If you live on Hartshill Road, Stoke, and would like to host a ‘Lights on the Hill’ shadow, paper-cut or lantern in your window or front garden this winter, please contact B arts at: info@b-arts.org.uk

17.11.14   
The 2014 Newcastle Lantern Parade is on Saturday 13th December, and the organisers are seeking players of portable instruments and those who can contribute skills to the Lantern Band.

17.11.14   
Fusion Performance Arts are now providing drama classes at The Foxlowe Arts Centre, in Leek. Classes are open to students up to 18 years and take place from 2.30pm-4pm on Saturdays. Free taster sessions are available. Anyone interested in joining please call Justine on 07515 285236 or email: Justine@thevenueattean.co.uk

17.11.14   
A Stoke-on-Trent bid has made it to the finals of this year’s Big Lottery People’s Millions Competition. There will be a one-day public vote toward the end of November 2014, and members of the public can cast their vote from 9am in the morning to 12 midnight. Calls and texts to vote will cost 15p, via a phone number to be revealed on the 24th. The Friends of the Potteries Museums & Art Gallery hope to win £30,000 of Lottery funds for Infusion, which would bring professional artists to work with groups of children and young people to create high quality artworks inspired by the Museum’s world collections. For details see the People’s Millions website.

17.11.14   
Organisations in Staffordshire have until 20th December to apply for the Staffordshire County Council Community Arts Fund.

17.11.14   
Broken Mould Workshops is running a number of sculpture training workshops for adults, at Stafford…

* Plaster Waste Moulds for Sculpture – Saturday 13th December 2014
* Armatures for Sculpture – Saturday 7th February 2015
* Flexible Rubber Moulds for Sculpture – Saturday 14th March 2015

Also in the planning is a proposed BMS Sculpture Summer School 2015.

17.11.14   
The Shire Hall Gallery in Stafford is running three fine art workshops in early 2015. See the new PDF brochure for more details.

17.11.14   
Job: Arts Council England want a Relationship Manager (Combined Arts) at the Birmingham office, covering the Midlands. Deadline: 20th November 2014.

17.11.14   
Want to go ‘walking’ up in the nearby Peak District, but without all the rain and mist? Google Street View has just released the ‘Street View’ for the Peak District walking trails, made by carrying Google’s special 360-degree back-pack cameras along all the trails. This could be useful for photographers and film makers looking for local locations.

17.11.14   
The 2015 British Glass Biennale, held in Wordsley and Stourbridge in South Staffordshire, is now open for entries. Deadline: 30th January 2015.

Creative Stoke news update, 8th October 2014

08.10.14   
There is to be a big ‘Start-up Champions’ event for new and potential business start-ups, on 19th November 2014. The venue will be Vale Park football stadium, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. There are free stands available for exhibitors who can provide services and advice to new businesses. Contact Business Enterprise Support at: kwanc@enterprisesupport.org

08.10.14   
Women in Rural Enterprise are running new training workshops on broadband use for women in Staffordshire. A variety of practical workshops will be available on topics such as: Facebook & Twitter, Pinterest & Instagram, LinkedIn & Google+; gaining confidence and and growing a business online; Social Media for Business Masterclass; getting started with Cloud services; ‘A Website in a Day’; Alerts, Ads, Analytics on Google; a Two Day Course on Video for Business; and a UKTI Exporting Seminar.

08.10.14   
Added to the Directory: Vividflow Studio, photography services based in Stoke-on-Trent.

08.10.14   
Stoke-on-Trent is hosting this year’s Tourism Management Institute Annual conference, on 10th and 11th November 2014.

08.10.14   
Job: A Crafts tutor is wanted in Stoke-on-Trent.

08.10.14   
Free crafts sales stalls are available for creative traders at the Stoke-on-Trent Winter Craft Fair, to be held Saturday 6th December 2014… “in a winter marquee in the city centre. A limited number of stalls are available for independent, creative traders and artisan food and drink sellers. The fair is part of part of Small Business Saturday, a national, grassroots, non-commercial campaign.” Interested? Email business.growth@stoke.gov.uk

08.10.14   
Job: a Senior HTML5 Web developer is wanted, in Stoke-on-Trent.

08.10.14   
Job: A new Press Officer is needed at the Regent Theatre & Victoria Hall in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

08.10.14   
Job: Keele University needs a Deputy Director of Marketing and Student Recruitment.

08.10.14   
Job: MMU’s Department of Contemporary Arts at Crewe want a Professor of Creative Arts Practice. Also a Graduate Trainee, to help make their arts graduates more employable. See their Vacancies pages for details.

08.10.14   
Make Some Noise have mentoring and training opportunities in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme, for young musicians…

08.10.14   
Potclays has its Annual Open Day on Saturday 11th October 2014, in Stoke-on-Trent.

08.10.14   
A new FM radio licence has been awarded for North Staffordshire…

“Hitmix Radio which will provide a community radio service for the town of Newcastle-under-Lyme and the surrounding villages”

08.10.14   
Staffordshire University has a Images of Research Photography Competition for its postgraduates and other researchers.

08.10.14   
Stoke-on-Trent’s B-Arts now has advance details for Hush Hush Cinema #5, a ‘secret cinema’ showing in a mystery building in Stoke-on-Trent.

08.10.14   
The new CD “Burn The Witch / Molly Leigh Of The Mother Town” is a nicely designed bit of Burslem gothic, complete with a photo booklet, from A Year In The Country…

08.10.14   
Your editor’s new 80,000 word book of essays on the author H.P. Lovecraft is now available…

08.10.14   
A new book from Bill Cawley of Leek… Conversations at the Supermarket Till, based on conversations had as a supermarket checkout worker in the town.

08.10.14   
Local crime author Mel Sherratt has a new book out, Secrets of The Estate, a companion to her popular Estate series of books.

