Yorkshire Artspace Starter Studios - apply for 2011 intake

Yorkshire Artspace are are now inviting applications from artists/makers for the 2011 intake of their 3 starter studio programmes. This year they will be doing it slightly differently in that they will accept applications from talented, commited makers/artists from March 2011 onwards. They will be starting their interview process earlier this year in order to give selected artists enough time to re-locate to Sheffield if needed.

From their website:

The Starter Studio for Designer Silversmiths is located at Persistence Works Studios and offers early career silversmiths access to a large 108m2 shared and equipped workspace at Persistence Works Studios. Now in its 10th year, the programme provides ongoing business, mentor and technical support as well as commission and exhibition opportunities. This year all our current and many of our previous beneficiaries were included in Galvanize Sheffield, our bi-annual festival for contemporary metalwork taking place across the city. For our programme details, background on our mentors and a website list of previous beneficiaries, please click here

First deadline for applications for the Starter Studio Programme for Silversmiths is Friday, 13th May 2011 with interviews taking place on Monday 23rd May.

The Starter Studio Programme for Ceramicists is based at Manor Oaks Studios and offers early career ceramicists/potters access to a fully equipped 55m2 shared workspace for two years with ongoing business, mentor and technical support and exhibition opportunities at Museums Sheffield’s Millennium Galleries. For further details click here.

All our ceramicist starters also benefit from having dedicated time with our Manor Oaks artist in residence which, for 2011, is Edinburgh based ceramicist Frances Priest.

First deadline for applications for the Starter Studio Programme for Ceramicists is Wednesday 18th May with interviews taking place on Thursday 2nd June 2011.

The Starter Studio Programme for Engaged Practice will be located at our soon to be completed brand new Knutton Road Studios in the Parson Cross area of Sheffield. This programme is designed for artists who want to develop a career as artists whose practice is concerned with community/social engagement.

Apart from access to a workspace, the selected artists will also be offered paid work opportunities, dedicated time with the Parson Cross artist in residence (currently Lisa Gallacher) and access to mentor and ongoing business support. You will be based in one of new studios at SOAR Works which houses Knutton Road Studios.

Artist Ruthie Ford, who joined the first programme in 2010, has already benefited from paid work opportunities through the links we have with Sheffield City Council, Museums Sheffield and programme funding through Paul Hamlyn Foundation. For further details click here

If you want to visit us or like further information on our programmes, please contact Mir Jansen, programme manager for the Silversmiths and Ceramicists Programmes on mir@artspace.org.uk or Rachael Dodd, programme manager for the Engaged Practice Programme on rachael@artspace.org.uk or telephone 0114 2130111 or 0114 2130111.

TV arts channel offers funding for new projects

Sky Arts is launching what appear to be good and extremely welcome schemes for new arts projects and emerging artists.

There are two strands for which the channel is promising generous amounts of cash.

The Sky Arts Ignition Series involves collaborating with six arts organisations over the next three years in the creation of new works. It will provide cash of up to £200,000 for each one and will clearly be in a good position to help bring them to a wider audience.

The channel's blurb says this:


The Sky Arts Ignition Series seeks to work closely with as yet unselected artists and arts organisations, in order to equip both organisations and broadcasters with a true understanding of each other's process, combining their expertise to produce the best possible work and offering a unique support system in which to develop and produce brand new projects. Sky Arts, in partnership with the organisations, will determine how best Sky can give the project prominence on-air, on demand, online and on the ground, as well as providing marketing, publicity and new media support for each project.

Applications can be made here where there should also be much more detail.

The other scheme is for emerging artists, a Futures Fund which promises to give five individuals a bursary of £30,000 "to help young talent to bridge the development gap from school or college to becoming a working artist."

The director and former National Theatre boss Richard Eyre has been helping Sky Arts to come up with the Ignition series. he said: "This is an exemplary partnership between a broadcaster and the arts. I hope Sky's model will be copied. It's to everyone's advantage." Source

Kirkbymoorside Camera Club members receive international recognition

To the delight of club members husband and wife, Richard and Janet Burdon, have each recently been granted an international award recognising their artistic skills in amateur photography.

Richard and Janet joined the camera club in the 90’s as complete novices. Their aim, to learn more about their shared new hobby. Many new members do likewise and get their enjoyment from the club activities and from its social life alone. Other chose to challenge their skills by entering our club competitions and exhibitions. Some ‘push the boundaries even further’ and enter competitions and exhibitions beyond club level.

