Added to Creative Stoke, 30th October 2010

^{New! 30.10.10}    
Vortex Creates has been commissioned to produce costumes for the forthcoming ‘Light Night’ event in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. As part of the commission they are running a costume masterclass in designing and making large-scale costumes. The date will be Friday 19th November 2010 (10am-4pm), at the Victoria Hall, Hanley. Places are limited, so booking is essential. Booking is online via Eventbrite. Further details from Nicola at:  inspire@vortex-creates.co.uk

^{New! 30.10.10}    
There’s a West Midlands artists’ book and independent publishing fair, happening at New Art Gallery Walsall on 27th November 2010 (11am-4pm). The event includes a drop-in book-making workshop, and a panel of book artists and curators in conversation.

^{New! 30.10.10}    
Making Art History is a 10 week programme at Wightwick Manor, near Wolverhampton, starting Nov 2010 and leading to an exhibition in Spring 2011. The cost is £135 to West Midlands artists (must have a good degree in their current art form), and the application deadline is 1st Nov 2010. For more information email: enterarts@hotmail.com

^{New! 30.10.10}    
The Festival of Quilts, an annual exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham, is calling for submissions for the 2011 show. Registration deadline: 29th April 2011.

^{New! 30.10.10}    
The Guldagergaard is the Danish ceramic research center for development of ceramic art, craft and design. They are currently inviting professional artists to apply for a residency. Application deadline: 15th November 2010. Full details from:  ceramic@ceramic.dk

Added to Creative Stoke, 28th October 2010

^{New! 28.10.10}    
The makers of Palindrome, a short experimental film being made in Stoke-on-Trent, need to cast a boy and a girl…

“Palindrome is a short experimental film that shows a story both forwards and backwards, that is both different and the same. The idea came from a personal interest in language form, and inspired by this I have been interested in finding a way of creating a palindromic piece of artwork.”

^{New! 28.10.10}    
Wild Stacks is a new online short-fiction magazine based in North Staffordshire. The magazine publishes fantasy / horror / science-fiction, and stories “which explore and expand the imagination”. It is hoped that the best online stories will be published annually, as a print edition.

^{New! 28.10.10}    
The Buxton Poetry Competition 2011 is now open. The theme for 2011 is ‘Fire’.

^{New! 28.10.10}    
Sustrans, the national cycling charity responsible for creating and expanding the wonderful National Cycle Network is running a film-making competition. Several of the NCN’s long-distance paths go through North Staffordshire. Deadline: 30th November 2010. Creative Stoke has the flyer (just click on it to enlarge)…

^{New! 28.10.10}    
Are you making steampunk crafts? James Richardson-Brown of The Artificers’ Club has partnered with “one of the UK’s leading art publishers” to edit a book-length collection of the best work from contemporary steampunk maker-artists. Being considered for inclusion requires membership of The Artificers’ Club (free, but application is dependent on the work being high-quality).

^{New! 28.10.10}    
Job:  Saint George and St Martin’s Roman Catholic Primary School — located in Birches Head, Stoke-on-Trent — is looking for a creative partner to explore the topic “Weird and Wonderful World”, from a natural science / geography angle. Fee available: £3,000. Application deadline: 9am, 15th November 2010. Interviews: 19th November 2010. Full details are online here.

^{New! 28.10.10}    
The 1st UK Disability Film Festival comes to Stoke-on-Trent on 3rd December 2010, with a day of films at The Film Theatre. Likely to be a good networking opportunity. On the same day, in the afternoon, The Light House in Wolverhampton has a An Introduction to Directing Workshop (age 19 – 25) that is part of the same Festival.

^{New! 28.10.10}    
Staffordshire Dance Collective has a guest workshop with Bettina Strickler to 14th November 2010 (1pm-4pm). To book your place email Clare at:  admin@staffsdancecollective.co.uk

^{New! 28.10.10}    
Job:  Cheadle Primary School (Staffordshire) are seeking a Designer/Maker and a Drama Practitioner, Writer or Storyteller. An interest in gardens and gardening would be an advantage, although not a necessity. They are looking for Creative Partners to explore stimulating and imaginative ways of developing language and writing skills through creating a garden in the school grounds. Fee available: £3,000. Application deadline: 15th November 2010. Full details are online here.