08.10.14   
Magnum photographer Mark Power has been commissioned to create new work in Stoke-on-Trent around the theme of “The City of Six Towns”. He will be giving a talk on his work on Wednesday 8th October 2014 (6pm-7.30pm) at the The Science Centre, Staffordshire University. Tickets are £5.

08.10.14   
Congratulations to Ellen Rogers, who has landed a major British Council exhibition in Slovakia. Ellen is based at Oakamoor in the Staffordshire Moorlands. Poster design by her partner, Prime Izm.

Creative Stoke news update, 14th September 2014

14.09.14   
The eighth issue of the Factory creative industries magazine for Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire is now available online…

Download the magazine (PDF, 8Mb).

14.09.14   
Factory Assembly is the city’s major annual conference for the creative industries. A limited number of free tickets available are still available for this Conference taking place in Longton on 25th September 2014. Keynote speakers include Ian Livingstone the UK’s creative industries champion; Wayne Garvie of Sony Entertainment and one of international TV’s leading creative thinkers; plus others speakers and free practical workshops and talks.

14.09.14   
A major appeal has been launched to save the Wedgwood Collection of ceramics for Stoke and Staffordshire.

14.09.14   
Added to the Directory: Fantasy Wire Fairies Sculptures, wire sculptures from Staffordshire.

Picture: Fantasy Wire sculpture at Trentham Gardens.

14.09.14   
There is a major new Sculpture Trail for Stoke-on-Trent, and associated website.

14.09.14   
Added to the Directory: TDV Productions – video production specialising in Google Adwords for Video.

14.09.14   
Added to the Directory: Custard Photography – professional photography Studio in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

14.09.14   
Under One Roof: Social Enterprise project is set for a launch event, at Keele on 14th October 2014. This looks like it will be of interest to anyone thinking strategically about social enterprises in Stoke and Staffordshire.

14.09.14   
Staffordshire University has launched two new Distance Learning Courses in Design Management.

14.09.14   
Live Age Festival: a celebration of creativity in later life, on Wednesday 1st & Thursday 2nd October 2014, at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery and the Mitchell Arts Centre, Stoke-on-Trent. Full programme is now available.

14.09.14   
Stoke-on-Trent arts organisation B Arts needs a new Chair of the Board. Deadline: 26th September 2014.

14.09.14   
The Kings’ Shilling theatre play is still looking for male participants between the ages of 30 – 60 plus. The play is an ensemble piece to represent the moods of 1914. Rehearsals start on the 30th September and the performances are 30th & 31st October at the Potteries Museum. If you would like to be apart of it please contact Laura at: stokecreativelearning@theambassadors.com

14.09.14   
A trainee artist is required to help deliver a participatory arts residency in two care settings in North Staffordshire. Ideally a graduate in photography or film. Full-time, 13th October – 5th December 2014, plus 20 additional days to be agreed in 2015 (37 hours per week). £1,440. Deadline for applications: 5pm on Monday 15th September 2014. For further information please contact: s.c.miller@staffs.ac.uk

14.09.14   
A Midlands based theatre company is needed to deliver a new £6,000 “Safer Wolverhampton” commission, to be developed for a year 10 school audience. With City of Wolverhampton College, West Midlands Police and the Safer Wolverhampton Partnership. Anticipated delivery February 2015 in a central venue. For more details please contact: admin@dialoguemedia.co.uk

14.09.14   
There is to be a conference for student and independent videogame developers, 22nd October 2014, at Staffordshire University’s Stafford campus. Free…

“The conference will give students, alumni and indie developers insight and knowledge to help prepare and inspire you for life after university and will also give you a chance to meet some industry leaders.”

14.09.14   
The Potteries Hackspace has a super new website.

14.09.14   
The dedicated photography gallery in Stoke town, Gallery 116, is calling for selling pictures to show in their galleries.

Also note that a new bespoke line of frames is now available at Gallery 116…

14.09.14   
There will be a handmade Gift Exhibition at the Borough Museum and Art Gallery, Newcastle-under-Lyme, 29th November 2014 to 11th January 2015. 30% commission, plus VAT on all sales made. All work will be on a sale or return basis. Application deadline: 30th September 2014. To apply please contact: beverley.jennings@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk

14.09.14   
There will be sculpture-making weekends in Staffordshire, for adults, in October and November 2014.

14.09.14   
The Sentinel newspaper and the Staffordshire Community Foundation are inviting local volunteer-run organisations to apply for grants of between £500 to £3,000. Deadline 30th September 2014.

14.09.14   
The £20m extension of the Intu Potteries Shopping Centre, Stoke-on-Trent, is now finally underway. Intu would like to add some public art. The budget for this is around £50,000. Deadline: 30th September 2014. Contact: Paul Bailey, Culture and Events Manager, Stoke-on-Trent City Council at: paul.bailey@stoke.gov.uk

14.09.14   
The ERDF-funded “Eureka moment” innovation fund is now open to innovative small businesses in Staffordshire…

“Receive free consultancy support and have an in-depth review of your business where new opportunities will be identified to help with growth. Small grants between £2,000 to £10,000 may be available to assist with implementing actions from your review … [eligible] Businesses must provide at least 70% of their goods and services to other businesses.”

14.09.14   
The Clore Duffield Foundation is now open to applications as part of its £1 million programme to fund poetry and literature initiatives for children and young people across the UK. Through the programme, schools, F.E. colleges, community groups, libraries and other local arts/cultural organisations can apply for grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 to support participatory learning projects and programmes focused on literature, poetry and creative writing for under 19s. Deadline: 6th March 2015.

14.09.14   
Youth Music, England’s largest children’s music charity, which provides funding for music-making projects, has several new grants schemes available. Charities, not for profit organisations and schools can apply. Schools must show how the activities to be funded do not duplicate Department of Education funding.

14.09.14   
Write a Staffordshire story, win £100, and see it printed in a major county newspaper.

Creative Stoke news update, 30th June 2014

30.06.14   
The seventh issue of the Factory creative industries magazine for Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire is now available online…

Download the magazine (PDF, 8Mb).

