Added to Creative Stoke, 26th February 2012

^26.02.12   
Robert Burns has a new short drama film online now. The movie was filmed in Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent…

^26.02.12   
Added to the Directory:  Carse & Waterman Productions, animators based in Stoke-on-Trent. Ten months after starting their business, Carse & Waterman Productions are working with the likes of the Santander bank, and telecoms giant AT&T. Both animators were trained at Staffordshire University in Stoke-on-Trent, and chose to stay in the city after graduation.

^26.02.12   
Congratulations to Anne Rodgers. Anne and her Alsager Pottery featured recently in The Guardian newspaper.

^26.02.12   
AirSpace Gallery in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, is considering its future with a month-long stocktake this Spring…

“Over the next few weeks, we’ll be holding a series of workshops, meetings and events, providing an open, public forum to feed into and create the critical evaluative content necessary to make the decisions we need to make.”

No specific event dates yet, but watch the website for more information.

^26.02.12   
Job:  High Peak Community Arts, in the nearby Peak District, is looking for a permanent Arts Development Worker. You’ll… “develop, co-ordinate and conduct High Peak Community Arts’ outreach programme of community arts projects with children and families and local communities”. Deadline: Noon on 27th February 2012. See the website for full details.

^26.02.12   
Jobs: a Lecturer in Music Technology and a Lecturer in Musical Theatre is wanted by the nearby University of Wolverhampton. Their School of Performing Arts also needs a Performance Hub Promoter. See their website for full details.

^26.02.12   
Job:  currently floating around anonymously on the recruitment agency sites…

“£110 – £140 per day. We are currently looking for an Art and Photography Teacher in Staffordshire to start immediately and continue for 2 terms in the first instance. The school is based just south of Stoke and has recently changed to an academy…”

^26.02.12   
Crafts makers based in the West Midlands may be interested in a one-day seminar event for those interested in… “the potential opportunities for working with industry”. The Accidental Pathways event is in Birmingham on 14th March 2012.

^26.02.12   
Job:  The nearby Lichfield Festival is seeking a Development Manager.

^26.02.12   
The Library of Lost Books. The Library of Birmingham, one of the largest in Europe and currently undergoing a huge move-and-rebuild, is calling on book artists and crafts makers in the Midlands to…

“rescue old, discarded and damaged books and to re-work them”

^26.02.12   
The Theo Moorman Trust For Weavers is offering grants to recent-graduate weavers in the UK.

^26.02.12   
Some advance news for summer 2012. Summer of a Lifetime is aimed at young people in school year 11, who have just completed their G.C.S.E. exams, and… “who are up for a challenge over summer 2012.” It’s part of the UK’s National Citizen Service Programme, and it’s reported to be set to run in Staffordshire. More news on creative opportunities within this new scheme, as Creative Stoke gets them.

Added to Creative Stoke, 20th February 2012

^20.02.12   
The Wedgwood Museum in Barlaston, just south of Stoke-on-Trent, is holding a crafts market on 20th May 2012 to showcase the best in local crafts and handcrafted foods. The organisers are now inviting applications from Stoke and Staffordshire artists, designers and designer-makers — as well as artisan food producers. Interested? Send JPG photographs of your work, and a short description, to:  emma.mather@wedgwoodmuseum.org.uk

^20.02.12   
Pierre writes from London that he is…

“a designer looking for a ceramist to source bisque porcelain bowls (30 to 50) for a commission as part of one of my projects. I was wondering if you could point me into
the direction of one or more ceramists who would be interested in doing this kind of work for me.”

Interested? Please contact Pierre on 07595 772101.

^20.02.12   
Preview test riders are wanted for the new Nemesis Sub-Terra theme-park ride at Alton Towers, scheduled to open in March 2012. Application deadline: 26th Feb 2012. The new mega-ride will form the centerpeice of the Alton Towers rides in 2012 and…

“will take thrill-seekers deep underground the site in North Staffordshire to reveal an elaborate network of ancient caves”.