^{New! 28.10.10}    
Added to the Directory: Heather Boardman, garden designer. In 2002 Heather was approached by Country Living magazine to create “A Country Living Garden for an Urban Space”. The garden was awarded a Gold Medal by the Royal Horticultural Society and won Best in Show. In 2003 she created a garden for Laura Ashley and won another R.H.S. medal, gaining national press coverage. Heather also writes a weekly newspaper column, and is a member of The Garden Writers Guild.

Added to Creative Stoke, 24th October 2010

^{New! 24.10.10}    
The Conjunction art show (now on in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent) has an Artists’ Talk afternoon on Saturday 30th October 2010. It’s at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery’s Forum Theater, 1pm – 4pm, and will feature Paul Rooney, Juneau Projects, Michael Branthwaite, and the Curators of Conjunction.

^{New! 24.10.10}     Added to the Directory: Indira Verdi, an art photographer based in Stoke-on-Trent.

“Elephant Woman” by Indira Verdi.

^{New! 24.10.10}    
Job:  Leasowes Primary School, Stafford are looking for a creative partner to help Year 5 children to develop their investigative skills outdoors. Fee: £3,850. Application deadline: 8th November 2010 by 4pm. Interviews: Monday 15th November 2010. Full details are available online.

^{New! 24.10.10}    
Job:  A role-play practitioner is required to work with Bentilee Nursery School, Stoke-on-Trent. They are seeking to answer the question: “Could working with a drama and role-play specialist, provide stimulating and practical learning experiences for children and their parents, which in turn would impact upon their imagination and vocabulary acquisition?” Application deadline: 15th November 2010. Fee: “up to” £3,850. Full details are available online.

^{New! 24.10.10}    
Job:   Walton Special School (Eccleshall, near Stafford) seeking a dynamic person or company to enable the school students to become film makers. You’ll work with our Year 11 and Year 13 children (20 children in total), and their teachers, supporting the school in rethinking our approaches to raising standards in the use of media and in particular, film making. Application deadline: 10th November 2010. Fee: £3,200 “plus resources”. Full details from Amanda Cameron at:  mrscameron@waltonhall.staffs.sch.uk

^{New! 24.10.10}    
Lyon, France, is holding a European Conference on Creativity in Working-class Neighbourhoods, which seems relevant to Stoke-on-Trent. The dates are 25th to 27th November 2010 and…

“there will be plenary sessions, workshops and exchange platforms for artistic and cultural projects.”

The full programme is available online. Cheap flights from Birmingham International to Lyon seem to average out at about £150.

^{New! 24.10.10}    
The Community Radio Fund is inviting applications for temporary radio licences. The application deadline is 9th November 2010. The Fund provides community radio licensees with the core costs of running a community radio station, on the condition that the station has a genuine social purpose and works to involve the local community in the running and providing of the service. More details at the website.

^{New! 24.10.10}    
Job:  Sundorne Infant School, located in nearby Shrewsbury, Shropshire, is looking for an inspirational creative practitioner or practitioners (any discipline) to find new and exciting ways to engage a group of 14 boys in their learning – particularly literacy and writing. Fee: £3,500. Deadline for applications: 16th November 2010. Full brief from the Creative Agent:  alisonhaynes@talktalk.net

Arts cuts round-up

This seems to be the gist of the most recent arts/culture cuts…

Direct cuts:

* BBC — 16% percent cut to its budget, licence fee frozen for six years.

* National museums — grants cut by 15%, but must keep free admission.

* DCMS (Department of Culture, Media and Sports) — must cut administration costs by 50% by 2014, and overall costs by 25%. Capital spending down from £1.5/£1.4 billion to £1.3/£1.1 billion (reports vary). As part of this, the cuts passed down from the DCMS to Arts Council England will be 29.6%. Arts Council England are then only allowed to pass on cuts of 15% to “front line” arts orgs over the next four years. The Cultural Olympiad (a bolt-on for the Olympics) is likely to see heavy cuts.

