E-bulletin	16 December 2008

In this months Bulletin

Forum update

Artsminds Gathering

On the 26th November Artsminds held a very enlightening and discussion based debate on the subject of PR and getting the best from it.

We were joined by guests Sheila Roberts, who has a wealth of experience in PR and Marketing, Rhona Black from Blue Click PR and dave King, the Editor of the Swindon Advertiser.

The notes from the meeting will be circulated as there was some very valuable information provided and discussed. More to follow Shortly.

Swindon Music Forum

On the 18th November the Swindon Music Forum met and presentations were given on what has been happening over the past months and the future direction as plans for the forum.

Full details will be sent out shortly explaining structurally how it all fits together and the role Artsminds has.

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Spotlight On

The Director of Expressive Arts Department at Dorcan Technology College, has been in touch. Their Drama department at Dorcan school is in need of creating a collection of costumes. They were hoping that Artsminds members may be able to help! If you have any contacts that might help them do get in touch. They are after any company, theatres, production companies etc who may have costumes of any sort that they do not need or could let the school have.

Any help you can give will be appreciated, contact Kelly Matyla, Director of Expressive Arts, Dorcan Technology College. On 01793 525231 Extension 139

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Opportunities

BRIEF FOR WRITERS & VISUAL ARTISTS

REACH in Dorset is one of four regional projects to create sustainable partnerships between the arts and health sectors. The scheme was initiated by Arts Council England South West and includes projects in Bristol, Devon and Somerset. REACH in Dorset is a partnership between Bridport Medical Centre and Bridport Arts Centre with support from Dorset Primary Care Trust.  

REACH in Dorset is grounded in evidence that participation in the arts, physical exercise (walking) and experiencing nature have all been shown to improve mental health. The project will involve two artists (a writer and visual artist) leading walks and workshop sessions in which participants can respond to nature.

Full details can be found in the Project Brief click below:

REACH Project Brief (PDF - 29KB)

SALT Residency Programme

PVA MediaLab is a dedicated artist-led space which supports creativity and research, nurtures artists and engages with local and wider communities.

The studio is offering space to enable artists to dedicate time to the exploration and development of their practice, and an opportunity to share the outcome of that research period at a platform event.

Full details can be found in the Proposal Guidelines click below:

Residency Proposal Guidelines (Word Document - 35KB)

Jobs

An Urgent Request for a Theatre Director!

Please help us find someone extraordinary from Wessex/SW Counties for this wonderful piece of theatre: It is an Equity Fringe paid job

As One Theatre are looking for an experienced and sensitive theatre director to work for them on ‘Hey Baby!’ a multi-media piece of theatre; a brand new piece of writing by Nell Denton for the company out of workshops with Surestart parents.

Commitment required: There will two rehearsal days and an evening for a rehearsed play reading coming up January 14th & 15th plus rehearsal for a preview tour Mon 2  up to and including  previews Thursday 19th and 20th March; then a four day rehearsal planned (it might be bumped forward a week) for an autumn tour period Mon 7 – 10th September.

‘Hey Baby!’ interweaves six stories of pregnancy: from accidental teen-mum to last-chance 40 year-old mother. This is an ensemble piece with 2 F’s and 1 M taking on 23 roles between them aged 15 – 45 years – quite a feat. All this connected by Baby’s journey.

There is projected image, commissioned music by Simon Swarbrick (to be used throughout when the director sees fit but definitely to support projected images of everything from: the sea and rocks off the Island of Weymouth & Portland (where the stories have been gathered) to Testosterone & Oestrogen (stunningly beautiful shapes and colours) and our generic Embryo/Foetus/Baby’s journey in the womb with Baby’s voice imaginatively written in verse; the rest of the play is in narrative and memory scenes.

If this is of interest please get in touch as they want to cast as soon as possible

Jane McKell, Artistic Director, AsOne Theatre , www.asone-dorset.co.uk

01305835541    07778737700

Hey Baby Flyer

Cultural Leadership Programme: Associate Producer (External Projects) - Arnolfini, Bristol

The CLP is offering an innovative emerging or mid-career placement to work with Tom Trevor, Director and Nav Haq, Exhibitions Curator at Arnolfini, leading on the development and realisation of artists' projects out of the building, including context-led and participatory work, touring exhibitions and site-specific performance events.

This placement provides the opportunity to work with a major arts organisation with real responsibility for the delivery of external projects. Arnolfini is committed to placing research, partnership and interaction at the heart of its mission. The post-holder will be centrally placed in the delivery of this exciting new vision for a 21st Century contemporary arts centre.

For more details click on the following link:

Placement document

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News

You Tube seeks to create online orchestra

deadline: 28 January 2009

Video sharing website, You Tube is launching a competition to discover new classical musicians. In a bid to create an online orchestra, they are asking musicians to submit videos of themselves performing a specially created score by Grammy and Oscar-winning composer, Tan Dun. Musicians can download the score and view a video clip of Dun conducting - you also need to submit a video of you playing a famous classical piece of your choice.

The winners, selected by a panel of judges and then a public vote, will be flown to New York's Carnegie Hall to play at a classical music summit. The 'YouTube Symphony Orchestra', as it will be called, is seen as a unique moment in classical music, bringing musicians together in a new and exciting way. You can hear Dun talk about the project, download the score and find out how to submit your video at http://uk.youtube.com/symphony

New BBC1 TV show seeks performers

deadline: 31 December 2008

A brand new entertainment show is coming to BBC1 in the New Year. It's not a talent competition and there are no judges or public voting - just a chance to shine. 'Dream Performance' is looking for people with a hidden talent they're longing to unleash or anyone who has always wanted to learn a new performance skill.