20.06.14   
Note that new opportunities are currently going onto the Creative Stoke Facebook group. Creative Stoke News Updates will resume on the website’s What’s New page (and by RSS) in September 2014.

Creative Stoke news update, 28th April 2014

28.04.14   
The sixth issue of the Factory creative industries magazine for Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire is now available online…

Download the magazine (PDF, 8Mb).

28.04.14   
There is a Factory creative industries networking event at the Burslem School of Art, Stoke-on-Trent, on Thursday 8th May 2014 (6.30pm to 8.30pm). There will be a talk from Helen Palmer, Director of Palmer Squared of Stockport. Helen is also the Joint Head of Marketing & Development for the British Ceramics Biennial in Stoke-on-Trent, and she will be talking about… “what branding really means, why it’s important and how branding can make a real difference to your business”. Scott Grindey, from Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Competitive Intelligence Team, will also be explaining the full range of market research and other free business research services available to all local businesses. If you would like to attend this free event then please email   factory@stoke.gov.uk   to book your place.

28.04.14   
Interest-free business loans are now available from Creative England… “for small to medium-sized companies outside of London looking to develop new products”.

28.04.14   
Keele University’s SPEED Plus business startup programme is now open for applications. SPEED Plus is for those with a untested business idea or “a hobby that could turn into a business”, but who need help and support to get it going. The training takes the form of a six month, part-time business startup project, which is only open to university graduates in the West Midlands region. The deadline date for applications is 2nd June 2014. Successful applicants will start with a short induction in mid June 2014, for a start on 8th October 2014 and completion on 31st March 2015. See the website for full details.

28.04.14   
Small £300 grants are available for local projects intended to help the over-50s in Stoke-on-Trent.

28.04.14   
Craft Courses UK is currently listing a variety of short professional pottery courses in Staffordshire for 2014. These include: Basic Throwing with Duncan Hooson; Electric Kilns, Operation, Control and Maintenance; Glaze Application with Kevin Millward; Mouldmaking and Slipcasting; Glazing and Firing; Tile Making with Richard Miller of Froyle Tiles; Tiled Murals with Penny Hampson; and Plaster Model and Mouldmaking for Slip Cast Ceramics, among others.

28.04.14   
Stoke-on-Trent’s Appetite is now taking bookings for two workshops in June for visual artists and curators, both at the AirSpace gallery in Stoke-on-Trent. Cost is £10 per person.

Dodge the shredder is on 6th June 2014 (10am-4pm) and is…

“a full day workshop empowering artists and individuals to fund-raise effectively and create a financial strategy for their projects.”

Appetite’s second workshop is Crowdfunding on 19th June 2014 (11am-4.30pm). The workshop will be led by WeDidThis founder and producer Henrietta Norton, and is…

“designed to explore and discuss an alternative approach to fund-raising for creative individuals and organizations. It is applicable to artists working across a variety of mediums. … includes activities that help participants explore the process of marketing creative work, building relationships and networks and practically identifying the challenges faced by creative individuals and organisations.”

28.04.14   
The fifth UK Craft Awareness event will be staged for creative interior decorators at Stoke-on-Trent College. The dates are from Friday May 2nd to Sunday May 4th 2014, and the event is run in association with the Association of Painting Craft Teachers (APCT). It is said to be…

“the only event of its kind in the UK. The event is open to anybody with an interest in graining and marbling and will include demonstrations on how to achieve the technique and workshops from industry professionals.”

28.04.14   
There is a new Lottery funded Heritage Enterprise Programme which sounds perfect for Stoke-on-Trent. It…

“supports enterprising community organisations across the UK to rescue neglected historic buildings and sites and unlock their economic potential. You can apply for a grant from £100,000 to £5 million.”

28.04.14   
Work:  Stoke-on-Trent City Council invites tenders from design agencies for a new graphic design framework. The Council plans to… “appoint up to five consultancies to a four-year graphic design framework worth around £200,000”. Application deadline: 7th May 2014.

28.04.14   
Stoke-on-Trent’s Appetite is seeking volunteers to support their community arts programme in the city during 2014. There will be induction days on 14th and 17th of May in Newcastle-under-Lyme, aimed at giving applicants a better idea of the various roles available. Interested? See this Web page for full details and an application form.

28.04.14   
The North West Women’s Enterprise Day 2014 is to be held in nearby Crewe on 21st November 2014. The event is booking now, with only 250 tickets available.

28.04.14   
The website for the first Stoke-on-Trent Literary Festival, ‘Hot Air’, is now live with a full programme and taking bookings for June 2014.

28.04.14   
Expressions of interest are invited from writers, performers and directors interested in collaborating on a new fringe theatre / storytelling project, “Stories from Pub Corners”. This is destined for a tour of Stoke-on-Trent pubs during Summer 2014. Application details (PDF).

28.04.14   
Audition applications are now available to appear as a performer in For the King’s Shilling at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery…

“A cast of young performers will come together in November 2014 in a free commemoration of those we should never forget. A moving, funny, yet thought provoking evocation of the tragedy and pathos of the First World War; and a fitting memorial to the fallen in the most ferocious conflicts in history.”

Auditions will take place in July 2014 to bring together the ensemble cast. Interested? Email Creative Learning at:  stokecreativelearning@theambassadors.com

28.04.14   
Free TV acting workshops in Manchester/Birmingham…

“The Workshop has been the recipient of a Special Bafta in recognition of its contribution to the film and television industry, and also the BFI Children’s Award and the RTS Midland Award. This opportunity closes on Friday 2nd May 2014 at 5pm.”

28.04.14   
The short film Seclusion, made in Newcastle-under-Lyme, has reportedly been selected for the Cannes Film Festival. There’s now a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to send the film-maker to Cannes along with his film.