* Creative Partnerships (artists into schools for short projects) — scrapped.

* CABE – the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment — scrapped

* English Heritage — cut by 32%.

* UK Film Council — scrapped

* University teaching budget cut by 40%. With science and technology ring-fenced, there is likely to be a disproportionate impact on the arts and humanities — and thus on the part-time and visiting-teacher jobs that have traditionally supported artists and writers. “Arts and humanities courses could end up with more or less all their state funding for teaching withdrawn.” — BBC.

Indirect cuts:

* Transport settlement will mean higher long-distance rail and bus fares, with knock-on effects on long-distance pleasure travel to events and heritage sites.

* Funding for local councils cut by 25% (7.1% each year until 2014). There will be a temptation for councils to cut ‘soft’ services, like arts and culture. All revenue grants to local councils will no longer be ring-fenced.

* Administrations for Scotland and Wales to be cut by more than £4bn, with a possible knock-on effect on cultural services.

Still uncertain:

* Housing Market Renewal (i.e.: mass demolition of people’s homes) funds seem likely to vanish – along with associated artists’ commissions.

* National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA)… “will leave the public sector and become a voluntary body, operating as a charitable organisation.”

Some snippets of good news:

* Schools will have increased funding to cope with the new ‘baby boom’ that’s now starting to appear in early years classes. Some of this may trickle down to sustained ‘early years’ arts programmes.

* School participation age to rise from 16 to 18, possibly leading to opportunities for 16-18 year olds to do arts/media production-oriented subjects.

* 75,000 “Adult apprenticeships” — possibly a few of these will be in high-demand media-production areas.

* £530 million for super-fast broadband services to two million households, rural broadband initiatives protected.

* Overseas aid budget protected — although grants to the cultural promoters at the British Council (which promotes British culture overseas)… “will be at a reduced level”.

* BBC to get an “ongoing funding of up to £5m per annum from 2014/15” to buy in local content for up to “twenty local TV services”.

Added to Creative Stoke, 21st October 2010

^{New! 21.10.10}    
Job:  Staffordshire Arts and Museum Service (SAMS) would like to commission a bespoke interactive and multisensory sculpture, designed to tour community venues and school settings. Deadline for application: 19th November 2010. Total fee is £8,000. The full brief is here (Word .doc).

^{New! 21.10.10}    
The next Stoke-on-Trent Social Media Surgery will be on 1st November 2010, 6pm – 8pm at The White Star pub in Stoke-upon-Trent (Stoke town, ST4 1JB).

^{New! 21.10.10}    
Local author Shaun Jeffrey will be signing copies of his high-octane zombie novel Deadfall (on Amazon and the Kindle) at Waterstones in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, on Saturday 30th October from 11am – 12noon. One of Shaun’s books is currently being made into a feature film in the USA.

^{New! 21.10.10}    
The Rialto Ballroom will be known to many a seasoned ballroom dancer. It is now re-opening as a brand new studio on Church Street, Stoke-upon-Trent, for K.Dee.K Danceworks. They’re offering a free Ballroom and Latin Taster Class for adults at the Rialto from 6-7pm on Thursday 21st October 2010.
More information from:  info@kdeekdanceworks.co.uk

^{New! 21.10.10}    
Staffordshire Jelly is holding its third shared working day for those who work at home, on 28th October 2010 (9am – 5pm) at the Moat House hotel on Festival Park…

“a chance to get out of the (home) office and work alongside other like-minded business people, for a day, for free.”

Full details on the website.

^{New! 21.10.10}    
The record of the recent Parliamentary ‘Future of the Wedgwood Museum’ debate, is now available on Hansard.

^{New! 21.10.10}    
The Film Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, will be celebrating local creative history with a Spode Night on 17th November 2010 (7.54pm)…

“An evening celebrating the Spode factory in Stoke, with a selection of archive films stretching back over eight decades. Also – a tribute to Robert Copeland, who frequently helped SFA celebrate Spode and narrated various films.”

