Added to Creative Stoke, 30th April 2011

^30.04.11   
A venue in nearby Derbyshire is seeking five Film & New Media Artists for a site-specific arts residency in Derbyshire. The Level Centre, Rowsley, is a well-equipped centre which is seeking artists for 1st to 5th June 2011. The application deadline is 20th May 2011. There are bursaries available for anyone selected for the residency, to cover accommodation and meals. The residency is open to individuals or groups. If you would like to apply then please email David Gilbert at:  info@re-place.co.uk   Include your C.V., links to your work on the web, and a short document telling them why you would like to take part.

^30.04.11   
Staffordshire Arts & Museums Service is inviting volunteers, in areas such as Museum & Gallery Work, Audience Development, and Arts Development. Full details and application forms at the Web page. Many of their volunteers are undergraduate or postgraduate students studying history or arts-related courses or museum/heritage studies.

^30.04.11   
The Birmingham Chamber of Commerce has published the March 2011 edition of its free booklet A Guide To Sources Of Small Business Finance In The West Midlands. This detailed and concise guide has everything you need to know about current regional and specialist sources of funding for your small business. The Chamber’s website seems to have crashed over the long holiday, but Google has grabbed a cached copy of the March 2011 guide.

Added to Creative Stoke, 29th April 2011

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There will be a free talk by sculptor/carver/ceramicist Halima Cassell at Newcastle-under-Lyme Museum and Art Gallery on 4th May 2011 (5.30pm), accompanying her exhibition which runs to 5th May 2011. The flyer with full details is online here.

^29.04.11   
Stoke-on-Trent City Libraries are offering a chance to win a place on a creative writing course, includes one-on-one sessions with a published author and workshops, plus two leather-bound writing journals. A poem or a story story is invited (no more than 1,000 words) on the topic of “Summer in Stoke-on-Trent”. Deadline: 7th May 2011. Entries can be emailed to:  louiseann.smith@stoke.gov.uk   or handed in at the Wedgwood College (Barlaston), the City Centre Library in Stoke-on-Trent, the Gladstone Museum, or the city’s branch libraries at Meir, Bentilee, or Tunstall. Please note that any course-offer for the winner is not automatic — the course has a qualifying condition (a further qualifying 500-word piece must be submitted).

^29.04.11   
The Exchange artists’ shop in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, is to have its first Saturday brunch (breakfast/lunch) event. “All artists and associates are invited to come along to meet others, do a bit of networking and share ideas.” The date is 7th May 2011 (11am and 3pm) and the cost will be £2 per head — RSPV if possible, please. More details from:  charlene.h@virgin.net

^29.04.11   
Shropshire & Telford Artists in Residence programme is calling for Emerging Freelance Artists and Dancers. They have two placements for dance practitioners , with another five opportunities for practitioners in drama, music, new media and visual art. They aim to support dancers and artists who are at an early stage of their career, and who wish to develop their practice and work collaboratively with schools to learn about ways of developing creative curricula. Each placement involves 5 x 3 hour sessions in one allocated school, a total of 15 hours of work. Total fee for each placement is £270, travel is not included. Send an up-to-date C.V. detailing your artistic practice and a short statement explaining the following: Why you wish to apply for the position; Which preferred local area you wish to work in; What you would offer during a school placement; How would a placement benefit your future working practice. Deadline: 17th May 2011. Full details from Judy McFall at Telford Culture Zone at:  judy.mcfall@telford.gov.uk

^29.04.11   
Dr. Fred Hohler, founder and chairman of the Public Catalogue foundation, will be giving a free talk about the PCF’s sterling work in recording and photographing the oil, acrylic and tempera paintings in Staffordshire’s publicly-owned museum and other collections. The date is Saturday 21st May 2011 (11am to 2pm, booking recommended) at the Shire Hall Gallery in Stafford town. The resulting heavily-illustrated book for Staffordshire is available to order online from the PFC, or can often be picked up in used condition from Amazon UK. Those interested in the book may also be interested in the earlier 2005 Public Sculpture of Staffordshire and the Black Country catalogue, which was researched and produced by the School of Theoretical and Historical Studies at Birmingham City University.