28.04.14   
There’s a new crowdfunding campaign for the Bang arts exhibition at the Spode factory in Stoke town.

28.04.14   
Gallery 116’s Summer Open photography competition and exhibition is now open for entries.

28.04.14   
AirSpace Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent has an open curatorial opportunity. Project fee: £3,000, inclusive. Deadline: 6th July 2014. There is also a graduate residency for students graduating from B.A. and M.A. Fine Art courses, for which the deadline is 13th June 2014. See their website for full details.

28.04.14   
Hidden Earth 2014 is the UK’s national caving conference, to be held in Leek in September 2014. For their art and film shows they are inviting submissions of cave related creative work in photography, video, art, and cartooning. See the website for full details.

28.04.14   
Staffordshire County Council’s Community Arts Development Programme is inviting applications up to £2,500 for project grants… “which encourage long-term arts engagement and which support community cohesion and development”. Application deadline: 30th April 2014.

28.04.14   
The Shire Hall Gallery, in Stafford town centre, is inviting submissions from artists in all media who create landscapes, urban landscapes, seascapes & imaginary ‘scapes. Deadline: 30th April 2014. Interested? Send six .jpg images, C.V. and artist’s statement by email to:  kim.gould©staffordshire.gov.uk

28.04.14   
Work:  There’s an AirSpace artist residency in Stoke-on-Trent, to…

“explore ideas of collaboration, partnership working and the possibilities for the cultural regeneration of [the wasteland between AirSpace and the nearby Tesco]”.

The fee is £500. Application deadline: 8th June 2014.

28.04.14   
Job: UCB in Stoke-on-Trent require a Head of Digital and Broadcast Fundraising. Deadline: 28th April 2014.

28.04.14   
Work: Ornament needs a Curator. Ornament is… “a new exhibition of high-end collectible craft from eminent designer-makers” which is set to be launched at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair 2014 (9th-12th October 2014). The selected curator will work with other “curators and craft professionals from North West venues & collections” to find artists and makers in and around the North West of England. £4,450 for approx. 45 days of work. Interested? Submit a C.V. and a statement (max. 600 words) outlining your suitability for the Curator role by email to: angelagreatnorthernevents.co.uk

28.04.14   
The UK government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has announced a new £500,000 Science and Society Community Challenge Grant Scheme to support to create and run pilot projects that… “take science to diverse audiences”. There are three levels of project funding: up to £10,000, up to £20,000 and up to £40,000, depending on the size and difficulty of the project. There would appear to be an obvious role here for sci-art crossovers in engaging communities with scientific ideas and methods, and North Staffordshire has major science expertise in the likes of Keele University / the new Science Centre at Staffordshire University / and in major private industry R&D centres such as Lucideon (formerly Ceram). See the website for full details of the new grants.

28.04.14   
The Decorative Arts Society (DAS) has established a small Collections Access Grant which aims to support curators in extending access to, and knowledge of, the decorative arts in their collections. For the first year of grant-giving, the DAS has earmarked the sum of £2,000 for the grant. Application deadline: 30th September 2014. See the Web page for full details.

28.04.14   
Job:  A rare funded/paid PhD opportunity at Manchester School of Art, in partnership with Stoke-on-Trent’s British Ceramics Biennial: “At the Edge: the designer-maker and industrial innovation“. Deadline: 30th April 2014.

28.04.14   
Jobs:  A number of Lecturer jobs are currently available at Chester University, in Drama and Theatre Studies, Popular Music, and Photography.

28.04.14   
Job: Stoke-on-Trent’s Appetite requires an Ambassador Coordinator to manage Audience Development to encourage more people to experience the arts in Stoke-on-Trent. Application deadline: 21st May 2014. See the Web page for full details.

28.04.14   
Creative Health and Wolverhampton Art Gallery require a community or participatory artist, with experience of working on projects relating to conflict and war situations, to present their work at a special event. ‘Art and Conflict’ will take place 19th June 2014 (12.30pm – 2pm). The successful artist would be required to give a presentation of their work to an audience of 45, lasting around 30 minutes. Fee and travel expenses are available. Application deadline: 28th May 2014. Interested? Please email an outline of your suitability, along with your C.V. and links to examples of appropriate work, to:  kategant@creativehealthcic.co.uk

28.04.14   
The main downstairs gallery at The Light House, Wolverhampton, is now available for hire for wall-mounted artworks or photography. £500 for two weeks, inclusive of installing and removal. “Longer periods may be negotiated”.

28.04.14   
The Marburae Gallery, in nearby Macclesfield, is inviting submissions from photographers for a photography exhibition in February & March 2015. Deadline: 14th May 2014. “There will be no submission or hanging fees, and only a commission of 25% on all works sold.” Interested? Send 10 images of your work to marburaegallery@gmail.com along with the title, dimensions, and price inclusive of 25% commission.

28.04.14   
Submissions are now being accepted for the 2014 Shropshire Open to be held in Shrewsbury from 13th October to 17th November 2014. This exhibition is “open to all artists” and it appears you don’t have to live in Shropshire to enter. An entry fee applies. Deadline: Friday 19th September 2014. Details and entry form.

28.04.14   
Interested in sound design? There’s a Staffordshire University showcase day in Stafford on 6th May 2014, demonstrating the work of the second and third-year Sound Design undergraduates.

28.04.14   
Little Miss Creative is a new network… “uniting and empowering young creative women in West Midlands”.

28.04.14   
Bookings are now open for the Buxton Festival and Fringe. Various traditional well-dressing festivals are going on at the same time in nearby villages.

28.04.14   
Job: the Buxton Opera House needs a new CEO.

28.04.14   
Added to the Directory: stokegigs.co.uk offers a comprehensive local gig listings service.

28.04.14   
Added to the Directory: Colourwalls is a new wall mural painting service.

28.04.14   
Added to the Directory: a new website from Stoke-on-Trent artist Marcus Wemyss.

Creative Stoke news update, 18th March 2014

18.03.14   
Congratulations to bITjAM and the YMCA for their successful launch of the new bITjAM Innovation Qube (IQ) in Stoke-on-Trent. Carl and Ben (bITjAM) are seen below in front of the output screen for the Oculus Rift, the immersive 3D headset that’s shaking up the videogaming world. The Rift is available for use on the Qube’s modern two-floor site, along with lots of other fab digital kit. The Qube also offers access to creative talent and teaching/learning opportunities, in a friendly setting that is refreshing different from the usual educational environment. The Qube is located at the rear of the North Staffs YMCA activity centre in Stoke-on-Trent. See the Qube website for full details and forthcoming events.