^{New! 21.10.10}    
Lee Deaville and Richard Pekar’s film The Last Train to Budapest has its world premiere at The Film Theatre on Wednesday 3rd November 2010 (7.45pm). Creative Stoke’s interview with Richard is available here.

^{New! 21.10.10}    
Interested in how disused rural buildings can be tranformed for use by crafts makers and media producers? English Heritage has just published the final report of the West Midlands Farmsteads and Landscapes Project.

Added to Creative Stoke, 20th October 2010

^{New! 20.10.10}    
The Burslem School of Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent, has a new opportunity to display contemporary jewellery, small ceramics, textiles, glass, metalwork and other applied arts and crafts in two craft showcases that will be programmed in monthly exhibiting slots. Deadline: 31st October 2011. Contact: Ieva Alksne, via the School of Art.

^{New! 20.10.10}    
Job: Packmoor Primary School, Packmoor, Stoke-on-Trent, is looking for a Creative Practitioner who can help develop a thirst for writing and develop the children’s imaginative thinking around a project titled “Questions, Questions, Questions”. Fee: £3,000. Application deadline: 5th November 2010. A full brief is available online at this web page.

^{New! 20.10.10}    
Job: St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School, Norton Le Moors, Stoke-on-Trent, require a Creative Partner to construct a playful and investigative technology-loaded project that begins with the working title, “Augmented Reality Marks the Spot”, intended to enable a class to work with and in the local outdoor environment. Fee: up to up to £3,500. Application deadline: 12th November 2010. Full brief from the Creative Agent:  wayne.thexton@gmail.com

^{New! 20.10.10}    
Job: Ifton Heath Primary School, in Shropshire, are looking for two inspiring creative practitioners to work on an Enquiry Project with Black Country Creative Partnerships. They would like to work with a 3D designer/maker to work with the two classes and staff to transform an outdoor space into a flexible ecologically-sound theatrical arena, and a second artist from a writing or performing background to explore ways to use the space creatively. A total fee of £3,000 is available to include all planning, delivery and evaluation. Application deadline: 8th November 2010. For a copy of the brief please email the Creative Agent, Kate Buttolph: play.on@ukonline.co.uk

^{New! 20.10.10}    
Job: Gladstone Primary School in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, would like to work with a Creative Practitioner with drama/writing skills and one with graphic-design/web-design skills. Application deadline, 8th November 2010. A budget of £3,000 available. For a full brief and details of how to apply please visit this web page.

^{New! 20.10.10}    
The Public in West Bromwich is calling for touch-screen artworks (1280px x 768px resolution, 17 inch screen, Windows). Deadline for submissions is 26th November 2010. Full details at the the web page.

^{New! 20.10.10}    
Royal Birmingham Society Of Artists (RBSA) is calling for entries from across the West Midlands to their RBSA Open All Media Christmas show. Entry forms are now available. Schedules to be returned by: Wednesday 17th November 2010 – 4.00pm. Handing in date: Sunday 21th November 2010. Exhibition open: Wednesday 24th November to Friday 24th December 2010. Private View: on Thursday 25th November – 7.00pm.

^{New! 20.10.10}    
Know an emerging artist who lives just over the border in Derbyshire? You might like to tell them that individual new and emerging professional artists in Derbyshire can now get small Marketing Grants of £500 from Derbyshire County Council.

Added to Creative Stoke, 18th October 2010

^{New! 18.10.10}    
Fantasy author Alan Garner on video, talking about the inspiration he draws from the history and sense-of-place in and around Alderley Edge (located about 20 miles north of Stoke-on-Trent).

^{New! 18.10.10}    
A new North Staffordshire writer’s group has emerged, Renegade Writers Group, for writers who “dare to be different”. They meet every Wednesday (7.30pm-9.30pm) in the Jolly Potters pub, Hartshill. See the website for more details.

^{New! 18.10.10}    
Is anyone in North Staffordshire offering local piano lessons, suitable for someone with a learning disability who is currently trained to Level 3? He can read music, and is keen to learn more. Interested? Please contact craigjames_24@hotmail.com and he can put you in touch with his client.