In addition to these challenges some will seek to achieve formal recognition in photographic excellence by gaining national awards. The most well-known being those granted by the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (PAGB) and the Royal Photographic Society (RPS). Hence you may notice that some of our members have letters after their names indicating their acquired award(s). These groups of awards are not mutually exclusive and some members have gained awards from both societies.

Despite their quiet and unassuming nature the couple not only achieved national recognition by way of the PAGB but then chose to look beyond the shores of Great Britain by seeking international recognition by working towards an award from the Fedération International de l’Art Photographique (FIAP).

Thanks to their tremendous efforts the club can now boast membership ranging from beginners to internationally acclaimed photographers. Interestingly though, one of our recent club competitions was won by a relative beginner; beating much more experienced club members!

If anyone seeks to emulate Richard and Janet they should be aware of the minimum criteria for their ‘award’ category:

· 30 acceptances in FIAP approved exhibitions, using a minimum of 10 different works from 10 different salons and 5 different countries, (England, Scotland and Wales qualify as three different countries.)

· And much more!

Their efforts began when they started to enter FIAP approved exhibitions in 2005 and has culminated in both gaining the distinction of ‘AFIAP’.

They have each provided The Blog with one of their images submitted during the course of their efforts. One taken by Janet at Whitby on the sea-front; one from Richard taken at Saltburn when he photographed a surfer practicing his skill on ‘the board’.

Helmsley Arts Centre looks to the future despite funding setback

Helmsley Arts Centre was disappointed not to be included in the Arts Council’s new portfolio of funded organisations announced on Wednesday 30 March. But the Centre — which provides an arts hub for northern Ryedale and beyond, and runs very successful youth theatre and children’s dance programmes — is ‘not disheartened’, says director David Powley.

‘We felt we put in a very strong and imaginative proposal, and we were given every support both by Arts Council officers and by Ryedale District Council. I think we weren’t chosen in the end because the Arts Council had the very difficult task of creating a ‘balanced’ portfolio, and that meant many good applicants like us were dropped in the final cut. It’s very sad — and perhaps a debate for another day — that the portfolio includes nothing in Ryedale and so few arts organisations across the whole of rural North Yorkshire.’

‘But we are already talking to the Arts Council and the District Council about other funding streams that could enable us to go on developing what the Arts Centre offers — which is unique in this area, and based on very strong foundations and the enthusiastic support of the community it serves. We have a wonderful multi-purpose building, which has just been enhanced with a beautiful new entrance foyer, and our finances are solid.

Most importantly, we have a very capable body of volunteers who enable us to do everything we do on a relatively low-cost basis, plus a very loyal core audience. That is the real secret of our success, ever since we first opened our doors almost 20 years ago.

Of course public funding helps a lot, and we’re grateful for the grants already promised to us by the Arts Council and Ryedale District Council for 2011/12. Not winning a place in the national portfolio is a blow, but I’m certain we’ll recover from it.

Meanwhile, The King’s Speech has been playing to packed houses all week, and we’re going to press with a fantastic programme of music, theatre, cinema, talks, exhibitions and classes for the second half of this year. So we look forward to seeing all our friends, old and new, and talking to them about exciting projects for the future.’

Helmsley Arts Centre loses out on Arts Council Funding

Around 1,300 theatres, galleries and arts groups applied for funding under the new regime imposed after the Government spending review cut Arts Council England's (ACE) annual grant.

The Helmsley Arts Centre, currently an Arts Council England funded organisation, was one of those groups. Sadly on Wednesday the Centre was told they had been unsuccessful.

Support for Ryedale's most successful arts venue therefore ends next year.

In total, 695 organisations were however successful in their applications for funding from 2012 to 2015, including 110 new groups. But that is down on the 849 organisations funded before now. One of the biggest losers is the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London which faces a cut of 42.5 per cent.

Arts Council Chairwoman Dame Liz Forgan has described the process as a series of "painful decisions".

She said: "This is about a resilient future for the arts in England. We have taken the brave path of strategic choices not salami slices which has meant some painful decisions, and it is with great regret that we have to cease funding some good organisations."

Shadow Culture Secretary Ivan Lewis said the cuts would have a "chilling impact" and warned some organisations would close down and others would have to increase ticket prices.

He said: "I fear a return to the 80s and 90s when the arts were for the few, not the many."



Related articles

• Arts council funding: 600 groups hit by £100m cuts (dailymail.co.uk)
• Arts Council funding cuts 'painful' (mirror.co.uk)
• Funding cuts 'chilling' says arts chief (independent.co.uk)
• Arts Council funding decision day ... the wait is nearly over (guardian.co.uk)
• From big names to fringe venues, cuts hit hundreds of arts bodies (independent.co.uk)