Artists & Makers

Open Mic Night seeks new comedy acts

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:56:28 +0000

It's an Open Mic Night for Worthing family-friendly comedy hosts Matt's Comedy Club's first gig of 2012 at The Dome Function Suite on Thursday 8 March.

Physical comedian Richard Vobes (pictured) – who had a great response last year when he supported TV's surreal one-liner king Milton Jones – tops the bill and a host of acts old and new are promised.

"We're looking forward to a great night," says host Russ Bravo, "and we're always keen to give new acts a chance to get five minutes on stage in front of a supportive audience."

Favourites from last year's Open Mic night already booked include Mike Cox and Jonathan Nulty, as well as up and coming teenage standup Ethan English.

Prospective performers can apply for a slot at the show by mailing russbravo@lineone.net or enquiring via the club's Facebook fan page.

Tickets for the show, which starts at 8pm, are just £5 from the usual outlets:

Parklife, Bath Place
Music Mania, West Buildings
Green Cuisine, Rowlands Road
Sticky Drawers, South Street
Eclipse Café Bar, Goring Road, and
St Matthew’s Church office, Tarring Road.

You can also book on 01903 218026, 01903 207024 or 077200 40456.

Matt’s Comedy Club has a Facebook fan page, and a channel of video clips from previous shows at www.youtube.com/mattscomedyclub ...

Apply for studio space at Phoenix Brighton.

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:13:39 +0000

Phoenix Brighton runs a gallery, an education programme, residencies, events, and over 100 artists� studios all under one roof. Working with local, national and international artists, Phoenix aim to provide a place for where imagination, experimentation, and discussion.

.

Phoenix are keen for artists working in all disciplines to have the opportunity to become studio holders at Phoenix Brighton. They currently operate a �pool� system, where-by artists are selected to become part of the pool group. Artists in the pool are invited to take on vacant studio space when it becomes available

Please see information about applying for studio space on their website: http://www.phoenixbrighton.org/workspace. The deadline for applications is 23rd February 20 ...

Pigs Might Fly...

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:22:51 +0000

In January 2012, BRINK, will be presenting the works of seventeen local and regional artists in a new showcase at The Tiltyard in Leyes Lane, Kenilworth.

From Monday 16th January until Sunday 11th March 2012, Tiltyard visitors will have the opportunity to view works by established and emerging artists, portraying local landscapes and nature.
The �Pigs Might Fly...� exhibition will showcase paintings, drawings, watercolours and prints by Stuart Ellis, Caroline Gatehouse, Paula Hamilton, Arthur Howe, Tracy Jolly, Dan Kehily-Jones, David Lewis, Nicholas Logan, Louise Morgan, Clare Sherwen, Kathryn Wickson, and the photographic work of Alison Baskerville, James Callaghan, David Chantrey, Cyril Hobbins and Peter Moore. There will also be a small, humorous, sculptural installation by BRINK Co-Founder Tim Robottom.

Everyone is invited to the official opening, which will be held on Monday, 16th January 2012 from 7-9pm.

The Tiltyard, a friendly, family pub, offering a fine selection of wines and beers, traditional ales and home-cooked food, is open: Monday 5pm � Midnight; Tuesday-Thursday 11.30 - 2.30pm and 5pm � Midnight; Friday-Saturday 11.30am � Midnight, and Sunday from Noon - 11.30pm.

As well as the new exhibition, the Vino Veritas showcase at Kenilworth Wines, featuring Bill Zygmant�s photographs of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, The Avengers and The Beatles, will be running until 31st January 2012.

BRINK are also offering a lucky winner the opportunity to be one of the first people to own Bill Zygmant's exclusive John Lennon print, inspired by the work of Andy Warhol. Tickets are available for just �1 at Kenilworth Wines, in Talisman Square, and Town & Country Furniture, in Abbey End. Alternatively, tickets can be purchased online via PayPal: brinkevents@gmail.com and your ticket number and code will be sent via e-mail within 24 hours.

BRINK would also like to advise participants that the original draw date of 26th January has been extended: the winning ticket will now be drawn on Monday, 27th February and the winner will be notified by 28th February 2012.

