Creative Stoke news update, 28th April 2013

28.04.13   
The first pilot issue of the new Staffas magazine is now available online. This free 78-page PDF magazine is a personal ‘zine for Stoke-on-Trent & North Staffordshire. Download the PDF (19Mb) for your desktop or tablet PC.

Cover photo: David Adams.

28.04.13   
Burslem’s 6 Towns Radio has announced they will apply for a license to broadcast on FM through a restricted service license (RSL). 6 Towns is a genuine community station, in broadcasting for the last two and a half years, and dedicated team of around 100 volunteers give up their time every week to produce a wide variety of radio shows. If the RSL is granted, then 6 Towns Radio will have a short-term FM broadcast trial lasting up to 28 days.

28.04.13   
Staffordshire Innovating for Impact is a Staffordshire University event, for businesses to discover the innovation help available via the University. There are two dates: Thursday 16th May 2013 in Stoke-on-Trent, and Friday 17th May 2013 in Stafford. See the Web page for full details.

28.04.13   
There’s to be a free event on the use of QR codes, GPS and RFID technologies in nearby Telford, on 2nd May 2013 (12pm-2pm). The venue will be the Business Innovation Centre at the Sutherland Institute, on Lightwood Road in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. For more information or to book your place, contact Sandra Butterworth at:  sandra.butterworth@thebic.co.uk

28.04.13   
The Staffordshire Business Innovation Centre (BIC) has a two-hour workshop on “Using Social Media to Market Your Innovation”, at the Stafford Business Village, on 12th June 2013 (4pm-6pm).

28.04.13   
The art-led Bird Yarden project launches at the AirSpace contemporary art gallery in Hanley on Saturday 4th May (11am – 7pm). A free day of activities and talks will celebrate the launch of the Bird Yarden…

28.04.13   
AirSpace contemporary art gallery in Stoke-on-Trent has three one-week exhibition slots available in their street-facing window. Dates: 13th-19th May, 20th-26th May, 27th May-2nd June 2013. Application deadline: Sunday 5th May 2013.

28.04.13   
Artists are being asked to submit proposals for works sited anywhere in Britain’s public forests, in Open Forest. The scheme will offer £30k to make a commissioned idea become reality, and is a partnership between the Forestry Commission and Jerwood Visual Art. In 2012 Stoke-on-Trent saw the planting of three Queen’s Jubilee Woods at Chell and Fenton, a total of around 250,000 native oak trees. There are also Forestry Commission woods nearby at Cannock Chase and Dimmings Dale at Alton. Five artists will be chosen to each receive a £2,000 development grant to explore ideas over six months, with the best final proposal getting the £30k commission. With no brief, the projects considered could be permanent or could travel, and could exist in any medium. Submission deadline: 28th May 2013.

28.04.13   
Photographers’ Collective North Staffordshire is calling for submissions of photographs for its annual Open, held at the upper floor gallery of the Burslem School of Art, Stoke-on-Trent. Their annual ‘Open For All’ exhibition will run 5th May to 8th June 2013.

28.04.13   
The Community Performance Arts Centre (CPAC) is now open at 19 Birch Terrace, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent (opposite the new bus station). This serves as the home to CPAC Dance Academy, M.Y Theatre Company and the M.Y Inter-Theatre Group. The venue is now available as an affordable city-centre arts venue for hire, suitable for rehearsals, classes or workshops. There is a separate coffee lounge which can be hired as a package with cafe facility, or separately for forums and meetings. Interested? Contact Jill on 07805 443595 or elizabethjillyoung@gmail.com for further information.

28.04.13   
Jobs:  St. Margaret Ward Catholic College, Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, requires a Teacher of Music and a Teacher of Drama (0.8 as maternity cover) for the September 2013 term.

28.04.13   
Job:  St. Joseph’s College, Trent Vale, Stoke-on-Trent, requires a Director of Music.

28.04.13   
Job:  Keele University’s Faculty of Health has a vacancy for a Software Developer to work with the Web and a 3D game-engine (Unity) to develop a Web-based virtual ‘information assistant’ for the university.