^29.04.11   
Are you a young Staffordshire artist interested in rural topics? The Royal Bath & West Festival has a 2011 scholarship available. You’ll be a practising young artist between the ages of 21 and 30 years old, inspired by any aspect of rural life or landscape in the British Isles. The Scholarship is worth £3,000 to help further your career, and you’ll also be offered your own exhibition in the gallery at the Royal Bath & West Show, with the opportunity to sell your work. See the website for full details.

^29.04.11   
Firm dates have been announced for the major Stoke-on-Trent Ceramics Biennial — 30th September to 13th November 2011. Application forms are now available at the Biennial website for the 2011 edition of Fresh, an exhibition of the work of 40 graduate ceramicists. Also now available at the website are application forms for the Research Residencies (deadline: 31st May 2011), in which artists will be commissioned…

“to undertake explorative research, with the freedom to work within the [ceramics] industry to explore, challenge and work with its materials, processes and products.”

There are also five small £1000 commissions for new work to be shown at the former Spode site from October 2011.

^29.04.11   
The Ideas Fund Innovators funding scheme is open to UK creatives aged between 16-25 who have a firm creative project that could do with a cash injection. They’re offering 10 x £1,000 each to help get projects launch. Application deadline: 20th June. The project must take place between July 2011 and February 2012. Full details from the website or:  info@ideastap.com

^29.04.11   
Dogwoof are a leading UK film distributor for social issue films and documentaries, and they are currently looking…

“for bright, innovative, entrepreneurial people who are reliable, well-connected online and in their local area, and who are interested in film and/or social issues.”

Interested? Call 0207 326 5979 for further information.

Added to Creative Stoke, 27th April 2011

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Job:  A children’s summer holiday camp (split between nearby Shopshire and Guildford) requires a freelance practical Film Tutor for six weeks of production work. The selected person will work from 21st July – 4th September 2011. Application deadline: 17th May 2011. Full details from:  zoe@rollingsound.co.uk

^27.04.11   
Do you make artists’ books? Over in the East Midlands, “Crop” are looking for selected works to exhibit in an exhibition, and to include in a catalogue published by the University of Northampton. Initial submission is via emailing three photographs in total, as either .tif or .jpg files at medium resolution (180dpi). Higher resolution images will be required if selected. If your work is “like a book” then submit photos of the cover, of a spread and of a close-up (cropped). If your work is “like an object/sculpture” then submit photos of front, of another view and a close-up (cropped). Original books must be under A3 in size, and under 1kg in weight (if it is selected and needs to be returned to you). There is no entry fee. Deadline: 1st June 2011. To get an idea of the type of work wanted, last year’s catalogue can be viewed online here.

^27.04.11   
Added to the directory (blogs): Stoke photography student Joshua Platt has a new weblog.

^27.04.11   
The event listings are starting to pile into the new UK National Art & Design Month website. Their postcode search facility has currently crashed, but North Staffordshire events during May 2011 include Staffordshire University crafts makers exhibiting at the threatened Victorian Steam Mill at the Etruria Industrial Museum in Stoke-on-Trent (4th May – 5th June 2011); and the Burslem Arts Festival on 2nd May 2011.

^27.04.11   
The re:claim organisers are looking for team of volunteers to help out with their major performance event at the disused Spode pottery in Stoke town. The flyer with details is available here.

^27.04.11   
The local Potteye blog has dug up an interesting table which shows how much Stoke-on-Trent Council arts funding has been withdrawn from groups, since 2008/9. The list appears to show that local groups such as: Airspace gallery; Beavers Arts Ltd (aka bArts); Burslem Arts Festival; Cultural Sisters; Frontline Dance; Planet Sound; and the Youth Arts Forum have in total been cut by around £33,445 a year since 2008/9. (The Potteye website is run by a Councillor and it appears to have had to go offline due to the Electoral Commission publicity rules in the run-up to an election, but the table can also be downloaded here).