^20.02.12   
Virtual Worlds in Education Forum is a one-day event at Staffordshire University’s Stafford Campus on 21st March 2012 (9.30am to 4pm). The event is intended as a forum to share experience, information and good practice of using a virtual world (such as Second Life) in a teaching context. This is a free event, but please contact the RSC helpdesk, to find if your organisation is eligibile to access RSC events:  support@rsc-wm.ac.uk

^20.02.12   
Keele University appears to have a new(?) undergraduate degree course in Creative Computing. This is a Dual Honours course and melds Computer Science with… “computer animation, multimedia, web design, virtual worlds and games programming”.

^20.02.12   
Keele University is to host a conference of historians and 19th/20th Century literary specialists, “Science and Literature, 1800 to Present: Two Cultures or Co-evolution?“. This postgraduate conference is set for 12th May 2012. The event will examine the long history of interplays between the sciences and the arts, seen most especially in the ‘hard’ literary science fiction of the 20th century. The conference takes place against a backdrop of increasing interest by historians in how science-fiction has subtly but directly influenced the direction of scientific developments.

^20.02.12   
Need to hammer out the terms and conditions offered by your new business? The local solicitors Grideys are running a free lunchtime business seminar to… “provide you with an overview of the key elements of good Terms and Conditions of Business.” The date is 1st March (12pm – 2pm) at the Chamber of Commerce HQ on Festival Park, Stoke-on-Trent. Lunch and refreshments available from 12 noon. See the website for full details.

^20.02.12   
Staffs Live has a video look behind the scenes of Stoke-on-Trent’s massive 012 Dance event…

^20.02.12   
A one-day Puppetry Workshop is to be held at the Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent, on Saturday 24th March 2012 (10am to 3pm). Explore puppetry performance by making your own puppet for short scenes. This appears to be a children’s event and is open to those aged 10yrs+. Cost is £15 (£12 concessions). Tickets are available from The Regent Theatre Box Office on 0844 871 7649.

^20.02.12   
Stage Experience 2012 is a series of summer workshops at the Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent. The pencilled-in dates (may be subject to change) are 6th to 18th August 2012 (9am to 6pm). 120 young aspiring performers will be selected to be part of the two week intensive summer school. Industry professionals will choreograph, direct and musically direct a large-scale stage production, supported with professional equipment. The experience will finish with four public performances of the chosen production, onstage at The Regent Theatre. The experience is open to those aged between 9 and 25. Cost is £180. Application packs are available via:  stokecreativelearning@theambassadors.com

^20.02.12   
Creative Minds Festival is set to be held at the Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent, from 2nd to 5th July 2012. Application to perform are now welcome from any and all local community groups, schools, colleges. The Festival is open to school pupils from KS2 and above including, Further & Higher Education, as well as from Sixth Form Colleges and Universities. However, to qualify, the group or school wishing to participate must be within the city or county boundaries of Stoke-on-Trent or Staffordshire. More information from:  ianmoore@theambassadors.com

^20.02.12   
Advance notice that The British Council has announced it is launching a £750,000 fund to support English artists to travel, explore and collaborate internationally. The Artists International Development Fund will open for applications in March 2012. More details and a link will be on Creative Stoke after launch.

Added to Creative Stoke, 14th February 2012

^14.02.12   
Added to the Directory: Heron Cross Pottery of Longton, Stoke-on-Trent.

^14.02.12   
The new Asda supermarket store at Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, wants to commission a £25k road-junction sculpture.

^14.02.12   
Design Space in Birmingham is currently recruiting 20 jewellery designer makers, for 12 month self-employed business residences in the Jewellery Quarter. Application deadline: 29th Feb 2012.

^14.02.12   
The 2012 Staffordshire Performing Arts Festival is seeking… “unique and exciting films” in the following categories: Best Animation; Best Film; Best Short Film (UK); Best Short Film (International); and Best Documentary. Full details at the website.