^{New! 18.10.10}    
Job:  Birmingham’s Craftspace and The Community Integration Partnership (CIP) are seeking a contemporary craft maker to offer residency workshops for refugee and newly-arrived women. It is envisaged that they will be asking for a commitment of 24 days between January – July 2011 @ £250 per day (including travel and VAT) plus materials: 18 days of workshops, the remaining days for planning, constructing work and evaluation. Deadline for application: Friday 12th November 2010. For a full brief please email: e.daker@craftspace.co.uk

^{New! 13.10.10}    
Whixall CE Primary School — located in Whitchurch, North Shropshire — is looking for one versatile practitioner or a team of two from any creative field/s. At this stage children’s ideas include using the school grounds and places in Whixall, for a fun project to help to develop their writing skills using their senses. Fee: £3,200. Application deadline: 8th November 2010. For a copy of the full brief please email Creative Agent, Kate Buttolph, at:  play.on@ukonline.co.uk

^{New! 13.10.10}    
Much Wenlock Town Council, in nearby Shropshire, wish to commission an artist to work with local communities in and around the town to develop designs for public art. Application deadline: 15th November 2010. Fee: £6,000. For a full artists’ brief please contact Sharon Clayton by email: WenlockTownCouncil@shropshire.gov.uk

^{New! 13.10.10}    
Stoke-on-Trent’s DATfest has a website and firm dates, 25th – 27th February 2011. It’s set to be a digital festival for North Staffordshire, held at venues in and around Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent…

“You can expect to see a number of events and workshops centred around digital art, digital and social media.”

^{New! 13.10.10}    
“Animating the West Midlands” is a free event for animators on Thursday 4th November 2010 (7.30pm-10pm), at Millennium Point, Birmingham…

“A celebration of all things animation in the West Midlands, the free Animation Forum WM and Flip event features a screening of locally produced shorts from Flip 2010, along with an introduction to Second Home Studios’ Viral Kitchen scheme – which teams budding animators together to create an animated viral short. It’s all followed by a free first drink on us at the iBar in Millennium Point, where there’ll be the chance to rub shoulders with fellow animators.”

To attend, please email info@light-house.co.uk with ‘Animating the West Midlands – RSVP’ in the subject line.

^{New! 13.10.10}    
Birmingham’s Birds Eye View Film Festival 2011 has officially opened submissions, and are seeking short films from women film-makers in the West Midlands. Submission deadline: 5th November 2010. For further information please visit the website or email Jon at:  submissions@birds-eye-view.co.uk

^{New! 13.10.10}    
“How To Be An Award Winning Short Filmmaker” is a one-day event to be held at Millennium Point in in Birmingham, for film-makers in the West Midlands. Saturday 20th November (10am – 4pm)… “will equip you with all of the skills, tools, contacts and top industry tips needed to become a successful filmmaker.” The cost is £50, but this comes with a free Associate membership to the Birmingham-based The Producers’ Forum (worth £50). Contact Rebecca to book your place at:  info@producersforum.org.uk

Added to Creative Stoke, 10th October 2010

^{New! 10.10.10}    
Beyond 2010 is a major conference in Birmingham, looking at how to used digital media as part of a strategy to cope with the coming funding cuts, and set to co-incide with the government’s announcement of the details of the all-important next Government Spending Review.

^{New! 10.10.10}    
Job:  St Augustine’s Church of England First School in Draycott-in-the-Clay, East Staffordshire, requires Creative Partners to explore stimulating and imaginative ways of engaging with Science. Ideally they want a Designer/Maker and a Drama Practitioner, but will also welcome applications from other disciplines. Budget: £3,000. Application deadline: 1st November 2010. For a full brief and details on how to apply please visit PiCL.

^{New! 10.10.10}     Job:  Hollinsclough Church of England Primary School, located in Staffordshire Peak District near Buxton, need a creative partner…

“who can use their creative practice to help us understand the needs, values and ideas of all our stakeholders. Once we have consulted with our pupils, their parents and our community we would like to come together in designing, building or personalising an outdoor classroom space.”

Fee: £2,850. Application deadline: 29th October 2010. For a full brief and details on how to apply please visit PiCL.