28.04.13   
Job:  Keele University requires a Lecturer / Senior Lecturer in Marketing.

28.04.13   
Darren Washington’s new Gallery 116 is now open in Stoke town. It’s the same site as the old SHOP artists’ shop in 2010/11, at the main road entrance to the Spode works at 116 Church Street. Contact via the Facebook group or gallery116@hotmail.com / 075 570 58582.

28.04.13   
Good photos of your prized Spode teapots are wanted, for a summer exhibition at Spode in Stoke town. Ideally a straight-up view showing you holding the pot, and accompanied by some detail on the pot and why it’s special to you. Mail your pictures to:  hello@spodeworks.org

28.04.13   
Stoke-on-Trent arts duo Dashyline are currently undertaking a commemorative sculpture for the Lidice Shall Live campaign. The sculpture will be made by small contributions from the community…

“To contribute you must make a promise; a promise to retell the story of Lidice to two people. Everyone who makes a promise has the opportunity to be featured on the sculpture itself in the form of a large coal miner’s tag etched with their own personal code (initials and your day of birth), alongside thousands of others who have made the same promise.”

For full information visit the project’s Web page.

28.04.13   
There’s a new casting call for a short Staffordshire film by Stoke-on-Trent’s Chris Stone Films and Big Red Studio, called The Saga of the Saxon. An ambitious & committed young lad is required (unpaid, with supportive parents for transport) for a short adventure film in the vein of The Hobbit. They need someone who can playing a boy aged between 13-15, ideally local to Stoke-on-Trent. You must physically look like a young warrior (think Anglo-Saxon/Viking), and have a good range of emotional and improvisational skills. You will play alongside David Lemberg, who has been cast as the ‘Old Man’. Some rehearsals may be required, when convenient, in Stoke-On-Trent or central Manchester. Filming will be during half-term (27th May – 2nd June 2013) in Staffordshire. Please be advised filming will take place in rugged terrain and caves, in any weather conditions. The film will also be partly animated.

28.04.13   
Now online, a selection of the best films made by the second-year B.A. Film students at Staffordshire University.

28.04.13   
If you’re quick, you might just catch the big second-year B.A. Fine Art show at Staffordshire University. Ends today (Sunday)! Free. There’s also the AA2A show in the Flaxman gallery on the campus, which runs until Wednesday.

28.04.13   
The nearby Chester Performs festival is calling for artists and creative collaborators, for summer projects on Saturdays in July & August 2013. They need people who can create and run workshops, make props, make games, and do entertaining site decoration such as giant garden items, bendy mirrors, wind/solar powered props, giant storybooks, and more. Deadline for proposals: Thursday 9th May 2013. See the website for full details.

28.04.13   
Artists’ Newsletter (AN) has a new report available to subscribers, The Lay of the Land: current approaches to professional practice in visual and applied arts B.A. courses (April 2013). The report involved 25 of the UK’s 149 fine and applied arts degree courses, and it explores key problems such as: how to overcome the alleged “boredom” factor in activities such as career planning or client research; the often-fatal allure of London after graduation; and the teaching of transferable skills of use to non-arts employers after graduation.

28.04.13   
Job: a Children’s Library commission is on offer at the new Birmingham Library. They require a series of illustrations — of characters and their environment — that will be produced as large-scale soft toys/furniture and as vinyl illustrations on specified walls and floor. It is expected that children will be able to develop their own narratives and play with the characters in both informal and workshop contexts.” Fee: £1,000. Application deadline: 5pm on Monday 29th April 2013.

28.04.13   
The new Grain photography hub, based the new Birmingham Library, now has its website online. Its aim is to become a hub for photography in the whole of the West Midlands.

28.04.13    NESTA has just released its new Manifesto for the Creative Economy. Despite the fluffy title, this is a substantial and and very well-researched 128-page document with a raft of footnotes. Its aim appears to be to aid the floundering new Culture Minister, and also to help shape policy ahead of the General Election in 2015. It has a useful short summary of the UK’s post-1997 creative industries policies, and the various reactions to them among politicians and vested interests. Local and regional efforts to develop creative clusters are pithily addressed on pages 58-62.

