Added to Creative Stoke, 27th April 2010

^{New! 27.04.10}    
Job:  Green Rock Primary School, located in Walsall, are hoping to recruit a Partner or Partners to help them in their quest to… “make writing more fun for years 1 and 2 […] through a creative and stimulating approach, which could include multimedia”. There is a budget of £3,500 to cover your time and materials. Planning and delivery of the project will take place this summer 2010 term. Deadline: 14th May 2010. For full brief and queries contact Sian Macfarlane (Creative Agent) on: 07866 630029.

^{New! 27.04.10}    
Keele University’s SPEED scheme (Student Placements in Enterprise Education) is inviting current and former Keele students to apply. The 42-week scheme includes mentoring, training, cash grants, and office space in a business incubator on the Keele business park. Applicants with a new technology-oriented entrepreneurial project will find that cash support is doubled. The scheme will begin in October 2010 — apply now! Full details from: d.a.frankish@uso.keele.ac.uk

^{New! 27.04.10}    
The Crewe Lyceum Theatre is offering a series of one-day professional stagecraft workshops this summer. The classes will run in July and August 2010:

   26th-27th July: Basic Sound.
   29th-30th: Intermediate Sound.
   1st August: Advanced Sound.
   3rd-4th August: Flying & Rigging.
   8th August: Production Management.
   9th-10th August: Basic Lighting.
   12th-13th August: Intermediate Lighting.

Cost is from £10 per workshop. For more details please phone: 01270 537333.

^{New! 27.04.10}    
Pieces of Sky is kindly giving one Staffordshire-based organisation the chance to have their “project for social change” documented by a photographer, for free. Application deadline: 17th May 2010. Full details from:  info@piecesofsky.com

^{New! 27.04.10}    
Newcastle-under-Lyme Museum & Art Gallery are running Printmaking Workshops to co-incide with the visit of the touring “7th British International Mini Print Exhibition” (15th May – 18th July 2010).
Professional printmaker Dan Pellowe will run the following 45-minute workshops:

   Sat 15th May 2010 (12noon, 1pm, and 2pm): the Intaglio Processes, concentrating on drypoint with Aluminium and Perspex.

   Sat 22nd May 2010 (12noon, 1pm, and 2pm): the Relief Techniques, focusing on lino prining and basic direct mono-printing.

Places cost £5, and all prints made by you may be taken away with you. To book places, please phone: 01782 619705.

^{New! 27.04.10}    
The UK’s first major prize for new media writing is now open. For the New Media Writing Prize…

” … Poole Literary Festival have partnered with The Media School at Bournemouth University to establish the Prize, which will allow writers working with New Media to showcase their skills, provoke discussion and raise awareness of new media writing and the future of the written word. The competition is now open for entries. The deadline for entries is noon [UK time] on 15th September 2010. Show us that new media can do things ‘old’ media can’t!”

^{New! 27.04.10}    
Added to the Directory: Greenways String Group is a amateur string group based in North Staffordshire. They are currently seeking new players of approximately Grade 6 level and above, although having grades is not necessary.

Added to Creative Stoke, 21st April 2010

^{New! 21.04.10}    
Newcastle-under-Lyme Museum & Art Gallery is having a launch event for its New Generation Project on 23rd April 2010 (11am – 4pm), to formally announce the launch of the New Generation Space galleries for young artists and makers. Find out more about the project, and see a live performance by Nottingham-based artist Chris Lewis Jones (noon to 1pm). More information from: newgenerationspace@gmail.com   There will also be funding strategy and proposal-writing workshop — email: mark@markbrereton.co.uk  to book a place.

^{New! 21.04.10}    
The Phoenix Trust has an ambitious goal — to make the former North Staffordshire Coalfield a designated World Heritage Site. They are currently undertaking a heritage audit and photographic survey to record the region’s historical buildings, and are inviting the public to nominate local churches, schools, factories, shops and other buildings of note for inclusion in the survey. Buildings may be nominated by emailing:  daymar727@btinternet.com   When making a nomination, please give the building’s name and full address, along with your reasons for nominating it.