18.03.14   
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has re-launched its North Staffordshire branch. They have an “Exporting & International Trade Made Easier” evening on 1st April 2014.

18.03.14   
Jobs: bet365, one of Stoke-on-Trent’s largest employers, has vacancies for: a Social Media Editor and a Social Media Editor (night shift) within the Social Media team at the Stoke HQ (bettings/sports knowledge essential); also a Web Developer and a Mobile Web Developer.

18.03.14   
The planned full-length feature film version of the short film The Last Train to Budapest now has a new IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign, aiming to raise £40k for development of the movie. Creative Stoke’s interview with The Last Train to Budapest writer and director Richard Pekar is here.

18.03.14   
James Ray has a new video about Totally Local Burslem, which features the many creative and arts businesses in the town of Burslem in Stoke-on-Trent.

18.03.14   
Live In The City is a new monthly 30-minute music TV show, made for the new online community TV station called North Staffs TV. The first free edition is available online now. The show features talented local acts, and the brilliant music venues in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent. Also the winner of NME Best Midlands Small Venue Award, The Sugarmill in Stoke-on-Trent, plus The Glebe venue, and live performances from The Motives, Shae and Liam Lavell.

18.03.14   
Staffordshire University’s Drama Department, in association with Stoke’s Regent Theatre, is set to run two adult Summer School short courses in theatre, 13th-15th August 2014. Successful applicants can choose from classes in either ‘Directing for the stage’ or ‘Performing Shakespeare’.

18.03.14   
A music event within the Staffordshire Festival is seeking choirs, singing groups or soloist singers to take part in the event and showcase their musical talent to a live audience. Interested? Please email: stafforshirefestival@gmail.com or visiting the event page at Staffordshire Festival Singers.

18.03.14   
Unpaid volunteer work: The Alzheimer’s Society is looking for a ‘Singing for the Brain’ volunteer in North Staffordshire. You’ll… “support the running of singing groups that provide social interaction and support people affected by dementia” on Monday afternoons, starting 19th May 2014. Email: volsshropsstaffs@alzheimers.org.uk

18.03.14   
Unpaid volunteer work: The Stoke-on-Trent based curator of the open access academic search tool JURN is seeking a recent graduate, or a former industry professional. During May and June 2014 you will develop and drive a short publicity campaign to promote awareness of JURN. The aim of the campaign will be to reach scholars, researchers and activists around the world, many of whom operate outside of academia. During May 2014 you will map the key channels and niches suitable for the promotion of JURN, briefly noting the best way to reach each of these. At the end of May you will craft a small repertoire of tailored campaign communications, and plan an agreed timetable of actions. Your awareness campaign will then roll out from 5th to 12th June 2014. Interested? Please first visit and use JURN yourself: the classic dozy search of what is history carr is a fun first test, and the semantic accuracy of its results compare very well with other academic search services such as Mendeley, Summon, and Google Scholar. Then please apply via posting a short comment anywhere on the JURN blog.

18.03.14   
Job: An Editorial Assistant is wanted by the PR team at Staffordshire University (Stoke campus).

18.03.14   
Job: Clough Hall school in Kidsgrove needs an Art Teacher for the September 2014 term. They may split the job into a part-time art / and a part-time photography teacher.

18.03.14   
Stoke-on-Trent photography gallery Gallery 116 is set to start a Young Photographer’s Club.

18.03.14   
Congratulations to Re:Source Me on the news of their successful funding bid to Arts Council England. Their funded project is titled “Pop Up Music Academy” and this…

“will be free to young bands, vocalists and DJs who want to record tracks, promos and mixes to a pro standard in a ‘Pop Up’ recording studio set in iconic spaces in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. The studio will be fully equipped with high quality, industry-standard gear. Professional sound engineers will be on hand to offer support and guidance to produce a high quality recording.”

Bookmark their website and check back for more details soon.

18.03.14   
Congratulations to Meir-based Dan Weatherer, whose recent film was awarded ‘Best UK Short Film’ at the Stoke Your Fires film festival 2014. Dan wrote and co-produced The Legend of the Chained Oak. The film adds to the growing list of successful shorts, features and series based on local North Staffordshire legends and folklore. Watch for an interview with Dan in the next Factory magazine.

18.03.14   
Added to the Directory: Domesday Morris, a folk-dance morris dancing group based in Penkhull, Stoke-on-Trent.

18.03.14   
Added to the Directory: CineRobota a local Stoke-on-Trent video production company.

18.03.14   
North Staffordshire’s Trentham Gardens is running a series of one-day garden design workshops during spring and summer 2014. Work with award-winning garden designer Clive Mollart, to learn how to make the most of your garden design or apply design to… “that problem area that has always been a challenge”.

18.03.14   
A date for your diaries: the first Stoke-on-Trent Literary Festival: Hot Air is set for 20th-22nd June 2014. The full programme is due to be announced before the end of March.

18.03.14   
The Stafford Arts Festival is set for 6th September 2014, and the organisers are now seeking a wide range of artists, writers, and performers to take part. The festival takes place in various venues and locations around the town centre, both indoor and outdoor, with the main performance area being in the central Market Square. Application deadline: 14th April 2014.

18.03.14   
Destination Staffordshire has 300 free training places available on an EU-funded “destination and customer service training programme”, for those working in tourism and visitor attractions.

18.03.14   
A major new book has just been published, The Natural History of Keele University. The work is the result of many years of research work and writing by Keele’s own natural historian, Dave Emley.