Creative Stoke news update, 14th April 2013

14.04.13   
Job: a paid Evaluator is needed for the Enson Works Heritage Project in Stoke-on-Trent, between June and November of 2013…

“You will be collecting together information from our 10 projects, plus putting on fun, interactive evaluation sessions at our launch events,
before putting all the statistics and stories together an A4 PDF final report for our Heritage Lottery funders.”

Application deadline: 12 noon on Wednesday 24th April 2013. For more information about the opportunity contact: elise.turner@stoke.gov.uk

14.04.13   
There’s a new Facebook group for scriptwriters in and around Stoke-on-Trent.

14.04.13   
The Baring Foundation and Arts Council England have launched a new £1m fund for arts projects to bring arts to the elderly over the next three years.

14.04.13   
Stoke-on-Trent’s £3m Creative People & Places reports that their business plan has been accepted by Arts Council England. The programme will be branded as “Appetite”, and aimed at adults who have not experienced the arts before. Appetite have now announced their new appointees:

  Karl Greenwood – Project Director, previously a Project Manager for Multistory in Sandwell.
  Gemma Thomas – Creative Producer, previously a freelance arts Project Manager, most recently working with DanceXchange.
  Gary Cicinskas – Programme Manager, previously the Dance 4 Life Project Co-ordinator in Lincolnshire.

The new team will be introduced and the next steps in the programme explained, at the Mitchell Arts Centre on Thursday 9th May 2013 (5pm–7pm). “Spaces are limited so please email appetite@picl.uk.com to confirm your attendance.”

14.04.13   
Job:  there’s a paid opportunity to edit an 8-10 minute student film about the history of the Longton beerhouses in Stoke-on-Trent. Filming will take place in May 2013, supervised by professional film company Unique Media and supported by Staffordshire Film Archive. Deadline for quotations is 12 noon on Monday 22nd April 2013. For more information about the opportunity contact:  elise.turner@stoke.gov.uk

14.04.13   
Stoke-on-Trent’s Burslem School of Art is to host a Spring “Wide Open” selling exhibition in the Atrium Gallery, 1st May to 29th May 2013. Photography can be entered for the Staffordshire Photographers’ Collective Open, which will be run upstairs in parallel with the BSOA Wide Open. Full details from:  info@burslemschoolofart.com

14.04.13   
Architects and cultural historians may be interested in a talk at the Science Centre in Stoke-on-Trent, “Utopias in Urban Planning: dreams and realities“, on 15th May 2013 (from 5.30pm)…

“Utopian dreams in planning have too often resulted in disappointing realities. This lecture looks at garden cities, architectural modernism and the spread of suburbia, and their legacy in urban planning policy in the UK.”

14.04.13   
Stoke-on-Trent painter Rob Pointon now has a Kickstarter to send him on a painting trip to the streets of San Francisco, Las Vegas and New York.

14.04.13   
Staffordshire Innovating for Impact is a Staffordshire University event for businesses to discover the innovation help available via the University. There are two dates: Thursday 16th May 2013 in Stoke-on-Trent, and Friday 17th May 2013 in Stafford.

14.04.13   
Don’t forget that the deadline for application to the Staffordshire County Council Community Arts Fund is Tuesday 30th April 2013. One funding opportunity of £2,500 for each of the following districts: Stafford; Newcastle-under-Lyme; and Staffordshire Moorlands.

14.04.13   
Gone in 20 Minutes will fund eight artists or performance companies with £3,000, to develop a small to medium-scale idea or project for a new outdoor performance. Applications are welcome from… “all art forms including circus, dance, theatre, music and visual arts or a combination of the above”. Application deadline: Friday 19th April 2013, at 5pm.