Readers may also be interested in the new nationwide volunteer effort to record all the old hand-painted wall signs of the British Isles, at Ghostsigns…

^{New! 21.04.10}    
CraftNet is a new networking organisation for crafts makers, being developed in partnership with the Crafts Council. The first afternoon meeting in the Midlands will be on Tuesday 5th May 2010, 1:45pm at the Mac arts centre in Edgbaston, Birmingham. All are welcome. Places are limited, so please RSVP by 26th April 2010 to Camilla Buchanan at:  c_buchanan@craftscouncil.org.uk

^{New! 21.04.10}    
Added to the Directory: Aspiring stage comedians in the West Midlands are invited to sign up for a unique series of stand-up comedy workshops. The Chuckles Workshops will be held in Birmingham in May and will feature a “graduation” performance at Birmingham’s biggest live comedy venue. For more information on course fees, dates, and to reserve your place; please contact Chuckles Tutor Liam Jones at: comedy.at@hotmail.co.uk

^{New! 21.04.10}    
The BBC is running free youth workshops in Stafford on Thursday 29th April 2010, as part of the nationwide Blast tour. Talented young people aged 13 -19 are invited to workshops such as: “Make a Horror Film”; along with other music, animation and VJ workshops. All workshops and showcases are free, for more details and to sign up please email: blast-stafford@bbc.co.uk

^{New! 21.04.10}    
Added to the Directory: The Pugin Singers, a chamber choir of around 30 mixed voices which was established in 2000. The Singers rehearse in the Shadow of St Giles R.C. Church in Cheadle, designed by Pugin and the church from which the choir takes its name. They have performed in the Staffordshire Moorlands, Stoke-on-Trent, and also further afield in Royal Festival Hall and at Limoges cathedral in France.

    Audio file: Rex Tremendae (Mozart Requiem) (MP3 format).

^{New! 21.04.10}    
Added to the Directory: Hell Fire Photography, based in Stoke-on-Trent.

^{New! 21.04.10}    
Added to the Directory: Angela Thompson’s “Glass at The Barn” is the website of an Alsager-based glass and jewellery maker, who runs a workshop at Carr Barn (formely Fizzpotzz) at Tissington in the Peak District. Angela’s work can also be seen at Leek Gallery and at the Burslem Arts shop in Stoke-on-Trent.

^{New! 21.04.10}    
Singapore — famous for its rapid transition to prosperity — has just launched a major new animation production fund, and it’s open to the entire world. The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) has launched the International Animation Fund (IAF). The fund…

“invites applications from all over the world for new animation content in any format — including television series, telemovies, theatrical features — will see MDA co-investing up to S$5 million (U.S. $3.5 million) for each qualifying project. … We look forward very much to co-creating new intellectual property … in partnership with like-minded members of the animation [industry]”

Applications for the International Animation Fund are now open. Deadline: 30th June 2010. All proposed projects must have a Singapore partner. Shortlisted applicants will be required to pitch face-to-face, in Singapore, to an evaluation panel.

Added to Creative Stoke, 12th April 2010

^{New! 12.04.10}    
The 8th Buxton Puppet Festival has announced dates, 26th to 31st July 2010. A full programme will be available from 1st June. Programmes in previous years have contained several masterclass workshops for adults, with internationally-acclaimed puppeteers from Japan and India.

^{New! 12.04.10}    
Added to the Directory: Redstone Willows. Located on the Cheshire / Staffordshire border, they grow in excess of 100 varieties of willow, many of which are ideal for basketry, earth-art sculptures and community arts structures. They also run workshops, and can install living-willow structures and make willow sculptures on commission.

^{New! 12.04.10}    
Added to the Directory: Jon Weinel at Keele University, doing all sorts of interesting things with sonic art.

^{New! 12.04.10}    
Nigel Peever of Crewe has just generously published his huge collection of vintage English toy-theatre sheets and associated cut-outs, as a 400-page print-on-demand book.

^{New! 12.04.10}    
The Skillset Sector Skills Council will expand further from the beginning of April, to encompass fashion and textiles, enabling the organisation to bid for new funds for training Skillset will be carrying out research to identify skills needs in fashion and textiles, and producing an annual assessment of needs and skills-shortages. Skillset recently produced a new Strategic Skills Assessment for the Fashion and Textiles Sector in the UK document.