^14.02.12   
A Stoke Stone & Stafford Social Media Surgery is set for 12th March 2012 (7pm – 9pm) at The Royal Exchange in the town of Stone.

^14.02.12   
BCRS, a local lender and manager of funds that provides finance to small businesses, is running an “Access to Finance” event in North Staffordshire. The date is 27th February 2012. Full details and booking form at the Web page.

^14.02.12   
Stoke’s Pits and Pots political blog now has a Kindle edition, with a monthly subscription of 99p.

^14.02.12   
Keele University is currently offering a rare paid M.A. Studentship for 2012-2013, a Masters in Creative Writing. Application deadline: 17th February 2012.

^14.02.12   
The University of Manchester has a rare funded PhD Research Award in Art History available for September 2012. Application deadline is 15th February 2012.

^14.02.12   
The UK’s Clore Leadership Programme is inviting applications for 2012/13 Fellowships in its “Strengthening Leadership in the Cultural Sector” leadership programme. Application deadline: 24th February 2012

^14.02.12   
Newcastle-under-Lyme College is offering firms using apprentices a free “training needs analysis” worth £250, £500 off purchased training courses, and… “a range of other special offers on adult learning courses at the College for employees”. See their website pages for more details.

^14.02.12   
Advance news, that the government’s £1-billion Youth Contract scheme is set to launch in April. Employers will get a wage subsidy of £2,275 for employing a suitable 18 to 24 year-old for six months. In addition, all unemployed people aged 18 to 24 will be entitled to a shorter work-experience placement “lasting up to eight weeks”, with 20,000 additional incentive apprenticeship payments to encourage firms to induct successful work-experience people into formal apprenticeships.

Added to Creative Stoke, 5th February 2012

^05.02.12   
Applications are invited for the live/work apartments in Queen St, Burslem, in the north of Stoke-on-Trent (within easy walking distance of Longport train station). These are one-bedroom flats where you can live and run a business for around £300 per month. If you’re starting a creative business, or already have one, enquire by email to:  livework@midlandheart.org.uk

^05.02.12   
James Capper is seeking local businesses with shop fronts, for his Shopscape photography series. Pictures will be included as part of the current “Picturing the Potteries” exhibition at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent. Interested? Email Ivy Wong at:  ivy.wong@stoke.gov.uk

^05.02.12   
Up to 50 apprenticeship places are reportedly available via Staffordshire University’s careers service. Employers get the services of a graduate for six weeks, to help them develop part of their business, for pay of just over £1,500. Full details from:  internships@staffs.ac.uk

^05.02.12   
Added to the Directory: the Opening Doors design agency, based in Congleton.

^05.02.12   
Jollies Arts & Crafts is looking for creative people to run workshops, classes or sessions in their crafts room at 6-8 Liverpool Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme. These classes should complement the existing groups doing calligraphy, card-making, and parchment craft. They are keen to introduce a Saturday manga/anime art group for teenagers. Interested? Contact:  jolicoeur@btconnect.com

^05.02.12   
Ron Machin is a practising artist living in the Staffordshire Peaks, and for several months each year he lives and works in the northern Loire in France. He would like to offer a free talk to local groups about the French gite & arts studio. Interested? Please contact:  rtpmachin@btinternet.com

^05.02.12   
Ceramics: Making, Collecting & Selling is a course at the Burslem School of Art in Stoke-on-Trent. Built from several modules: take part in all of them, or choose the one that most appeals for you. Enrollment is 7th February 2012. Full details are available online or from:  ieva@burslemschoolofart.com

^05.02.12   
J.W. Drums of Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, has teamed up with Afterimage Studios to offer affordable sound recording and video production to bands and musicians in the local area. Full details at their website.

^05.02.12   
Staffordshire Festival for Performing Arts is calling for creative writers (authors of short stories and poetry). They will be displaying several of the successful entries at venues during the Festival, and a select few will also be asked to read their work during the Youth Choir of the Year Competition. A book is also planned, to showcase the entries. Deadline: 30th March 2012. See the website for full details.