Creative Stoke news update, 7th April 2013

07.04.13   
Jobs:  Volunteers are required for North Staffs TV, a new service which aims to start delivering local TV content for North Staffordshire via the internet. They are holding two open days in Stoke-on-Trent. The first will be Thursday 11th April 2013 (6.30pm). The second will be on Saturday 13th April 2013 (2pm). High demand for places is expected, so they require potential attendees to commit to attending by requesting a place via an email, clearly stating your skills… “and how you think you can assist North Staffs TV”. North Staffs TV is looking for a wide variety of skills… “from presenters, camera crew, editing team, production, Web editors, journalists and content writers, administrators, graphic designers and much more.” The application email address is:  volunteer@northstaffstv.com

07.04.13   
The Chartered Institute of Marketing is hosting a talk on the art of sales copywriting, How to write words that sell… and engage, in Stoke-on-Trent. This is stated on their website as being a… “Free event for members and non-members.” It is set for the 24th April 2013, at Ashley Conference Centre, Staffordshire University (Stoke campus). Full details from the Web page.

07.04.13   
Denise O’Sullivan’s Pop-up Emporium now has booking forms available for those wishing to take a selling pitch at either the Lymelight Festival in Newcastle-under-Lyme (May), or the London Road Festival in Stoke town (June).

07.04.13   
Artists are wanted by Tiled Space. Tiled Space is a Stoke-on-Trent company which manufactures bespoke ceramic tiles. This has led them into many different areas, including community arts projects, supplies to tile shops and distributors, and services for architects and interior designers. They are now considering the development of a range of Aga panels for kitchen splash-backs, for sale through independent tile shops and bespoke kitchen companies. For this they are asking artists to submit their designs, with a view to compile a portfolio of suitable artists. Tiled Space hope to find designers who cover a range of different styles and themes, but who can work to their specific need for custom-made panels and splash-backs. For more information, or to apply, please send an artist’s statement and up to 5 .jpg images to Mark Wood at:  mark@tiledspace.com

07.04.13   
Added to the Directory: Tiled Space, a Stoke-on-Trent manufacturer of bespoke ceramic tiles.

07.04.13   
Added to the Directory: Creative Walls and Floors, a specialist in… “unique natural, handmade and ceramic tiles, featuring the largest variety of limestone, slate, terracotta, ceramic, porcelain, mosaic, glass, and feature tiles in Stoke-on-Trent.”

07.04.13   
Added to the Directory: The Firing Line, a Stoke-on-Trent firm offering bespoke runs of white and coloured biscuit ceramic tiles.

07.04.13   
Added to the Directory: H&E Smith, specialist tile manufacturers based in Stoke-on-Trent.

07.04.13   
Local artists are invited to submit work for the 2013 Staffordshire Open Art exhibition at the county’s Shire Hall Gallery in Stafford (18th May – 14th July 2013). Entry is limited to anyone… “who lives, works, studies or who was born in Staffordshire”. Full details at the Web page.

07.04.13   
Job:  A part-time Community Engagement Worker is needed by PiCL as part of Stoke-on-Trent’s forthcoming £3m Creative People & Places programme. This will engage adults with the arts, and will be branded as ‘Appetite’. Application deadline: 19th April 2013. Full details from:  appetite@picl.uk.com

07.04.13   
The “new baby boom” is obvious all around us, and those shaping creative and commercial responses to this boom might be interested in the 2013 Children’s Media Conference. This is being held on the other side of the Peak in Sheffield, and is trailed as… “the most important event in the UK calendar for everyone involved in developing, producing and distributing content for kids.” Dates are 3rd-5th July 2013. Also of note for those interested in creating products for the boom is the UK’s major expo The Baby Show, down at the NEC in Birmingham, on 17th-19th May 2013.

07.04.13   
Burton-upon-Trent is to host a large conference for those who work with very young children and their music / movement skills. The 2013 UpBeat Conference 2013 is set for 16th April 2013, and is being staged by Make Some Noise with support from East Staffordshire Borough Council. The venue will be the town’s Brewhouse arts centre. Full details at the Web page.

07.04.13   
Added to the Directory: Stoke-on-Trent based Little Dreams, a bespoke furniture manufacturing firm with a wide range of products.