Added to Creative Stoke, 23rd December 2009

^{New! 23.12.09}    
Job:  The National Dance Teachers Association requires a visionary Director (3 days per week). The Association is based in Lichfield, Staffordshire. Application deadline: 29th January 2010.

^{New! 23.12.09}    
Job:  The arts development team at nearby Telford and Wrekin Council, in partnership with NHS Telford and Wrekin, is seeking to creatively explore children and young people’s understanding of emotional health and well-being, and influences upon it. They are seeking to recruit a team of artists / performers (from any discipline) to work with young people aged 5-19. Due to the age range, timescales and complexity of the work they feel an established arts company, with previous experience of creative consultation in this area, would be best placed to deliver this work. Deadline for applications: 22nd January 2010. Full details from:  helen.chesters@telford.gov.uk

^{New! 23.12.09}    
Job:  Telford-based Towers Above are looking to recruit a pool of visiting artists to work in collaboration with their Lead Artist on a collaborative project in the area of arts for mental health. They currently have a group of twelve participants per group, in two groups that run weekly. You would be contracted to deliver five sessions for both groups, meaning ten sessions in total (plus one planning session). Application deadline: 22nd January 2010. Full details from: helen.chesters@telford.gov.uk

^{New! 23.12.09}    
Are you reading Creative Stoke from just over the border in Derbyshire? Five bursaries are now available to Derbyshire writers and publishers, to cover the cost of a conference ticket price and travel expenses to attend The Writing Industries Conference 2010.

^{New! 23.12.09}    
Designer Maker West Midlands will be running a new initiative in 2010 — portfolio sessions for West Midlands makers who want a sounding board to discuss their work, marketing and practice with experienced arts professionals. Each maker will be given a 45 minute slot. Application deadline: 21st Jan 2010. For more information, visit the website.

^{New! 23.12.09}    Designer Maker West Midlands have three Spring 2010 residencies for West Midlands makers, which will be undertaken at The Art House in Wakefield, Yorkshire. On offer to each successful maker is a bursary of £750 for materials, maintenance and travel expenses. Full details at the website.

^{New! 23.12.09}    
Job:  The North Staffordshire Creative Learning Network is calling for ideas for mini-projects from self-employed artists and developers, which explore…

“creative ways of learning about digital tools in North Staffordshire communities. We are calling for ideas to develop mini-projects that will connect communities of North Staffordshire. A small amount of funding is available to facilitate four mini-projects. They might include, for example: games using digital equipment, engaging ways of conveying information using screens or other technology, temporary installations that encourage self-expression or provide a gateway into the World Wide Web.”

Project budgets are £500 each, including the artists’ time, paid only on production of evidence of expenditure or an invoice for work. You must be self-employed to invoice for this work. Deadline: the mini-project must be fully reported by the third week of March 2010. Full details from this web page.

The Network also plans to be running workshops in early 2010.

^{New! 23.12.09}    
The Heritage Crafts Association are inviting crafts makers to respond to a short survey that explores the opinions and experiences of crafts people also working in traditional crafts. The survey will close on 31st January 2010.

^{New! 22.12.09}    
Planning a new business, a business expansion, or an export drive? Just launched from Stoke-on-Trent, the free search-engine FUSE (beta). FUSE is a specialist business research engine for finding high-quality free academic journal articles, theses and reports. It searches over 700 open-access ejournal titles, and over 1000 selected sources of open academic texts on business topics. FUSE excludes the trade press, and all purveyors of uncritical material such as press-releases and ‘advertorial’ articles.

^{New! 22.12.09}    
Job:  Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council’s Arts Service is seeking a professional freelance photographer(s) to document future exhibitions and projects. They envisage pooling a small number of professional photographers, with the view to employing freelance photographers on an ‘as-and-when’ basis. They will be requiring such photographic services from early March 2010 onwards. To express your interest, forward your full contact details, fee details, C.V., and a small selection of JPG images and / or a website photo-gallery link to: tina.ball@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk   Deadline for expressions of interest: 4th February 2010. For more information, contact Tina Ball on:  01782 619 705.

Added to Creative Stoke, 20th December 2009

^{New! 20.12.09}     Stoke-on-Trent’s Victoria Hall has announced a new children’s theatre project for Easter 2010, the “Musical Theatre Performance Project”, Victoria Hall. Children aged 10 years or older are invited to participate in Gulliver’s Travels. No previous experience is needed — you’ll have a go at acting, dancing and singing, with support from a professional artistic team who have extensive professional experience as directors, musicians, and actors. Participants must be available to attend every day (morning and afternoon) on the following dates in 2010: April 6th, 8th, 9th, 12th, 13th and 14th. The performance will be on 14th April, in the early evening. Places: £40 each. Bookings at:  joblagg@theambassadors.com

^{New! 20.12.09}     Whitgreave Primary School — located at Featherstone, Staffs (near Wolverhampton) — is seeking a drama, music or film-making individual or organisation. You’ll work with the school planning group on a project to develop an “effective creative voice”. There is £10,000 available for the drama and music element of the project, and £4,800 for the film-making element. Both these include all fees, planning and evaluation time, travel and any necessary resources. Application deadline: 8th January 2010. Full details from Richard Bradbury, Creative Partnerships School Co-ordinator, at:  staff1@whitgreave.staffs.sch.uk

^{New! 20.12.09}    
Added to the Directory: Nicholas Ferenczy, an artist based at Nantwitch.