^{New! 10.10.10}    
Jobs:  Merlin Studios North, part of the Alton Towers theme park and gardens, are advertising for freelance/fixed-term staff in areas such as sculpting, 3D prop-making, and scenic arts. Application deadline: 18th October 2010. Full details from: Edwin Kirham, Group Theming Production Manager, Merlin Studios North, Alton Towers, Alton, Staffordshire, ST10 4DB.

^{New! 10.10.10}    
Margaret Drabble reviews Matthew Rice’s new book The Lost City of Stoke-on-Trent in this week’s Spectator. The review is available to read online…

“The Potteries are one of the strangest regions in the British Isles, and Matthew Rice’s The Lost City of Stoke-on-Trent celebrates their extraordinary oddity.”

^{New! 10.10.10}    
Churnet Valley Books of Leek have published a new book of Arnold Bennett’s Uncollected Short Stories 1892-1932.

^{New! 10.10.10}    
As part of the ongoing SHOP artists’ shop project in Stoke town centre, local artist Anna Francis will be offering several events. You do not need to book for these events, however if you could email newgenerationspace@googlemail.com so that there is an idea of numbers likely to be attending the event.

Event 1: Saturday, 16th October 2010:

1pm – 2.30pm — Anna Francis: Walking in the City.

3pm – 4.00pm — The first episode of Talking City Live.

Anna will give a talk about her practice to date which explores the impact of art and culture on regeneration. Anna will discuss
the varying activities that she finds herself undertaking in order to operate as an artist in the City.

Event 2: Saturday 23rd October 2010:

1pm – 2pm — Talking City: On Location in Stoke Town Tour

2pm – 5pm — Regenerating Stoke Town with Anna Francis

Anna will lead a tour of Stoke Town, which will attempt to point out the parts of the town that are working very well, as well as picking up on the areas which require the most interventions. This is a session for artists, encouraging new ways of looking and seeing. The afternoon will culminate in a re-visioning activity – to explore how artists could be involved in the regeneration process underway in the town.

^{New! 10.10.10}    
Jobs:   Wolverhampton’s Art Gallery Team is seeking a qualified and enthusiastic Curator. You will work with the Head of Curatorial Services on the art exhibitions programme, and undertake exhibitions and associated activities. You must have at least one year of experience in curating exhibitions. A post-graduate qualification in Museum Studies or a related subject would be an advantage. Application deadline: 22nd October 2010.

^{New! 10.10.10}    
Julia Smith at Stoke-on-Trent City Council writes to say she’s part of a group planning a ‘Dare to Scare’ day at the Sunday Market on Halloween, 31st October 2010 (11am to 3pm), with cookery demonstrations, decorations, face-painting, etc. As part of this they are seeking someone who can do fantastic pumpkin carving demonstrations. Interested? Please email: julia.smith@stoke.gov.uk or phone 01782 233148.

Added to Creative Stoke, 7th October 2010

^{New! 07.10.10}    
Jobs:  Woodfield Infant School, located in nearby Shrewsbury, are seeking two creative practitioners from complementary creative spheres. The project will centre on one class of 30 x year 1 children, and explore the question “How can exploring our community shed light on other communities?” Staff and children are also keen to make use of digital technology to support and document this project, but are open as to the form the work may take. Fee: £1,500 per artist. Application deadline: 1st November 2010. For a copy of the brief please email the Creative Agent, Kate Buttolph:  play.on@ukonline.co.uk

^{New! 07.10.10}    
We Are Birmingham shop, to be located in the Dale End part of the city centre, is calling for sale items created exclusively in Birmingham and the West Midlands by artists and crafts workers. Interested? Take your work along on one of the review days, 10th and 11th October 2010, from 12pm-6pm at Moseley Exchange, 149-153 Alcester Road, Birmingham, B13 8JP. Once the shop is open, there will be weekly review sessions for prospective suppliers.

^{New! 07.10.10}    
The FLIP Animation Festival (4th-6th November 2010), to be held in nearby Wolverhampton, now has the programme online. Plenty of workshops, training, and industry panel discussions.