Added to Creative Stoke, 23rd April 2011

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Job:  Stoke-on-Trent’s Ceramics Biennial requires a Community & Education Programme Co-ordinator to deliver of a series of public engagement and education projects. Application deadline: 13th May 2011. Full details at the website.

^23.04.11   
The West Midlands film-making agency Screen WM is distributing £100,000 of Lottery/BFI money in the form of a new Transition Fund. The Fund is intended for projects in film education, film festivals, film-maker support-networks and film archives, and the money has to be spent in advance of Screen WM’s closure. Bids are invited up to a max. of £25,000, and the activity must be completed by 30th September 2011. Application deadline: 20th May 2011. Screen WM will be replaced by a new film agency called Creative England, which is due to open in Birmingham in October 2011. Creative England will distribute Lottery money to film-makers in both the West and East Midlands.

^23.04.11   
Belinda Latimer is set to run a two-day “Creative Expression & Relaxation through Art” event at The Hayes in Stone, Staffordshire. The dates are Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th May 2011, (9.30am – 4.30pm each day). Full details on the course flyer.

^23.04.11   
Staffordshire Performing Arts is holding a “Day of Dance” workshops on 28th May 2011 (9.15am – 3.30pm). Deadline for applications, 6th May 2011. The application form is available here.

^23.04.11   
There’s a one-day course at Leamington Spa (easily accessible on the train from Stoke), “Marketing Projects for Young People in the Arts, Youth and Cultural Sectors”. The date is 19th May 2011 (10am – 4.15pm). This is a professional development opportunity for those developing marketing techniques to promote youth arts projects successfully. Cost: £75. Full details from Artsplan at: artsplan@artswork.org.uk

^23.04.11   
Fancy motoring over to nearby Shropshire to learn how to build a treehouse? “Build Your Own Tree House with Rob Rowe” is the title of an afternoon event on 21st May 2011 (2pm — 6pm). Cost: £20. Find out how to pick the right tree, which materials and tools to use, how to plan and design. Places are limited, so it’s essential that you book in advance. Full details from:  discovery.centre@shropshire.gov.uk

Added to Creative Stoke, 19th April 2011

^19.04.11   
Place, Space and Identity 3 is the latest in a series of Stoke-on-Trent arts commissions connected with attempts to regenerate the city. There are six new commissions available to artists. The organisers are seeking proposals for… “exciting, visible, temporary and beautiful experiences” based on “ambitious, visible and physical interventions”. Commission fees/budgets will range from around £7,000 to £23,000. Application deadline: 9th May 2011. Full details and application forms from: www.psi3commissions.wordpress.com. Note that there is a requirement of the artists that… “They will positively promote the work of RENEW” — which may be a significant ethical hurdle for those who know of Renew’s treatment of vulnerable communities in places such as Middleport, and of Renew’s broader failure in relation to the city’s regeneration.

^19.04.11   
Added to the Directory:  Ripping Yarns is a knitting and textiles group, new in 2011. They meet on the first and third Saturday of each month, at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent.

^19.04.11   
Staffordshire Marketing Academy is holding an Action For Business event on 27th May 2011 at The Moat House on Festival Park, Stoke-on-Trent. The event costs £20, with profits going to charities. Action For Business will feature… “lively, short, interactive sessions” offering marketing ideas that any business can undertake.

^19.04.11   
The Collections Trust is offering volunteering opportunities at OpenCulture 2011, a major Birmingham conference to be held on the 6th, 7th and 8th June 2011. Application deadline: 26th April 2011.

^19.04.11   
Fledgling entrepreneurs looking for spaces that provide free wi-fi for netbooks/laptops/Kindles, without having to constantly spend on coffees, may be interested to know that all Staffordshire libraries now offer free wi-fi net connections. The only exceptions are the outlying libraries at Gnosall and Knutton. Stoke-on-Trent libraries don’t currently seem to offer this useful service — a search for “wi-fi” on stoke.gov.uk produces zero hits.