18.03.14   
James Peake, a radio production student at Stoke-on-Trent college, has a range of audio interviews and podcasts on Soundcloud. Including and interview with Cath Ralph, the outgoing CEO of the Burslem School of Art.

18.03.14   
The Royal Television Society (RTS) undergraduate bursary scheme is now open for application, until 31st May 2014. The scheme offers 20 bursaries of £3,000 (£1,000 per year) to students who are studying television production and broadcast journalism at accredited British universities. In addition recipients will receive free membership of both the RTS and The Hospital Club, a creative arts venue and members’ club in the heart of London.

18.03.14   
Four West Midlands disabled visual artists are to be offered four hours of free mentoring. Sessions can cover topics such as career development, portfolio development, the artist’s statement, networks and websites, and general information. Application deadline: 24th March 2014.

18.03.14   
Paid work: The Big Dance West Midlands hub wants to appoint a West Midlands based choreographer for The Sightseers, a series of six unique outdoor performances to take place around the West Midlands during the Big Dance Weekend on 12th-13th July 2014. Inclusive fee: £4,000. Application deadline: 24th March 2014.

18.03.14   
Paid work: A casting call from a Stafford agency, for TV shows including Peaky Blinders — a major TV drama show which is now doing some limited filming in Dudley, whereas they usually film in Leeds.

18.03.14   
Job: The Midlands office of Arts Council England needs an Artistic Assessment Assistant to help co-ordinate a programme of assessments. Application deadline: 23rd March 2014.

18.03.14   
The nearby Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery is offering an opportunity for a disabled artist-filmmaker to undertake a commission from April 2014 onwards, to be completed by early February 2015. Application deadline: 31st March 2014. See the Web page for full details.

18.03.14   
The nearby University of Wolverhampton has new short courses in Fused Glass Jewellery Making, Silver Jewellery Making, and Concept Art for Videogames, starting in April 2014.

18.03.14   
The nearby University of Wolverhampton has a 2014 International Fashion Summer School on “The Mark of Style: Glamour Fashion” in June 2014. There will be a full 12-day lecture programme, and… “practical workshops will look at the detail of luxury fashion, presenting an atelier approach to textile design and garment construction.”

18.03.14   
The theatrical East Park Extravaganza, in nearby Wolverhampton, needs four age 20s/30s “very versatile actors” for an all-day celebration around the theme of 1896, which was the park’s opening year…

“Cast must be able to deliver outdoor theatre, to ride a push-bike with confidence, have strong comedy skills and reasonable singing voices. The audiences will range from toddlers to adults. There are two short, scripted plays and some improvisation. The rate is £420 per week, for two weeks (i.e. £840) which covers both rehearsals and performance. Unfortunately, funding for travel and subsistence is not available, so West Midlands based performers are preferred.”

Auditions are to take place at Newhampton Arts Centre (NAC) in Wolverhampton, on 25th March 2014 (10am). Interested? Please send details to the director Jonathan (Jon) Collings at: collings@blueyonder.co.uk

18.03.14   
Local science fiction, fantasy and horror writers may be interested in Edge-Lit 3, to be held at the QUAD in Derby on 19th July 2014. Edge-Lit is… “a day of science-fiction, fantasy and horror writing”, and is set to have guest author Charles Stross in attendance. Tickets are £25.

18.03.14   
Paid work: Derby Silk Mill is seeking a creative partner to co-develop, design and deliver a textured installation in the entrance of their new ground floor space. They are also seeking a creative partner to use… “hundreds of Derby Porcelain figure moulds from the museum collection” to create a ceramics based wall display in the space. Application deadlines: 3rd April 2014.

18.03.14   
What’s billed as the first set of live “World Animation Masterclasses” are to be held in the Midlands at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham, on the 23rd-25th May 2014. The organisers have lined up… “six master teachers to deliver a unique series of masterclasses containing information that is just not available in books, video or the internet”, and they are reportedly expecting around 1,500 animators to attend.

Creative Stoke news update, 13th February 2014

13.02.14   
The fifth issue of the Factory creative industries magazine for Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire is now available online…

Download the magazine (PDF, 8Mb).

This fifth issue of the free FactoryMag in-depth interviews, previews and advance news for the Stoke Your Fires film festival, plus an events listing, and funding news. There are also advance details of the Local TV broadcast service, set to start in Stoke-on-Trent in 2014.

Note that if you use the popular Foxit PDF Reader to read PDFs, you will need to enable clickable Web links in PDFs. To enable links in Foxit go to… File | Preferences | General, and then Uncheck “Make Hand Tool Select Text” + Check “Create Links from URLs” | then click OK.

13.02.14   
Stoke-on-Trent’s bITjAM has a competition ahead of the launch of their Innovation Qube, set to open on 7th March 2014. The IQ is a new equipped space at the YMCA in Stoke-on-Trent for young people to investigate innovative technologies. The Qube competition asks you to think of how to use technology in an innovative and fun way, to solve an everyday problem in your school or company.

13.02.14   
Growth Vouchers have just been launched. These are £2,000 vouchers, for small businesses to spend on independent specialist business advice for your small business. Advisors must be accredited by a bona fide trade organisation or industry body.

13.02.14   
Stoke-on-Trent’s Appetite now has details of the Kitchen programme to develop new artworks for public spaces. Kitchen aims to… “be a place to cook up new projects, develop new ideas and share practice with other artists” and local people. There are several strands of Seed Fund and R&D funding. Application deadline: 10am on 5th March 2014. Further funding rounds are planned for July 2014 and September 2014. See the Web page for full details.

13.02.14   
Appetite and the Stoke South Carnival Committee are seeking an artist, group of artists, or arts organisation “to capture the imagination” of local people on a First World War theme, for an annual Carnival in Stoke on 9th August 2014. Artist brief | Commission application form. Application deadline: 10am, 24th February 2014.

13.02.14   
Stoke-on-Trent’s SWOCA are now looking for artists to take part in this summer’s London Road Festival in Stoke town, Stoke-on-Trent.