^{New! 07.10.10}    
Partners in Creative Learning (PiCL, formerly Creative Partnerships) is holding an informal networking evening for creative practitioners. You’ll find out how to engage in PiCL projects, and receive advice and insight into the application process. The event will be on 13th October (6.30pm – 9pm) at 14a King Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme. To reserve a place at this free event, please book online.

^{New! 07.10.10}    
The Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Museum and Art Gallery, is to hold a Collectors and Collecting Seminar on 12th October 2010 (2pm – 4pm). The seminar will look at relationship between artists and investors in arts, and at what it takes to be a collector and to become a collected artist. Speakers are Stephen Snoddy, director of the New Art Gallery, Walsall, and another special guest still to be confirmed. Spaces are limited, so booking is essential. Please call 01782 261221.

^{New! 07.10.10}    
Jobs:  Newcastle-under-Lyme -based B-Arts write to say they have a couple of opportunities — for a Web Developer to support the Datafest festival that is set to form a fringe festival alongside the Stoke Your Fires Animation Festival in 2011. B-Arts also requires a Trainee Music Worker.

^{New! 05.10.10}    
Channel 4 is reported as being set to axe the Birmingham-based 4iP fund, which has its main offices in Birmingham, and which had a remit to invest in interactive new-media content development in the regions.

^{New! 05.10.10}    
A new set of Creative Commons (i.e. free to use) pictures of the new Sixth Form College at Stoke-on-Trent.

Added to Creative Stoke, 5th October 2010

^{New! 05.10.10}    
Blackfriars School, locate in Newcastle–under-Lyme, requires a creative individual or company to “engage and inspire staff working with pupils who have a wide range of special needs and some challenging behaviours.” Fee: £3,500. Application deadline: 31st October 2010. Full details are here.

^{New! 05.10.10}    
Is provision of artists’ studio space and dedicated live-work space important for you? NFASP are conducting a new up-to-date survey of artists’ studio groups and organisations in the UK, to inform ongoing lobbying on behalf of the studios sector. NFASP has commissioned researchers Suzanne Golden and Lee Milne to conduct the survey; they will be available to answer any questions that arise at:  nfasp2010survey@yahoo.com . You can also contact NFASP if you would like further information or have any queries at:  ask@nfasp.org.uk . The survey data gathered will remain confidential.

^{New! 05.10.10}    
Are you professionally involved in folk events? There’s a national event happening not too far from Stoke. The Folk Industry Day 2010 will be held in Nottingham on 19th November 2010…

“Join an action-packed and thought-provoking day of keynote speeches, workshops, presentations, discussion, showcase performance and debate across three strands. You can spend the day on one strand or drop in and out of all three.  1. The English Folk Dance & Song Society presents ‘Folk Arts Education’; 2. The Musicians Union presents ‘Making it in the Folk Music Business’, and 3. FolkArts England presents ‘The Complete Package / Selling Folk’.”

^{New! 05.10.10}    
Learning Through Dramatic Enquiry is a forthcoming PiCL conference for education professionals. The date is 14th October 2010 (8.45am – 3.30pm) at Stoke-on-Trent Repertory Theatre on Leek Road, a short walk from the city’s intercity train station. Tickets cost £85. Full details at the web page.

^{New! 05.10.10}    
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Museum and Art Gallery are planning two exhibitions and are now calling for artists and makers who would be interested in submitting work. The first exhibition is about The Sea — the curators are looking for work inspired by the sea including weather, animal-life, boats, etc. The exhibition is planned for May-July 2011. The second exhibition will be called Wood, for artists makers who work in wood (including basketry and wicker). The dates for this exhibition have not been set yet, but Wood is likely to be shown in 2011. If you are interested in submitting work for either exhibition, please email:  nulmuseum@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk (including images if possible) by 31st October 2010.

^{New! 05.10.10}    
The Burslem School of Art, Stoke-on-Trent, is putting on a Winter Art & Craft Show on Sunday 12th December 2010 (11am-6pm). They are now inviting entries. All crafts / art must be made by the exhibitor, and “bought in, or imported” crafts will not be accepted. Deadline: 22nd November 2010. Full details from:  events@burslemschoolofart.com