Added to Creative Stoke, 15th April 2011

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“The Hidden Treasures of Festival Park, Stoke-on-Trent” is the title of a free photography-&-history walk being organised for 27th April 2011. Walk the site of the former National Garden Festival and the grounds of Etruria Hall, the home of the invention of photography. Meet at the China Garden pub on Festival Park / Trent & Mersey Canal at 6:30pm.

^15.04.11   
The organisers of the Staffordshire Festival of Performing Arts are currently looking for dance & drama acts to take part in the Festival on the 8th of May 2011. Interested? Email:  staffordshirefestival@gmail.com

^15.04.11   
Job:  Cheshire East Council’s Cultural Services unit requires an artist to create vinyl-applied window treatments at the entrance to the re-developed Nantwich Pool, accompanied by an interior wall artwork inspired by local heritage, with community consultation and workshops. For a full brief please contact Jocelyn McMillan at Cheshire East Council:  jocelyn.mcmillan@cheshireeast.gov.uk

^15.04.11   
AirSpace Gallery, Hanley, is having a launch event tonight (15th April, 7pm-10pm) for the new exhibition by Jo Coupe & Linda Persson, “A Distance Between Two Points“. The show… “explores crossovers within art, the sciences and philosophy”, and the launch event seems like a good networking opportunity.

^15.04.11   
Added to the Directory:  StaffordAV, a new video production company run by Steve Bradbury, who is fresh from spending the last ten years in charge of a video production unit at Staffordshire University, and who has now gone freelance. Steve can work with both linear and nonlinear edit suites, as well as compositing software such as Adobe After Effects. Steve also has thirty years of audio and sound engineer experience.

^15.04.11   
Added to the Directory: Nic Dyde, a Stoke-on-Trent graphic designer with strong experience of producing print publications.

^15.04.11   
Added to the Directory: Staffordshire University’s Art Supplies Shop welcomes local creatives dropping in to use their special photocopiers. The copiers can produce, among other things, colour transfers. Copier cards are available to buy from the shop for £3.48. You get £1.50 credit on the card initially, and you can top it up at the shop too… any value is OK, from 1p to £30. All they ask of those who are not students or staff, is that if you have high volume of copying you give prority to any students who need to use the copiers — especially at busy times. You can also buy art supplies at the same time! The shop is located on the Stoke-on-Trent campus — find the Film Theatre (can’t miss it) and then ask a passing student to direct you to the Henrion building. Paid parking is available on the Stoke train station car-parks, and free secure cycle-locking is available at the Film Theatre or the station.

^15.04.11   
Interested in using film in education? The Light House at nearby Wolverhampton has a one-day seminar on this topic on 12th May 2011 (10am-3.30pm). This is aimed at West Midlands professionals already working with young people in schools and communities. Attendance is free but places are strictly limited. Full details from Ruth at:  ruth@21stcenturyliteracy.org.uk

^15.04.11   
Job:  Nearby Telford requires a creative facilitator for the Telford Culture Zone. You’ll coordinate and lead on their next TCZ Partnership Event in June 2011. The TCZ events bring together local cultural organisations to develop projects for children. Specifically you will facilitate by examining the TCZ’s achievements to date and considering ways the partners can continue to work together. Fee: £250 per day (travel will not be included). Full details at the website.