13.02.14   
NASA is set to land in Stoke! The National Association of Street Artists (NASA) is having its annual general meeting and gathering “For The Love Of It” in the city on 21st — 23rd February 2014. Two days of inspiration, creation, and skills sharing at the annual gathering for UK street arts professionals. Cost is £33, and NASA membership is reportedly not required for attendance.

13.02.14   
Staffordshire University’s The 72 Project requires two students to each serve as a Production Assistant, as part of a three day feature film shoot in Birmingham in July 2014. £400 tax-free bursary on successful completion of the project, per person. Application deadline: Friday 28th February 2014.

13.02.14   
The Creative Communities Unit (CCU) at Staffordshire University, in partnership with the SAP scheme, is calling for students with technical and artistic expertise to produce…

1. a graphic/comic art/illustration case study
2. a case study using textile surfaces & surface pattern design
3. an experimental case study using ceramics
4. a crafts case study

Projects begin in March and run until 30th May 2014. The case study charts a member of the public’s journey in experiencing art/art events with reference to Appetite, a three year Arts Council-funded project. There is a £300 tax-free bursary on successful completion of project. Application closing Date: 27th February 2014.

“The student will be responsible for developing materials that will be used to promote and disseminate the research as the 72 Project unfolds. This will include the development of Facebook banners, viral videos, as well as front slides and graphics for the film itself.”

13.02.14   
A new five-week creative ceramics course is set to start on 12th March 2014 at the Burslem School of Art, Stoke-on-Trent. The course will run Wednesdays, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Full Fee is £20, with JSA, ESA and Income Support Claimants paying £16. See the Web link for details and booking.

13.02.14   
Stoke-on-Trent best-selling crime novelist Mel Sherratt has launched her new novel, Watching Over You. There’s also a recent 30 minute video interview with Mel, on the realities of life as an entrepreneurial writer…

13.02.14   
Stoke-on-Trent’s Prototype magazine is seeking “someone rather lovely, talented and inspired to assist in our new direction”. They need bloggers who can write, interview and source creative inspiration to feature on the Prototype blog. Interested? Email  info@prototype-mag.co.uk  with a link to your current blog or a piece of your writing.

13.02.14   
Billy Smart’s Circus will soon be hoisting their tents at Trentham Gardens, Stoke-on-Trent, and the Circus is holding an… “Open Day on Sunday 16th February where you can tour the Big Top and look backstage all for free.”

13.02.14   
There’s an excellent feature article on Stoke-on-Trent’s ceramics renaissance in the latest issue of Monocle magazine (Feb 2014).

The revival of the Potteries also featured on Channel 4 News (video link).

13.02.14   
Ceramics historians might be interested in a one-day conference being held on the other side of the Peaks, in Derby, on 21st February 2014.

13.02.14   
Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre has renewed and reburbished its public market, which is set for an April relaunch. They are now seeking takers for pitches at £20 per day, and say that “incentives are available”. Interested? Phone: 07771 568172

13.02.14   
The 2014 King’s Market (King’s Hall, Stoke town, Stoke-on-Trent) is inviting applicants for a 6′ pitch from just £30, for their 23rd March 2014 event. Interested? Email@ markets@stoke.gov.uk for further information.

13.02.14   
Job:  The Brewhouse Arts Centre, Burton-upon-Trent, requires a casual dance worker (15 hours per week).

13.02.14   
Job:  The Lichfield Festival is seeking to appoint a freelance Artistic Director to devise and programme Lichfield’s October 2014 Literature Festival and Lichfield Festival in July 2015. Fee: £12,000. Application deadline: 21st February 2014.

13.02.14   
These nearby seminars might interest local museums and heritage attractions which are interfacing with film / crafts retail / or cultural tourism…

  * Film Friendly Museums – 27th Feb (Birmingham)
  * Running a profitable retail department – 11th March (Ironbridge, Shropshire)
  * The Tourism Economy and Museums – 18th March (Ironbridge, Shropshire)

Details:  barbara.taylor@ironbridge.org.uk

13.02.14   
Shrewsbury Folk Festival requires unpaid Children’s Festival Directors. Application deadline: 21st February 2014.

13.02.14   
Staffordshire University has formally announced it will move more than 3,000 students and staff to Stoke-on-Trent, from its old Stafford campus. This will mean a large influx of computing and videogame development talent into Stoke-on-Trent, probably by Sept 2015. The university is said to have around 500 students on the videogame courses, and a new Epic Games Centre funded by Epic Games (developer of the world-leading Unreal Engine videogames engine).

Creative Stoke news update, 21st January 2014

21.01.14   
Are you a local film maker or producer with a completed feature script, completed documentary treatment, or completed film or series? Stoke Your Fires Marketplace gives you to the free opportunity to pitch your project one-to-one with experienced screen industry figures. Marketplace will happen in Stoke-on-Trent on 11th March 2014, and the application deadline is 24th January 2014. See the Web page for full details.

21.01.14   
Photographers from Staffordshire are invited to submit printed and framed entries for the Keele University Art Gallery’s Three Counties Open Photography Competition. Entries are via the 2014 entry form.

21.01.14   
Concept Collective now has a date for the first meeting, Thursday 30th January 2014 (2pm-4pm), to discuss the idea of creating a central hub for local designers and makers from Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. The venue will be the Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce offices on Festival Park, Stoke-on-Trent [Google StreetView].

21.01.14   
Opportunities for artists are now available for the London Road Festival 2014, a major community-led summer festival held in Stoke town, Stoke-on-Trent. See the website for full details.

21.01.14   
Jobs: Six Dance Artists & six Emerging Dance Artists (and some voluntary dancers to shadow them) are required for a joint outdoors project with Cheshire Dance and the Just So Festival. Just So is the annual young children’s arts festival, held amid a wooded estate five miles north of Stoke-on-Trent.

21.01.14   
The Just So Festival is the young children’s arts festival, set in a woodland estate located five miles north of Stoke-on-Trent. The organisers are now calling for volunteers for the 2014 festival. They especially want local art students who can be involved in the visual design and dressing of the site.

