Perin Townlson Ceramins: Featured Business of the Month

Perin Towlson Ceramics is our Featured Business of the Month as well as being featured on our Home Page, please read below for exciting news about her recent commission

Perin Towlson is the artist & ceramicist  commissioned to design and make the ceramic pots used for the re-interment of Richard III in March 2015.

The handmade porcelain lidded pots were made to commemorate his life and contain the soils from the places where the King was born, lived and died. The soils were combined in his coffin during the re-interment ceremony.

Three lidded porcelain pots comprise a set and each lid has a different mark. Identified by having one dimple for his birth place (Fotheringay Castle, Northampton), two dimples for where he spent his adult life (Middleham Castle,Yorkshire) and three dimples for where he died (Bosworth, Leicestershire).

Leicestershire based artist Perin, a De Montfort University graduate, worked closely with Michael Ibsen a distant relative of Richard III who was also the maker of the royal coffin and wooden casket on this, her first commission.

She was offered the commission through her membership of Creative Leicestershire, an arts organisation supporting local artists.

One set of pots is on display in Leicester Cathedral and one at the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre.

Creative Leicestershire July Ebulletin

You may have missed it but you can now view the Creative Leicestershire ebulletin here, the month of July may almost be over the jobs, info and opportunities will still be relevant.

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LSA Student Award Now Open

Leicester Society of Artists and West End Gallery are working together to promote the practice and appreciation of original art.  In its first year the LSA Student Award is funded by West End Gallery and supported by Creative Leicestershire.

To qualify for the award you should be in full or part time education at a college or university in Leicestershire, studying a foundation course or degree course in any art or design discipline.  The award includes prizes from our sponsor West End Gallery:

• £300 for the winner of LSA Student Award 2015
• £50 for two runners up on the shortlist

The winner of the LSA Student Award 2015 will be announced here on Wednesday 7 October 2015. The winning work will go on display at New Walk Museum & Art Gallery in the LSA Annual Exhibition from 6 November 2015 – 9 January 2016. The winning student and runners up will be invited to exhibit in West End Gallery during 2016.

Visit the LSA website to find out more. 

Crafty Sew&So

Crafty Sew&So runs creative craft and sewing workshops, parties and events from their studio in Sileby and at other venues around Leicestershire. As well as regular sewing socials, dress king courses and home craft workshops, Crafty Sew&So will also be hosting the Arts tent at Barefoot festival for their second year.

Enquiries for similar events are welcomed!

Go to www.meetup.com/craftysewandso to discover our upcoming workshops or why not hire the Crafty Sew&So team to entertain you and your guests for a hen do, birthday party or corporate event.

We are also happy to discuss any private or corporate dressmaking and product commissions. Contact sarah@craftysewandso.com with any enquiries or to find out more go to www.craftysewandso.com

Our April ebulletin is here...

 

Our April ebulletin has landed and is full of brilliant opportunities including funding, jobs, call outs and learning. Check it out online here or subscribe and have it delivered straight to your inbox every month... easy!

Congregation: gathering or collection of people or things

A collaboration of work by two ceramic artists Katherine Staples and Sonya Viney. Intriguingly both artists have similar inspirations, yet their working techniques and outcomes are normally very different. Katherine and Sonya have joined forces to fulfil their own brief to plan, design and create an installation within The Congregational Church, Blaby, Leicestershire.This site specific installation ‘Congregation’ speaks of the essence of place not necessarily the building, but of the people and their value. It is an inspirational collection of hundreds of handmade ceramic vessels celebrating an extraordinary sense of equality, inspired by religion and a place of worship but not religious, it is about the people; the congregation.Staying true to the identity of the church with its poor beginnings and minimal decoration, the vessels are plain on the outside whilst the interior of the vessels glimmer, with a colour palette of glazes inspired by water and the sea bed. Individuality comes from what is on the inside, strength and power comes from the multiple. Every piece has a value, each piece is unique and the accumulation adds to the whole.

To view this exciting and unique exhibition please visit: The Congregational Church, Park Road, Blaby, Leicester, LE8 4EDTel 07760 427758 or 07884 398061 for more details

Preview Fri 17th Apr 5-8pm (Invitation Only)

Sat 18th 9-4pm

Sun 19th 11-4pm  

Fri 24^th April 9-2 

Sat 25th April 11-3

Sun 26^th April 11-3 

Fri 1^st May 9-2

Sat 2nd May 11-3

Sun 3rd May 11-3 

Fri 8th May 9-2

sat 9th May 11-3

sun 10th May 11-3

Fri 15th May 9-2

Sat 16th May 9-3

Sun 17^th May 10-2

QUAD Artist Training and Development course

Launching in May 2015, this unique training opportunity is a 20 week course with one day tuition per fortnight with studio time and staff support in between taught sessions. This course has been developed and will be delivered by Derby QUAD in partnership with local and national arts and cultural organisations. 