Added to Creative Stoke, 16th December 2009

^{New! 16.12.09}    
Future Forward 2 is the second phase of a mentoring programme for West Midlands mid-career designer makers. You’ll be mentored by a professional for approx 9 and a half days, over 9 to 10 months, aided by a bursary of £2,100 for materials, promotion, marketing, travel expenses. Deadline for applications: 15th January 2010. See the web page for full details.

^{New! 16.12.09}    
The Prince of Wales Foundation for Children & the Arts is inviting U.K. arts organisations to apply to be involved in their Start Programme. Start will introduce children to a local cultural venue, to experience the very best of the arts. The Foundation is seeking to recruit between 6 and 10 new partners for the 2010/11 academic year. Deadline for Stage One applications: 15th January 2010. See the web page for more details.

^{New! 16.12.09}    
Job:  Wolverhampton’s Central Youth Theatre is seeking expressions of interest from highly creative theatre set and costume designers based in the West Midlands, for a number of 2010 projects at small-scale venues in the spring and summer. Previous experience is essential. Work will be on a freelance basis, and you must have your own reliable transport. Application deadline: 11th Jan 2010. Please send a C.V. and supporting letter outlining your previous experience, by email to:  twwajane@aol.com

^{New! 16.12.09}    
Would you like £25,000 to help your amateur groups to “adopt a composer”? The PRS Foundation enables voluntary music groups to have a new piece of music especially composed for them by some of the UK’s most talented young composers. BBC Radio 3 has also committed to recording performances of all the resulting work from this year’s programme. Once selected, six groups and six composers from around the UK are arranged into pairs, and each pair is mentored by an established professional composer. Over one year they work together to produce a work that is tailor-made for the skills of the group’s members. For more information contact Sarah Robinson at Making Music at:  mailsarah.robinson@makingmusic.org.uk

Added to Creative Stoke, 15th December 2009

^{New! 15.12.09}    
A new £8 million early-stage equity fund, the Early Advantage fund, was announced yesterday by regional development agency Advantage West Midlands. It will provide another much-needed source of investment finance for local small and medium firms. The fund can make an initial investment of up to £125,000, generally matched by a private sector investor, or investors providing at least the same amount — resulting in up to £250,000 of investment into the business. The fund can invest up to a further £125,000 in subsequent funding rounds (again, this must be matched by the private sector). The Early Advantage fund is now looking for West Midlands investment opportunities which meet the following criteria:

* early-stage SMEs, with or without revenues
* high-growth companies (potential to return a multiple of the investment in 3-7 years)
* SMEs interested in raising investment of up to £500,000

Interested? Contact the fund managers, Midven Limited.

^{New! 15.12.09}    
Job:   Youth Dance England is offering a two-year contract at a £21,000 salary (pro rata), requiring just one day’s work per week as the Youth Dance England Contact for the city of Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire county, based at the Victoria Hall in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. You will… “ideally have a dance/arts degree, understand how computers work and can work efficiently independently”. Deadline for applications: 4th January 2010. Full details from:  joblagg@theambassadors.com

^{New! 15.12.09}     Job:  Staffordshire University require a permanent Senior Lecturer in Fine Art (0.6) (Ref: AMD09/4). You’ll be an excellent teacher with a postgraduate qualification, have a strong record of academic research, and also be a successful practicing artist. Application deadline: 4th January 2010. See the web page for more details.

^{New! 15.12.09}     Added to the Directory:  Secondnature, based in Congleton, create metal laser-cut sculptures and wall plaques.

^{New! 15.12.09}    
Volunteer posts:  West Midlands-based Arts Council -funded arts group Talking Birds are offering recent graduates an opportunity to work on their new theatre show. They have four graduate placements, in 2 week slots, between 11th Jan and 12th Feb 2010. Successful applicants will work as Production Assistants on a Talking Birds/Foursight Theatre co-production “Forever In Your Debt”, which is being rehearsed at Warwick Arts Centre (located on the outskirts of Coventry) before going out on a national tour of medium-sized theatre venues. Interested? Email: jeanne@arts-media.org

^{New! 15.12.09}    
Job:  Derby Feste is an annual arts festival in nearby Derby. The festival organisers wish to appoint a Branding Expert to undertake a brand development exercise. A comprehensive brand needs to be created for Derby Feste which informs both visual identity and organisational direction. Few clear ongoing messages are currently in place. You’ll undertake consultation which will allow you to understand the festival through the eyes of key staff, local stakeholders, and audience members. You’ll create a “brand bible” and logos and typefaces, a process to be managed in partnership with the marketing group and steering group. This needs too be complete by February 2010 at the latest. Total budget: £3,500 to £5,000. Deadline for applications: 6th January 2010. Full details from Adam Buss at:   adamb@derbyquad.co.uk

Added to Creative Stoke, 14th December 2009

^{New! 14.12.09}    
North Staffordshire pottery makers and ceramicists are invited to apply for grants from the Craft Pottery Charitable Trust. The Trust runs an annual grant scheme. Applications for the annual grant scheme must be submitted by 15th December 2009. See the website for more details.