Just So are also looking for non-food vendors for the festival, and have a paid position for a Site Manager.

21.01.14   
Stoke Film Theatre will host a free Arthur Berry: a celebration screen event on 22nd January 2014 (7.45pm) at Staffordshire University’s College Road campus in Stoke-on-Trent. The date will be the 20th anniversary of the last filmed record of Arthur Berry, reading his “Homage to the Oatcake”. The screening will show a compilation of Arthur caught on film from 1959 to 1994, featuring his painting, poetry, and plays.

Arthur Berry.

21.01.14   
Work:  Nearby Telford & Wrekin Council are planning a spectacular outdoor theatre experience in June 2014, with the theme of “A Midsummers Night’s Dream”. They would like to hire artists, creative teams and projects that are highly motivated and have experience of working in a community setting to deliver one of the following: art installations; fun arts activities and workshops for the public; and artists and makers to create spectacular and large scale puppets, sculptures or similar, that will be able to move around a park terrain. Deadline: 25th February 2014. Full details and briefs from Sarah Belcher via:  sarah.belcher@telford.gov.uk

21.01.14   
Jobs:  North Staffordshire’s Alton Towers is now recruiting its staff for the new £8m theme-park extension, BBC CBeebies Land. The five acre attraction is aimed at the many toddlers and preschool children of the UK’s ‘new baby boom’, and is set to open 24th May 2014.

21.01.14   
Rachael Lines and Clare Reynolds have volunteered to find out who is currently working in dance, and studying dance, in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire and around the borders. They’re also interested in discovering who may be interested in joining a dance network, and in what capacity. They are also keen to hear from those who have trained/studied, but who are not working in dance, and those working in dance administration or management. Interested? In the first instace, please complete the online survey.

21.01.14   
RIBA West Midlands are looking for organisations, businesses and individuals who would like to contribute to its Love Architecture Festival 2014. They are holding an open meeting at their office on 29th January at 5.30pm, and would like to invite anyone interested to attend. If you have events or project ideas, please get in touch with RIBA West Midlands to RSVP for the meeting, via: riba.westmidlands@riba.org

21.01.14   
The Buxton Poetry Competition 2014 is now open. The closing date for entries is 7th April 2014. See the wesbite for full details.

21.01.14   
Down in South Staffordshire, the Bilston Craft Gallery is calling for contemporary crafts makers to exhibit as part of a “Beside The Sea” (seaside, coastal and nautical) springtime 2014 show. Application deadline: 3rd February 2014. See the Web page for full details. Further ahead, they are also seeking exhibitors for “A Glass Act: contemporary glassware for the table”, 28th June – 30th August 2014.

21.01.14   
Stoke-on-Trent’s Denise O’Sullivan Ceramic and Design Ltd are creating a planets/ space themed commission with the Etruria-based Sculpted Steel, to be installed at Keele University. The commissioner would like to catalogue the processes, and is offering this out to students or recent graduates who would like experience or would like to use documenting this project as course work. Work would start from February 2014 onwards, for installation at the end of April 2014. Please contact Denise on Facebook if you are interested.

21.01.14   
Two actors are required as part of the 48 Hour Film Challenge at Staffordshire University, 24th-26th January 2014.

21.01.14   
Stoke-on-Trent’s Gladstone Pottery Museum is seeking crafts stallholders for their March Makers Market on Sunday 23rd March 2014. If you make toys, clothes, gifts or edible treats and are interested in having a stall then please email:  nerys.williams@stoke.gov.uk

21.01.14   
Staffordshire Living magazine is launching its own two-day lifestyle expo, Living Live 2014, in June 2014. This might be an event of interest for crafts makers and others looking for local selling opportunities.

21.01.14   
Cannonball Records is looking for individuals with screen-printing experience to make and design music-related merchandise, to run alongside their city-centre record-shop business selling rare vinyl. Interested? Contact Dave on 07704 300304, or call in the shop in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

21.01.14   
There’s a new IndieGoGo crowdfunding project for Stalemate, a film about the fabled First World War Christmas football match. The makers aiming to raise £2,000 in funds, and plan to film in the Staffordshire Regiment Museum Trenches.

21.01.14   
Independent Cinema Network is a new arts programme that aims to connect independent cinemas in the West Midlands with children and young people. Film Ambassadors, aged 14-25, will be connected with their local independent cinema or screening venue. They will develop arts experience for other young people, experiences which go beyond both ‘gawp and popcorn’ blockbusters and ‘worthy and depressing’ art-house cinema. If you are an independent cinema or screening venue and would like to be involved in the Independent Cinema Network, please email Rebecca Hardy, Programme Developer (Film and Digital) at:  rebecca@edge21.co.uk

21.01.14   
The UK’s Creative & Cultural Skills (CCS) body is seeking to provide young people aged 13 to 18 with an insight into job roles and skills for working in cultural heritage. They now want to hear from museums and galleries interested in helping to deliver an event or school visit, as part of their initiative. There is no funding available, but CCS can provide event support and expertise, merchandise, and some out-of-pocket expenses. For more information email:  aine.markey@ccskills.org.uk

21.01.14   
The IPA (the UK’s professional body for advertising and marketing agencies) is looking for Midlands companies who are looking to take on a young apprentice in September 2014 in either Creative and Digital Media, Marketing, or Design. In the Midlands they’ve assigned Birmingham’s Creative Alliance to… “support [agencies] through the process, from job description to recruitment, including facilitating the interviews. As the training provider we will be working with you and the apprentice throughout the apprenticeship.” To take advantage of this opportunity contact Creative Alliance by Monday 27th January and register your interest. Interested? Email:  sophie@creativealliance.org.uk

21.01.14   
Interested in sourcing fashion supplies, fabrics, texiles, and accessories in the UK? Let’s Make it Here is a comprehensive industry-supported directory of UK fashion manufacturing.