^15.04.11   
Oriel Wrecsam is looking for an artist to take part in their exhibition that aims to compliment the 2011 Welsh National Eisteddfod festival in Wrexham (about 35 miles west of Stoke). The exhibition’s theme will be centred around transformation or metamorphosis of space, and they are looking for work that examines sense-of-place or perception/experience of spaces, and how this can change over time and be influenced by different interventions or occurrences. Welsh-speaking applicants will have an advantage. Submission deadline: 16th April 2011. Full information from:  oriel.wrecsam@wrexham.gov.uk

Oriel Wrecsam is also looking for an artist to document and respond to the experiences of local people in the changing landscape of a residential area in Wrexham where local homes are being demolished by the Council. Submission deadline: 16th April 2011. Full information from:  oriel.wrecsam@wrexham.gov.uk

^15.04.11   
The national Creative Campus Initiative is seeking project proposals for cultural collaborations between British universities and “the arts and sports”. Three to five large-scale projects will be selected for a start in 2011 and these will run into 2012. These projects are expected to have “regional reach” and potential for national development. With two major arts & design campuses in the area (MMU at Crewe and Staffordshire Uni at Stoke) and a very sports-focussed city in the form of Stoke with its two major football teams, our area seems to stand a good chance if suitable institutions could put together a joint bid. Proposal deadline: 29th April 2011. See the website for full information.

^15.04.11   
The Birmingham European Festival is a new festival of international performers, brought to Birmingham from across Europe. The festival will also have a visual arts aspect, in partnership with metal-working firm A.E. Harris. Midlands-based visual artists are now invited to apply to present work at A.E. Harris during the Birmingham European Festival. Three artists will be selected, and work should address the theme of borders and crossing borders. Application deadline: 29th April 2011. Full details and application form at the website.

^15.04.11   
Birmingham’s Shout Festival of queer culture is inviting Midlands filmmakers and animators to submit films of up to 20 minutes. The films will be shown at the festival in Birmingham during November 2011. All types of film are welcome, from those of any sexual orientation, but your film should reflect the Shout ethos of celebrating / exploring queer culture in all its forms. The film must also have been completed in 2009 or later and must be submitted on a DVD (i.e.: no web links). The festival doesn’t seem to request exclusivity, so the film can presumably have been previously screened at other events. Application deadline: 15th July 2011. See the Web link for full details.

^15.04.11   
The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists invites submissions of work for its Open Ceramics 2011 show. They welcome fired ceramics, work produced in clay, raku, earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, etc. Entry fee is £20. Deadline: 28th April 2011. Full details at the website.

^15.04.11   
Handmade: Digital | DIY | Craft is an interesting and unusual opportunity to exhibit craft-digital work in Manchester. Do you mix contemporary craft with digital hacking, interactivities and DIY maker culture? Handmade is looking for interactive objects, installations, and performances that explore the cross-fertilisation of digital and traditional media and materials. Application deadline: 18th April 2011. An online application form is available at the website, or contact:  info@futureeverything.org

^15.04.11   
Chester is holding a National Exhibition of Wildlife Art 2011. Please note that this does not include pet portraits or botanical/flowers art. They invite submissions of painting, drawing, sculpture, and also prints (if printed by hand, e.g.: screen, woodblock, etching, monotype etc, and selected from small print runs). There also appears to be a Photography Award with a cash prize. Entry fee for the Exhibition is £25. Deadline: 8th June 2011. Full details at the website.

Added to Creative Stoke, 14th April 2011

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Stoke-on-Trent’s Ceramics Biennial now has its BCB Ceramic Awards 2011 application form online (PDF link). The Festival will take place in October/November 2011. The BCB Awards celebrate the energy and innovation of contemporary British ceramics, in the context of its long history in Stoke-on-Trent, and offer a total cash award of £10,000 across three categories…

 1. Art: one-off ceramics, ideas, installations
 2. Craft: studio production
 3. Design: ceramic design for production

Deadline for applications: 31st May 2011.

^14.04.11   
Job:  Chester Festivals require a Chester Literature Festival Manager for the literature festival which takes place annually in October. Full details from Tracy Lynn at:  info@chesterfestivals.co.uk

^14.04.11   
The Art Fund has announced it will increase its acquisition fund by 50 percent by 2014, with the help of the Wolfson Foundation (set up by the Great Universal Stores chain), committing £7 million a year to the acquisition fund. The fund helps to purchase art and archaeological finds (such as the Staffordshire Hoard) for gallery collections.