^{New! 09.04.10}    
The Light House in nearby Wolverhampton is the venue for the UK’s 7th Flip Animation Festival (4th to 6th November 2010), and the organisers are now inviting animators to submit animated films (up to 15 minutes in length) to the Open Shorts section. And for the first time, Flip is also accepting submissions from children, to be judged in a special category. Submissions are welcome from across the world — however, good-quality English subtitles will be required. There is no entry fee. Entry deadline: 9th July 2010.

Added to Creative Stoke, 9th April 2010

^{New! 09.04.10}    
Those working in the arts with pre-school children may be interested that the national Earlyarts organisation is set to run two professional development workshop days. The West Midlands Early Arts Hub will meet on 5th May 2010. Or there’s also a Cheshire Early Arts Hub (for “Cheshire and the surrounding areas”) meeting on 4th May 2010, if that’s more convenient for people in North Staffordshire. Cheshire has recently been chosen as a National Pathfinder for the new organisation. Please see the website for more details.

Earlyarts recently commissioned a major survey report on Early Arts provision, which is now online, Joined Up Future (PDF link).

^{New! 09.04.10}    
The Staffordshire University temporary community radio station, Cre8 Radio (88.7 FM) is on the air now, and there are hopes for a permanent broadcast licence in 2011. There’s also a Cre8 FM YouTube channel. More information from Project Manager Jules MacCarthy at: j.c.mccarthy@staffs.ac.uk

^{New! 09.04.10}    
Mad Half Hour are working with Creative Partnerships at Hollywall Primary School in Stoke-on-Trent. They are seeking a Visual Artist to work on a project called “Space For Wonder”, which involves the re-imagining of certain spaces within school. They need someone who can teach the staff how to make canvases, and can show staff and children a range of painting and 3D techniques on canvas. The fee for this is £200, plus money for materials. Please apply via: lyndi@madhalfhourtheatre.com    Please send photos of artwork or links to your artwork online. Deadline: 16th April 2010.

^{New! 09.04.10}    
The 2012 Paralympic Games is inviting 11-25 year olds to make short films. There will be a programme of 100 free training workshops run around the British Isles — more details of these will be available in the Summer. In the meanwhile, 11-25 year olds are invited to start creating short films (no longer than three minutes) that celebrate the values of the Paralympic Games: respect, courage, excellence, friendship, equality, determination and inspiration. Any style will be welcome, including animation. Submissions will open in June, when the project website goes live, and the deadline for entries of films will be 1st October 2010. More details on Creative Stoke when they’re released.

^{New! 09.04.10}    
Could you use your lifelong voluntary arts experience to help support organisations across Europe and Eastern Europe, including helping to build up nations whose social fabric is still recovering from the ravages of socialism? A one year e-Mentoring project is to be run by the UK’s National Council for Voluntary Organisations, training 20 people to act as e-Mentors. They’re especially looking for people who have in-depth experience of funding issues and collaboration between organisations. Application deadline: 12th April 2010.

^{New! 09.04.10}    
Financial assistance is available to young muslim playwrights living in the West Midlands, if you are chosen to attend an 11-week playwriting workshop at The Royal Court, starting in May 2010. Each weekly session will involve sharing ideas, reading and talking about plays, and writing exercises. You will work towards writing a new play, which we will read in consideration for production at the Royal Court. The financial assistance can cover travel costs to the weekly workshops, which from Stoke-on-Trent to London could be considerable. Application deadline: 16th April 2010. Full details from: studio@royalcourttheatre.com

^{New! 09.04.10}    
The Royal British Society of Sculptors has ten Bursary Awards available for early career sculptors. The package includes mentoring by senior members of the Society. Deadline: 18th May 2010. Full details at the website.

^{New! 09.04.10}    
Creative Survival in Hard Times is a new report from New Deal of the Mind, commissioned by the Arts Council. It explores policy options for supporting young creatives in the UK, and the key useful suggestions are:

* “urge the next government to establish an enterprise scheme […] based on the Enterprise Allowance Scheme of 1983-91.” […] “Jobcentre Plus staff should be made aware of the value to the creative industries of encouraging some jobseekers to take a self-employed option.”

* “a national mentoring programme and call on larger employers to draw up guidelines of good practice that encourage their senior staff to participate.”

* “The creation of hubs, incubators and spaces where artists and creative entrepreneurs can work” […] “with grants where appropriate.”

* “Employers in the creative sector should ensure their professional skills training is readily available to [their] freelancers.”

