Support for the sector
OPPORTUNITIES, SUPPORT AND NEWS THIS WEEK
|
|
|
Artist to work in school: Langley Fitzurse C of E Primary School
Langley Fitzurse C of E Primary School is looking for an artist to amaze, excite, inspire their children in September 2021. They would like the whole school to create a new artwork/s for their school hall around the theme of constellations and the stars. They are looking for an artist who has experience of working with 4 – 11yrs inclusively within schools and can give a clear vision of the project by sending in 4 images of previous work or projects, a CV and a rough idea of what you propose to do within the budget. Those interested should contact Helen Rimmer, hrimmer@lfssq.wilts.sch.uk by the 20 July.
The Difference We Make, An introduction to social impact: POP Ideas and Iridescent Ideas
This workshop presented by POP Ideas and Iridescent Ideas, is an introduction to social impact reporting, measurement and management. You'll cover the basic principles of social impact: exploring how to start off measuring the impact your organisation is having. This workshop is aimed at people just starting an organisation or community project or who are new to the world of proving social impact. You’ll leave the workshop with a better understanding of how to put social impact at the heart of your organisation’s work and a draft social impact report. This workshop is part of POP ideas’ themed “Improving Your Chances of Getting Funding” events, designed to equip groups and organisations with skills and knowledge in all areas of income generation and social impact. You can read more and book a place here.
Project Producer: Many Minds
Many Minds are looking for a Project Producer for their upcoming show. Many Minds members have been working alongside Artistic Director Viki Browne, Vocal Composer Verity Standen and composer and musician Jack Drewry and have been creating original vocal compositions and devised performance that have been performed on Zoom over the past 6 months. Many Minds are working in partnership with Bristol Old Vic and will be using rehearsal space there as part of the project. You can find out more about the project and the producer opportunity via this link.
Advisory Artists: Exeter Fringe Festival
Exeter Fringe Festival are looking for a number of advisory artists to participate in a new, experimental approach to programming & key delivery decision making of Exeter Fringe Festival 2021. This role is designed to help artists & venues better understand each other’s priorities & considerations when it comes to programming & making work. The right candidate will contribute constructively to programming discussions and decisions for the 2021 Exeter Fringe Festival, assess programming applications for the 2021 Exeter Fringe Festival, declare any conflicts of interest or connections to applicants when assessing programming applications and contribute to the evaluation of this experimental approach to programming and decision making after the festival has taken place. You can click here for more info, or read the full job description here.
Art Team, Petrol Headz: Barbican Theatre, Plymouth
Barbican Theatre are inviting people to get creative with the cast of their Petrol Headz On Tour project. They are looking for a team of art enthusiasts, inventors and renegades to use graffiti, printing and mural arts. There will be open sessions across August and they would love a team of people to assist with workshops or roll their sleeves up and get stuck in. Full details of dates and how to get involved are available on the Barbican Theatre's website.
The Good Afternoons Programme, Edward Wild, Furniture Maker and Designer: The Burton
Jess Pearson, founder of The Maker Series, has been invited to curate 12 summer talks at The Burton at Bideford. Jess’s aim is to include a large variety of creative skills that highlight the diversity of talent within North Devon. These talks explore the life, work, inspirations and skills of local Artists and Craftspeople. This session sees Maker and Designer Edward Wild sharing his practice. You can book a place by following this link.
Artist/Practitioner call out: Far Flung
Far Flung are looking out for artists/practitioners from any arts background to collaborate with them Community and Education projects. They are looking for Plymouth based artists/ practitioners as well as practitioners nationally who would be able to work with the company online. They would love to hear from people with any level of experience with a passion for inclusion, and would really love to hear from people who identify as Disabled or face barriers of any kind in accessing opportunities within the arts industry. All opportunities will be on a freelance basis and are project based. Anyone interested should email; farflungdt@gmail.com to have a conversation with the company.
|
|
In Conversation
KATIE OBORN WITH DONNA MITCHELL
|
|
Following a recent visit to 'Then, at last' by Coxside community members, as part of the the developing 'community crit' programme, our comms and operations officer Katie shares a conversation with artist Donna Mitchell to gain further insight into her piece Unstable Hoist.
“I am drawn to the beauty in discarded and abandoned objects in the world”
Artist Donna Mitchell’s work was recently on display at ‘Then, at last’, the MA Contemporary Art Practice Graduates 2020 - 2021 exhibition at the Arts Institute, Plymouth
‘Unstable Hoist’, a structure that looked similar to a rock hanging from the ceiling, created a lot of conversation at our recent Community Crit outing.