This move comes with new commitment by The Art Fund to support regional curatorial development — beginning with a new partnership with the National Gallery to nurture curatorial talent in regional museums. It’s possible that some of this new support may reach North Staffordshire.

^14.04.11   
The Art Fund has launched a special National Art Pass for those aged under-26, and this is available from today from just £18.75 a year. The pass gives free access to a variety of galleries, heritage attractions, and some National Trust properties. This includes The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, which is reported to be considering entrance changes from July 2011. The pass also gives half-price entrance to selected ticket-only exhibitions, such as major London exhibitions.

^14.04.11   
Birmingham City University is reportedly accepting enquiries now for its M.A. in Music Radio, taught at the Perry Barr campus in the north of the city. This new course is said to be the only Masters degree in the UK that focusses on music radio.

^14.04.11   
Congratulations to Martin Carver for the publication of his major new book The Birth of a Borough: an archaeological study of Anglo-Saxon Stafford. The book can be previewed on Google Books. The hardback is rather expensive, but the paperback edition is forthcoming and will be accompanied by a substantial exhibition of Mercian artefacts at the Ancient High House museum in Stafford town (opening 28th June 2011), in association with the Potteries Museum and The British Museum. The exhibition will also have accompanying “Anglo-Saxon Artisans” children’s arts & crafts workshops in July.

^14.04.11   
Garden designers in North Staffordshire may be interested in advance notice of the dates of a series of talks at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery on 11th, 12th and 13th July 2011. These talks will be part of a celebration and exhibition (11th June – 24th July 2011) of the work of James Bateman of Biddulph Grange Gardens, on his 200th birthday. Bateman was also the designer of the first ever public park in England, the Arboretum at Derby.

Added to Creative Stoke, 13th April 2011

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Added to the Directory:  A new group on Facebook, the Stoke-on-Trent Filmmakers Network, for professional filmmakers and film companies based in… “Stoke-on-Trent, and surrounding areas”. Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Cultural Development Team has funded Junction 15 Productions to act as ‘Creative Champions’ for professional filmmaking in the area. It’s not currently certain if animation is included in the Network’s remit.

^13.04.11   
Jobs:  NHS Stoke-on-Trent requires experienced artists to deliver four arts-and-health commissions for the new Integrated Sexual Health building in Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, an area known for its street prostitution. Fee: £2,300 for each artist, inclusive. Application deadline: 9th May 2011. Full brief from:  jo.bradley@stoke.nhs.uk  or  info@theculturalsisters.org.uk

^13.04.11   
Out of Hours at the Light House, in nearby Wolverhampton, is hosting an evening with noted designers Jonathan Barnbrook and We Make Art. They will showcase their latest work, and discuss current trends in the world of graphic design. 14th April 2011, £1.50 on the door. Starts at 8pm.

^13.04.11   
Jobs:  Borderland Voices’ one-year A Breath of Fresh Air project is now inviting artists to submit proposals for arts-based workshop. You’ll run workshops that will promote mental well-being, and a more general sense of self-worth, in mental health service users / ex-users in the Staffordshire Moorlands. Full details and forms are available from:  info@creativeremedies.org.uk

^13.04.11   
‘Creative Wellbeing: an arts and social care conference’ is set to happen in nearby Wolverhampton on Friday 20th May 2011. Hosted by Wolverhampton Arts & Heritage, the conference will focus on arts and social care, and showcase funded work that has happened in Wolverhampton. There will also be the launch of ArtsinMind (a local arts and reminiscence project). For further details please contact Thanh-Giang Vo, Arts & Social Care Co-ordinator at:  thanh-giang.vo@wolverhampton.gov.uk

^13.04.11   
Job:  A Teacher of Art and Photography is required at Thomas Alleyne’s High School, in Uttoxeter. Application deadline: 3rd May 2011.

^13.04.11   
The government is calling for submissions of evidence on how to best provide a rich and deep cultural education for school children and their teachers. This is part of the independent Henley review of cultural education provision in the UK.