* “The creative industries should investigate as a matter of urgency, the likely impact of two-year degree courses”

^{New! 09.04.10}    
Added to the Directory: new Stoke-on-Trent based record label pro2Type Records.

^{New! 02.04.10}    
Job:  The Stoke campus of Staffordshire University requires an Art Shop Technician (Ref. AMD09/10). This is a part-time post, working only during term-time. Application deadline: 14th April 2010.

^{New! 02.04.10}    
The Staffordshire County Show (June 2010) has announced a special new Woodfest section, located in woodland adjacent to the site, which may interest crafts makers working in woodland and countryside crafts — and could be a good networking opportunity.

Added to Creative Stoke, 2nd April 2010

^{New! 02.04.10}    
The Staffordshire County Show (June 2010) has announced a special new Woodfest section, located in woodland adjacent to the site, which may interest crafts makers working in woodland and countryside crafts — and could be a good networking opportunity.

^{New! 02.04.10}    
A new report published by Arts & Business, “Private Investment in Culture“, has found that private investment in the Midlands has decreased by around 25% since 2007/8, compared to a national drop of just 7% in the face of the recession.

UK business giving to the arts, 2008/9.

^{New! 02.04.10}    
The UK Film Council has just launched a new Film Fund and has application details online. The Fund is a central part of a new three-year raft of projects. There should also be a national online talent showcase launching in Autumn 2010, along with a new £5m Innovation Fund. The existing Digital Innovation in Distribution funding strand will be continued, and will offer seven further awards of up to £30,000 each.

^{New! 02.04.10}    
Staffordshire University requires a Senior Researcher in Media Arts & Technologies (Ref AMD09/13). You will already have a PhD, and experience of writing successful funding-bids and delivering research projects. Deadline: 13th April 2010.

Added to Creative Stoke, 1st April 2010

^{New! 01.04.10}    
The Old Post Office Gallery is seeking local artists to exhibit alongside work by noted international ceramic maker Dr. Seong Heon Kim, who is currently completing his artists residency in The Post Office Studios (located in Buslem, Stoke-on-Trent). Work must link strongly to the theme of… “the origin and survival of life forces”. Application deadline for proposals: 9th April 2010. The exhibition will run from the 30th April – 20th May 2010. Full information and an application form from Lindsey Cotterill at: oldpostofficegalleryburslem@gmail.com

^{New! 01.04.10}    
Staffordshire University requires an External Projects Officer to provide maternity leave cover until 31st October 2010. You’ll research, develop and monitor sources of funding for research, enterprise and innovation activity. Application deadline: 12th April 2010.

^{New! 01.04.10}    
Added to the Directory: Peter Branson, a local poet published widely in Britain and the English-speaking world. Available for poetry readings and to lead creative writing groups. Until recently Peter was ‘Writer in Residence’ for the All Write project run by Stoke-on-Trent Central Libraries.

^{New! 01.04.10}    
J. Weston Drum Tuition is a new drum tuition service based in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent (just opposite the Crown Hotel). All are welcome to learn the drums with an experienced, professional musician. Teaching is focused on each individual and can be in any style of music. Teaching can be directed to Rock School, ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal School of Music) and Arts Award grades. There are separate beginner and intermediate workshops for adults and children to learn, meet new people and have night out — for just £20 for two hours. Drum Doctor is a speciality, and they can clean and tune your kit for you. The first “Open Day” is on Easter Sunday, from 10am until 5pm — so feel free to come along and have a look. More information from: jwdrumtuition@googlemail.com

^{New! 01.04.10}    
Stoke-on-Trent’s Urban Burn is currently seeking dancers for a performance-based professional dance group. They are seeking strong males and females, who are reliable, flexible, adaptable and have a great potential stage-presence. Auditions will be held at the Urban Burn Dance Studio, which is based at St. Peters’ High School, in Penkhull. Suitable audition clothing and shoes, please. First Audition: Monday 26th April 2010 (8:00pm – 9:30pm). Call Backs: Tuesday 27th April 2010 (8:00pm – 9:30pm) or more information please call Mark Barnett on 07754 255770.

^{New! 01.04.10}    
Job: Stafford Gatehouse Theatre requires an Audience Development & Promotions Officer. Deadline: 12th April 2010. Full details from: humanresources@staffordbc.gov.uk