Donna has been making art for as long as she can remember, ‘I often think of the fabric forms I sewed as a child.’ she said. Born in Cornwall, Donna moved away to study sculpture at Winchester School of Art in the mid 1990s. She later returned to Cornwall to a studio in an old boating yard. She said:
“There I started making larger works in response to the old mining landscape that surrounded me. These old industrial sites were the playgrounds of my youth. This then led me to resume my studies which I did at Plymouth University.”
Donna now lives in Torquay and is influenced by daily life experience and what she sees in her environment, Donna explained what led to her creating the sculpture: ‘Unstable Hoist’:
“I live in a place where I am literally surrounded by abandoned quarries, my home is the old quarry masters cottage. There are many old images of how the coastline looked once, areas of rock which have now disappeared. Parts of Torbay are quite literally crumbling into the sea, and whole houses with them. After storms beaches and coves are dramatically altered. The sea becomes red as the sand and clay are dispersed into the sea. It's difficult to do these walks regularly without noticing the areas which have disappeared. It appealed to me to make a mock rock out of residents’ detritus, something to offer back to the land eventually.”
Donna described how she made ‘Unstable Hoist’:
“It’s built out of many pieces of upholstery foam which were collected from the streets of Torquay. Those foam pieces were then sandwiched together and I carved the form from that large block. It was initially much larger and the size of the ‘mock rock’ reduced as I worked on the form. It’s surface is layered with ash from the hearth, grass from the garden and tufts of old shoddy. As I built this piece and fashioned its surface I noticed the amount of care and tenderness it needed. The surface itself is quite brittle, hence the bird-like nest building and weaving of materials into its crevices.”
One of the questions the community crit group asked about the structure was: ‘Is it light or is it heavy?” It was hard to tell from observation. “It’s much lighter than you might think.” Donna said. Work on ‘Unstable Hoist’ started before the pandemic and doesn’t reflect lockdown experience. Though ‘perhaps the piece itself was in a form of status during lockdown, while it was waiting, wrapped up in the studio, for the exhibition to happen.’ Donna added.
Having graduated in MA Contemporary Art Practice Donna will continue to work from her studio in Chelston, Torquay and is planning a solo show. She will continue to study sculpture in October 2021. She said she feels ‘free to build on that which I knew before and that which I’ve learned more recently.’ Now that the MA Contemporary Art Practice Graduates 2020 - 2021 exhibition at the Arts Institute, Plymouth is finished, Donna explained what will happen to ‘Unstable Hoist’:
“It's returning to my studio where it will live until I decide on its next journey. It may yet have a journey on, into the lands near the coast.”
You can read more about Donna's take on Then, at last here.
|
|
|
|
Connecting with communities
|
|
We've been checking out who's connect with communities and audiences right now, and seeing what great work and projects are taking place. This week's highlights include;
We've been loving Alice Radford's 'Capture Plymouth' series of illustrations celebrating Plymouth and its unique personality and surroundings. You can check out the full set on her Instagram and it's a real treat for the eyes!
The always brilliant Rising Arts are back with another iteration of their #WhoseFuture series of projects and this time they are talking about care and well being. Postcards and billboards will be popping up across Bristol between July 12th to August 8th. In addition there are a number of online talks and in person opportunities to get involved in the programme. You can read more about it here (we CANNOT wait to hear more!)
Somerset Art Works have announced that Jenny Mellings has been appointed Lead Artist for a new Somerset Art Works project - Banners of Chard. Launching in July, Jenny will develop workshops with the community to co-create large scale banners with local relevance and reference for permanent display at the Guildhall. Five banners will be revealed next spring, collective pieces with imagery collected and created by a wide range of different people: at support groups, at the museum, at school, on farms and on the high street. Sounds like an awesome project, we can't wait to hear more!
|
|
|
|
This week's article is a guest blog on The Arts Development Company's site where Dan Thompson shares his perspective on 'Rewilding the High Street' The piece shares examples of how artists are utilising empty shopping units in town centres to experiment with how the spaces can be used to show and share art; and how this change of use can and is supporting the survival of the high street.
"Margate was planning a bold new art gallery to attract tourists, and to test the idea had filled a vast former Marks & Spencer store with contemporary art. A whole festival grew up around the smaller empty shops in the Old Town. Coventry was home to one artist-led project after another, facilitated by a city council that owned vast amounts of the city centre – inspiring a successful City of Culture bid. And elsewhere in the world, people were finding similar solutions."
The blog also offers up a link to Dan's Pop-Up Shop Toolkit. It's an interesting read all around how artists are taking back and 'rewilding' the high street, you check the full article out here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