^13.04.11   
The National Citizen Service Pilot scheme has opened the application process for organisations that want to help run the second set of National Citizen Service (NCS) pilots in summer 2012. NCS will bring together 16 year olds from different backgrounds in a summer programme of challenge, citizen service and learning, enabling them to develop the confidence, skills and attitudes they need to become more engaged with their communities and to become active and responsible citizens. The government hopes for a broad mix of organisations and groups of organisations to be involved, including arts and creative/media organisations. Application deadline: 5th May 2011. See the website for full details.

^13.04.11   
There’s a new creative business survival toolkit available for free online, courtesy of Creative & Cultural Skills (the UK sector skills council for the creative and cultural industries).

Added to Creative Stoke, 11th April 2011

^11.04.11   
Job:  Staffordshire University requires a creative and enthusiastic Theatre Practitioner. You’ll be able to teach performance skills, direct student work, and lecture on aspects of 20th Century theatre. Deadline: 21st April 2011. See the website for full details.

^11.04.11   
Staffordshire University’s dedicated art supplies shop (Stoke campus) has a Facebook page.

^11.04.11   
Staffordshire University has a new exhibition space, adjacent to the Film Theatre at the Stoke campus. The Flaxman building foyer is being curated by lecturer David Heap.

^11.04.11   
A West Midlands Writers in Schools Skills Sharing Day is happening on 21st May 2011, at the The Custard Factory, in Birmingham. Cost is £35. Full details at the website. There is also a “Getting Started as a Writer in Education” day planned for the 16th of September 2011, at Birmingham Central Library, which will then be followed in February 2012 by a further workshop on “Earning Your Living as a Writer in Education and Community Settings” — full details from:  a.caldwell@nawe.co.uk

^11.04.11   
Applications are now invited from crafts makers for the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair 2011 (Manchester, 20th-23rd October 2011). Discounted rates are available for for new makers, and applications for two people to share a stand are welcome. Deadline for applications is 29th April 2011.

^11.04.11   
Dates announced for the Nantwich Arts Festival: 18th-19th June 2011. There doesn’t seem to be any website or blog yet. Volunteers are welcome — contact Lindsey at:  lionsmade00@hotmail.com

Added to Creative Stoke, 8th April 2011

^08.04.11   
The re:claim workshops are continuing in Stoke town in advance of the performance at Spode, with additional dates added through April 2011. The first one of a new cycle starts this Saturday, 9th April 2011 (2-5pm). See flyer for more information…

Click on the picture for a larger version.

An Adobe After Affects user is also reportedly required to make a promotional video about the Spode Factory and its place in the potential regeneration of Stoke town. Ideally you’ll be an After Effects user who is also a good 3D modeller and who can composite. Full details from:  andybrass@hotmail.co.uk

^08.04.11   
Creative firms in Biddulph and Cheadle should be getting “up to 100 megabytes per second” on their BT broadband after these Staffordshire towns were today announced for BT’s phase 2 national rollout of superfast broadband. The new speeds should be enabled in those places by the end of 2011, but real-world speeds could well be lower than 100Mbps. Users may need new routers, and PCs with hardware that can handle the fast rate of data throughput.

^08.04.11   
The government has launched a Red Tape Challenge website, inviting retail firms to nominate examples of red tape and bureaucratic regulations that need to be scrapped. This follows the re-statement in the March 2011 Budget’s supporting document of the commitment that….

“all regulations identified as burdensome [on small businesses] would be removed unless good reasons are given for them to stay;”

^08.04.11   
The UK broadcaster and broadband company Sky is offering over £1.2m of new arts funding via its Sky Arts Ignition series. Sky will choose six UK arts organisations over the next three years, and fund them to create new works. Sky will provide cash of up to £200,000 for each one, as well as free air-time and marketing worth far more. Application details are here.

They also have a scheme for “emerging artists” (which here appears to mean “young”), the Sky Futures Fund, which will give five artists a bursary of £30,000 each…

“to help young talent to bridge the development gap from school or college to becoming a working artist.”