^05.02.12   
Staffordshire Festival for Performing Arts is holding a competition to find the Staffordshire Youth Choir of the Year. Any School or Youth group which wants to take part should contact the Festival organisers for an application pack. The competition will be on 3rd May 2012, and you could win a chance to record your song in a recording studio.

^05.02.12   
Stoke Your Fires film festival now has tickets available for events such as The Producers Forum Presents… and All Fired Up (Film Industry Calling), several workshops and masterclasses, and a 72 hour film-making challenge. Volunteer helpers are also needed.

^05.02.12   
Coming soon are several free creative half-term activities for 11-19 year-olds in Stoke-on-Trent. The venue will be the Victoria Hall, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Tasters for film making, animation, drama, mask-making and more are on offer. Sessions run at the following times: 11am-1pm and 2pm-4pm on the 14th, 15th, and 16th of February 2012. The organisers say: “Please try to arrive 30 minutes before sessions start — places will be allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.” For further information email:  integrated.services@stoke.gov.uk

^05.02.12   
Stoke-on-Trent’s three Business Enterprise Support coaches have helped more than 150 people start businesses, and the scheme is now reported to have gained new funding of £380,000 from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). More information about the Enterprise Coaching scheme can be had through local Jobcentres or by e-mail from:  info@enterprisesupport.org

^05.02.12   
Stafford Art Group will be hosting a number of artist workshops during 2012, in Littleworth Community Centre, Stafford. The first is on 3rd March with watercolourist Sue Sareen. Cost is £20 per person. Full details from:  staffordartgroup@gmail.com

^05.02.12   
Job:  Wrekin View Primary school, in nearby Shropshire, is to hold an outdoor World Festival day on 13th July 2012. Expressions of interest are sought from arts practitioners who have experience of delivering exciting, inclusive & child-centred workshops, — based on the main geographical areas of the world — to children in School Years 1 to 6. Application deadline: 29th February 2012. Full details from the School Creative Project Manager, Nicky Dupays, at:  nicky@nickydupays.com

^05.02.12   
MyStreet is a nationwide UK competition for anyone in the UK to submit a short documentary film about their street. Animators are also welcome. Films can be from 90-seconds to 9 minutes long, and must be “PG”-rated. Winners get a share of £6,000 in prizes, and a showcase screening at the Open City London Documentary Festival. Deadline: 1st May 2012.

^05.02.12   
Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust runs an Older Adults service at Edward St Hospital, West Bromwich. They would like to offer the opportunity for a volunteer to work with the Occupational Therapy team there, to facilitate a creative Arts Group for older adults with poor mental health and/or dementia. This would involve a commitment of six hours a week on Tuesdays, for two sessions @ 3 hrs per session. If you are interested please contact the Creative Projects Co-ordinator at:  ruth.harvey-regan@bcpft.nhs.uk

^05.02.12   
Job:  Sound It Out Community Music is looking for a Programme Officer, to work in cultural cohesion and refugee arts. You will also be responsible for attracting and administering funding for these activities. See the website for full details. Application deadline: 8th February 2012.

^05.02.12   
Stockport Art Gallery is holding an Open Art show. They are inviting artists to submit two new art works (completed in the last year), which have not been previously exhibited. £6 per item entered. See the website for full details.

^05.02.12   
The nearby Peak District is running a Young Artist Competition, which is open to art students in the UK, aged from 16-19 at 22nd July 2012. Full details on the website.

^05.02.12   
Birmingham’s The Silent Movies Animation Challenge is challenging animators to bring to life a unique collection of silent movie scores. The musical scores have been recorded by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. They ask animators to create a short animation that: resonates with the music and the era; conveys a flavour of a city that has ‘rediscovered’ musical treasure in its archives; uses the word Birmingham or includes an image of the city. Deadline: 10th April 2012. Entries should be sent as a .mov file via Dropbox to:  rgreen@cbso.co.uk