BRINK, whose aim is to promote and raise awareness of contemporary art, creating exhibition opportunities for emerging and established artists, invites artists and art enthusiasts across the Midlands to join the organisation. BRINK also has an on-going call for artists who are interested in exhibiting and promoting their work in the local area. For further information visit: http://www.wix.com/brinkevents/home. ...

Illumini Artist Call

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:29:55 +0000

Illumini will take you on a journey of Victorian London hauntings, explore the dark side of a city long forgotten. Take torch light tours beneath the haunted streets of the city. The event will launch with a free grand opening night, full of entertainment, costumed performers and light shows. The event will display artworks, props and the history of Victorian culture and hidden spectres, with guided tours and evenings of ghost stories.

About Illumini
Illumini Event September 2010 attracted over 5,000 people on its opening night and 9,247 guests during its one week event. Artists, from professionals to students, gained commissions, sales and major press coverage and interviews with TV and radio through Illumini..

Submitting
Applications are invited from artists and prop makers of all disciplines, that can create or already have work that fits the theme of either Victorian, or the supernatural. For example your work can be themed around a famous ghost that haunts some where in London or Charles Dickens, Victorian Culture, Ouija Boards, s�ances, death. A London haunted building, Steam Punk, etc.

Illumini are especially interested in artists that use illumination in their work, if your work lights up or glows in any way they want to hear from you.

For more details please visit http://www.illuminievent.co.uk/submis...teers.html ...

Filling an empty shopping centre

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:25:20 +0000

What do you do with an empty shopping centre? The Upper Level of the Bargate Shopping Centre, Southampton has fifteen units and ten of them are empty. Two that are occupied are used by creative organisations; Artswork use a small unit as offices (with desk space for a dozen people), and the SoCo Creative Hub uses one large unit as a music workshop and venue.

What would you do with one of the ten empty shops? The challenge is to suggest a creative and sustainable use of one of the spaces. Could your organization relocate here, working alongside Artswork and SoCo in a vibrant city centre creative hub? Could you manage a space, delivering services to the city? Or would you just like a pop-up shop to try something out?

We’re not going to give you the keys – this is just part of the Empty Shops Network’s action research project Pop-Up People, which will produce a report into the creative use of town centre spaces. We’re looking to find out what people would do with space.

Tell us in a paragraph what your organization does, and how you’d reuse one of the following shops.

1.Formerly a bar and a comedy club, a large unit with a street frontage.
2.Double-fronted unit with a mezzanine and storage space
3.A small, single-fronted unit with a small mezzanine
4.Two shops knocked together; a double-width unit partially divided
5.A single-fronted unit
6.A single-fronted unit
7.Single-fronted unit
8.Small corner unit with a large window
9.Single-fronted, but a larger, deep unit
10.Large open unit, shutters but no windows

We’ll be at SoCo in late January, when we launch the findings of the Pop-Up People report; and we’ll display all the suggestions for Bargate in the centre. Email your suggestions for the spaces to dan@artistsandmakers.com - and you’ll receive an invitation to the event in January 2012. ...

Empty shop theatre reopens

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:19:59 +0000

The UK�s first professional Shop Front Theatre is to re-open its doors again after closing briefly during the late summer.

Theatre Absolute have announced a new three-year lease for one of Coventry's empty shops has been secured with Coventry City Council. Julia Negus and Chris O�Connell from Theatre Absolute founded the Shop Front Theatre in City Arcade, Coventry in 2009. The 18-month pilot programme was a huge success with over 2,000 people visiting the shop, previously an empty fish & chip shop, as audiences, actors and participants.

Theatre Absolute is an award-winning Coventry-based theatre company that specialises in new writing and has a track record of producing new work that tours nationally and internationally including the award winning Street Trilogy (CAR, RAW, KID), and ZERO.

During the next three years the shop will not only host work created by Theatre Absolute, but there will be a new emphasis on making it available as an alternative space for other theatre makers to create and show their work. In March 2012, it will host the second Empty Shops Conference, organised by the Empty Shops Network.

A full programme of theatre work and events at the Shop Front Theatre will be announced shortly, starting with a Writing Gym. Led by Chris O�Connell, this creative workout for beginner writers takes place on 14th January 2012. To book a place for the Writing Gym or to find out more about the Shop and its work contact Julia@theatreabsolute.co.uk or 07799 29295 ...