Alternatively you might want to transform your wedding dance into a sizzling spectacle with the help of world class professionals or re-enact your favourite moment in pop, comedy, TV or movie history. Or just say a big thank you to someone special by having their favourite star serenade them.

If any of the above applies to you - or if you have your own fantastic performance idea - call Laetitia on 0208 576 7978 or e-mail laetitia.nneke@bbc.co.uk for more information. To nominate yourself or someone else as a potential star, go to www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/beonashow/entertainment.shtml and fill in the application form.

Small Charities Coalition launches new website

The Small Charities Coalition launched a new website Monday 1 December 2008 at www.smallcharities.org.uk. The site is best described as a match-making service for the voluntary sector, allowing small charities to meet and share resources. The Coalition hopes that it could potentially become the largest self-help collaborative project the charity sector has ever seen.

For more details about the Small Charities Coalition please contact John Barrett at john.barrett@smallcharities.org.uk or 020 7391 4812.

www.smallcharities.org.uk

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Funding

Awards for festivals

The 2009 deadlines have been announced for the Performing Right Society Foundation - Awards to Festivals scheme.

The scheme is open to not-for-profit festivals in the United Kingdom that are programming new music by UK-based music creators.

It supports festivals that challenge musical boundaries by programming ground-breaking music; develop new audiences for new music while keeping existing ones stimulated; generate opportunities for the creation of new music, eg through commissioning or the provision of creative workshops and education projects;

work collaboratively with other organisations; and are financially stable and effectively managed.

There are two levels of funding; awards up to £3,000 and awards over £3,000.

The scheme offers a contribution towards a festival's overall budget, including running and administration costs.  

Festivals cannot apply for single performances or projects.

Awards are made through two rounds each year.  

The first 2009 deadline for applications is 6 February 2009.

Application forms will be available from December 2008.

www.prsfoundation.co.uk

Awards for performing artistic groups

The Performing Right Society Foundation has announced its first deadline for the 2009 Awards to Performance Groups scheme.

The scheme is open to performance groups based in the United Kingdom, including duos, bands and symphony orchestras, which perform in public together regularly.  The scheme supports sustained activity rather than one-off performances.

There are two levels of funding: awards up to £3,000 and awards over £3,000.  The funding is available to contribute towards the total budget for performing activity for up to a period of one year.

Awards are made through two rounds each year.  

The first 2009 deadline for application is 6th February 2009.  

Application forms will be available from December 2008.

www.prsfoundation.co.uk

Funding music projects for the elderly

Concertina makes grants to charitable bodies which provide musical entertainment and related activities for the elderly and are keen to support smaller organisations which might otherwise find it difficult to gain funding.

Charities are invited to make an application to the Trustees via the Administrator by providing

details of:

•their ‘objects’

•financial position

•the sector of the elderly community which it benefits

•the amount sought

•proposed cultural activities or related facilities it intends to provide

Application form available from the website.

The trustees next review applications on 31 January.

Sally Dyson – Administrator, 20 Kent House, Aylesford Street, London, SW1V 3QB

Tel: 020 7976 5785

info@concertinamusic.org.uk
www.concertinamusic.org

Funding to finish short films

The UK Film Council has made available £70,000 through its Short Film Completion Fund 2008/09 to provide finance and support for short films that show outstanding potential but lack the funds to finish. The fund is part of the New Cinema Fund's programme to enable directors and producers to push their creative boundaries, develop new talent and to invest in short films that illustrate unique ideas and an innovative approach. There will be two calls for proposals, and funding will be available for up to 14 films.

The deadline for the 1st call for proposals is the 5th January 2009.

http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/shortfilms

Understanding biomedical research through art

The Wellcome Trust is inviting organisations and individuals to apply for funding through its Arts Awards. The Arts Awards support projects that engage the public with biomedical science through the arts including dance, drama, performance arts, visual arts, music, film, craft, photography, creative writing or digital media.

Applications are invited for projects up to £30,000. The aim of the awards is to support arts projects that reach new audiences which may not traditionally be interested in science and provide new ways of thinking about the social, cultural and ethical issues around contemporary science.

The scheme is open to a wide range of people including, among others, artists, scientists, curators, filmmakers, writers, producers, directors, academics, science communicators, teachers, arts workers and education officers. Examples of projects involving schools that were selected last year are:

·“Life Drawing!” – Warwickshire County Council worked with three local secondary schools to explore the role of drawing in helping young people to understand the concept of biomedical science.

·“One Blood” is a performing arts project run in collaboration with St Paul’s Way Community School. The project uses dance, sound and art to explore the journey of blood through the body.

·“Me, Myself and MRI” is a collaboration between Geodesic Arts and Archbishop Holgate’s School to examine the science and ethics of neuroimaging through a programme of workshops for young people.

For small to medium-sized projects (up to and including £30 000) the next application deadline is the 9th January 2009.

http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/Public-engagement/Grants/Arts-Awards/index.htm

Scholarships for crafts people

The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust was established to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Royal Warrant Holders.

Association and the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

Awards are available to fund further study, training and practical experience for craftsmen and women who want to improve their craft and trade skills.

Open to craftsmen and craftswomen of all ages who live and work permanently in the UK. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they already have a high level of skill and are firmly committed to their craft or trade.

You can download an application form available from the website or you can send an A4 self addressed envelope with a 50p stamp to the above address.

The deadline for applications for the spring 2009 scholarships is 9 January 2009.

Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust
The Secretary
Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust
No 1 Buckingham Place
London SW1E 6HR

Tel: 020 7828 2268
qest@rwha.co.uk
www.qest.org.uk

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