^{New! 13.12.09}    
Congratulations to Stoke-on-Trent’s FRONTLINEdance, for obtaining funding from the BBC Children In Need appeal to put on four after-school dance clubs from February 2010. The clubs will be funded for two years, and will be fully inclusive of disabled children and young people (5 to 16 years old). The clubs will be in Fenton, Chell Heath, Leek and Newcastle-under-Lyme — please contact the FRONTLINEdance office for more details, at:  admin@frontlinedance.org.uk

^{New! 13.12.09}    
The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust makes awards, ranging up to £15,000, to crafts makers of all ages to help them further their careers. Since 1991 the Trust has awarded £1.35 million to 208 crafts makers aged between 17 and 50+, for study, training and work experience. There is no age limit. But you need to demonstrate you already have a high level of skill, and are firmly committed to your craft or trade. Application deadline: 8th January 2010.

^{New! 13.12.09}    
Newcastle Borough Museum & Art Gallery are calling for participants in their 2010 “Gifted” Christmas exhibition. They would like to hear from professional artist and makers of contemporary art, and makers of craft and design objects, who are interested in exhibiting as part of this selling exhibition planned for 13th November – 24th December 2010. For the first time ever the gallery will be using all its spaces simultaneously to exhibit the work of well over 50 artist makers. This exhibition will be open to artists nationally, but there will be a preference for artists from the Midlands. To express your interest, please email up to 5 images of your work (please do not send files over 1Mb each) and an artist statement, to Tina Ball at:  tina.ball@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk    Deadline for expressions of interest is: 28th January 2010.

^{New! 13.12.09}    
Job:  Hollywall Primary School — near Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent — is seeking a theatre company, set designer/stylist, or an installation artist, for a project with a total budget of £10,000. You’ll collaborate with pupils and staff on revisiting traditional indoor school spaces such as the classroom role-play areas, the classrooms themselves, the corridor spaces and the school hall. Project planning, delivery and evaluation will take place from January to July 2010. Deadline for applications: 4th January 2010. Full details from Andrew Fox (Creative Agent) at:  quadra22@mac.com

^{New! 13.12.09}    
Job: Stoke-on-Trent City Council is seeking to appoint an artist of the highest calibre, to make and install a permanent work of public art in 2010. The work will be sited in Hanley, and it will celebrate the 1910 Federation of the city’s six towns. The most likely site is the Broad Street side of the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. Total budget: no more than £135,000, excluding VAT. Application deadline: 18th January 2010.

Added to Creative Stoke, 6th December 2009

^{New! 06.12.09}    
The PRS New Music Award is a national competition run by the PRS Foundation. It offers a £50,000 cash prize to help individuals, music groups, arts organisations, and music venues to create, compose and perform… “a groundbreaking new piece of original music”. Deadline: 8th January 2010.

^{New! 06.12.09}    
The Birmingham-based contemporary photography development agency Rhubarb-Rhubarb are to visit Stoke-on-Trent in 2010, to meet “new and emerging photographers” as part of their Roaming tour of the Midlands. They’ll be at the AirSpace Gallery in Haney, on 11th February 2010. Bookings for thirty-minute slots can be made between 10am and 4.30pm. Interested? Book via Sean McGarry at:  admin@rhubarb-rhubarb.net

^{New! 06.12.09}    
Jobs:  Partners in Creative Learning (PiCL) has another new opportunity at a nearby school. New Invention Junior School — at Willenhall, near Wolverhampton — are seeking a Landscape Architect, Landscaper, or outdoor practitioner to help then plan and develop the school garden. You will will work with the design team, a class of year 5 children, and their teacher. Total budget: £4,100. Deadline: 17th December 2009. More information from Iris Bertz, Creative Agent, at:  ibertz@gmail.com

^{New! 06.12.09}    
Added to the Directory: Print Digital Ceramics, based in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent.

^{New! 06.12.09}    
Added to the Directory: Jude Theatre Company, a youth theatre based in Newcastle-under-Lyme. The group meets on Tuesdays in Crossheath.

^{New! 06.12.09}    
Hardship grants of up to £500 are available for students studying in North Staffordshire who are suffering financial hardship… “which is affecting their ability to continue their course of education”. See the web page for more details.