16 Free Indoor Market Units E17

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:36:48 +0000

Through an initiative by London Borough of Waltham Forest with Design for London, with the owner and tenants of Wood Street Indoor Market, coordinated by Gort Scott Architects, the Market is offering

16 self-contained secure units for free for 3 months to anyone with a great idea of how to use a unit

Gort Scott Architects are looking for responses from creative people, community projects, local business start-ups, artists, makers, designers, collectors or anybody else!

The units could become a…

photography studio ?
artist’s studio ?
craft workshop ?
flower stall ?
vintage clothing shop ?
community space ?
pop-up shop ?
specialist food stall ?
something else…?

The ambition is for people to become long-term tenants but this is not an obligation.

Gort Scott Architects are aiming to bring new life into this unique and quirky market, and there is more information about why and how this is happening on the new website: www.woodstreetmarket.com

There is an Open Evening at the Market on Tuesday 13th December 7-8pm, where there will be the chance to see the vacant units, meet the team behind the offer and ask any questions. ...

Creative collaboration

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:59:52 +0000

She Makes War is the solo project of Laura Kidd - who I recently bought down to artistsandmakers.com HQ in Worthing. She's a multi-instrumentalist, filmmaker and video director, photographer, blogger, and sometime session musician (previously for I Blame Coco, Tricky, Alex Parks and Lil' Chris).

While the artistsandmakers.com office has been reverberating to the turned-up-loud sounds of her grungey dystopian gloom-pop, that's not the most exciting thing about Laura; that's her take on DIY culture and creative collaboration. We spent an evening at Worthing's Coast cafe plotting and planning.

It's one example of something big that's happening in the UK's arts, creative and culture sector right now. Watch this space as artistsandmakers.com (here in pretty much the same format since 2003) changes in 2012. But for now, enjoy something from She Makes War... Exit Strategy by She Makes War ...

Jerwood Painting Fellowships 2013 - Call For Entries

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:47:11 +0000

Jerwood Visual Arts is delighted to announce the mentors for the 2013 Jerwood Painting Fellowships: Marcus Harvey, Mali Morris RA and Fabian Peake. This is the second year of the Fellowship scheme which aims to promote and support emerging painters in the first five years of their professional practice. The purpose of the Fellowships is to offer structured development opportunities in two distinctive areas: studio practice and professional development.

Three Fellowships will be awarded with each Fellow receiving a bursary of �10,000 and one year of critical and professional development support from mentors. This programme of support will be designed to suit the needs of each Fellow. During the Fellowship year each artist will work towards a body of new work, which will be exhibited in a group show as part of the JVA programme at Jerwood Space, London in March 2013, before touring within the UK.

Jerwood Painting Fellowships is an open submission opportunity. Entry is by online application, artists must be resident in the UK and within five years of graduating or practicing professionally.

Closing date for entries: 30 January 2012

For further information and how to enter please visit the JVA website:
http://www.jerwoodvisualarts.org

Twitter: JerwoodJVA #JPF13

For all enquiries please contact Parker Harris:
Tel: 01372 462190
Email: jpf@parkerharris.co. ...

The Blueprint 22 Graffiti Knitters Exhibition

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:45:26 +0000

Many of you may have already seen the knitted phone box currently drawing attention on Steyne Gardens, Worthing.

So...who are The Graffiiti Knitters?
They are a group of local young people who are involved with the organisation Blueprint 22 who were taught how to knit by the lovely knitters at The Wool Bar, Worthing.

Following the popular crazy of 'yarnbombing' The Graffiti Knitters wanted to share their newly found skills in this eye catching exhibition. Once complete the telephone box cover will be turned in blankets for Worthing Churches Homeless Project and the miniature woodland inside will be sold to raise money to go towards further projects run by Blueprint 22.

The exhibition will be on display until lunch-time on Friday 25th November 2011, so pop down and take a sneaky peek inside before it is too late.

You can find the group on Facebook at blueprint 22 or on Twitter @22blueprint22

p.s - this project is the work of Blueprint 22 & The Wool Bar and has no connection to Worthing Arts Council as incorrectly reported in The Argus tod ...