 

The programme aims to enable artists and creatives from across the UK to access high quality digital, participation and career development skills. It will support you to develop and establish a stronger voice within the digital and new media landscape, and to increase sustainability within your artistic career.  

 

What does the course involve and what will you gain? 

 

• Research and development into current participatory practices and online engagement tools
• Have your portfolio reviewed by project partner Curators (or develop a portfolio)
• Get to know Scratch / Makey Makey / Conductive Thread / Conductive Paint / Arduino / Isadora / and other new media that compliments  and augments traditional art forms and participatory skills.  
• Build your confidence through supportive and playful exploration in a digital play lab, with participatory elements for peer engagement and learning
• Develop new work (or a research project) based on your current practice, combined with new media and participatory elements. 
• You will spend a few days to a week at a leading UK arts organisation shadowing staff and delivering workshops/activities if appropriate. 
• Develop essential fundraising and proposal writing skills
• Weekly studio time in QUAD’s digital and artist studios, will be available free of charge for all programme participants.
• Share your project with project partners at a final celebratory event with Curators and project partners at Tate Britain 

 

For further information please visit the website

My Workshop Opening

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Jenny Aitken at Tarpey Gallery in April / May 2015

Tarpey Gallery is proud to present ‘From River to Sea’ an exhibition of new work by Derbyshire based painter Jenny Aitken. Taking in scenes from Cromford to Cornwall the subject matter meanders it’s way from Tributaries to the Sea, with an emphasis on exacting colour and tonal contrast to convey light and movement, Jenny has produced a stunning new collection of work which will be on display from 11th April – 16th May, 2015.

Jenny has been painting professionally since her graduation from Aberystwyth University in 1997. Her style has evolved throughout her career and continues to do so, with a recent turn towards Plein air work.

“Each painting is born from strong visual and emotional memories, sketches and images, and my love of photography informs the composition and light. I want to tell a story, and achieve that evocative sense of a place through movement, light and texture.”

Jenny Aitken, 2014

Jenny has always loved the effects of light on the wilder coasts of Britain and is inspired by the seascapes of Edward Hopper, photography, contemporary impressionism, and any artist who projects the zing of salty light that she strives towards in her own work.

“I live in Derbyshire, on the edge of the Peak District, and my studio looks North West towards the peaks. However, my roots are in Alderney, in the Channel Islands, and the coast is a constant inspiration.”

Jenny Aitken, 2014

We have been keeping a close eye on Jenny’s work over the last few years and are extremely excited to host an exhibition of work by a local artist who’s choice of subject matter takes the viewer on a Journey ‘From River to Sea’.

Leicester print Workshop's Big Move Update

Leicester Print Workshop is planning its move to the cultural quarter later in the year.   We are currently raising funds and making plans to convert 50 St George Street, (next to Two Queens and round the corner from the Phoenix, Makers Yard, Curve and LCB Depot) into a two storey flagship for printmaking. The ground floor will be a printmaking studio with education and exhibition spaces, a kitchen and room for members to read and to have a cuppa.  The upper floor will have LPW's offices, framing room and room for an artist in residence.   This floor will also house Upper Floor Studios & Workspaces.

We are currently looking at options for the layout and arrangements for the studios & workspaces, and we are inviting expressions of interest from organisations and individuals who might want to share our space with us.  We are governed by certain criteria but essentially we are looking at a combination of private hire studios, common space, longer term rentals and day hire.   If you are interested in finding out more please email info@leicesterprintworkshop.com.  We will hold a meeting in late April at our current premises for everyone who is interested to talk through all the ideas so please do let us know if you are interested and we will be sure to invite you.  

Ceramics in Charnwood - Sunday 17th May

Now in it's fifth year ceramics in Charnwood takes place on Sunday 17th May, in Loughborough Market Place. Over forty of the finest ceramic artists from the East Midlands and beyond will be selling their work from 10am until 4pm.  For more information e.mail david@salsburyceramics.co.uk or take a look at our Facebook page CeramicsInCharnwood.

The Overton Poetry Prize 2015 is open for submissions

Loughborough University's 2015 Overton Prize is now open for submissions. In memory of Professor Bill Overton (1946-2012), English, Drama and Publishing offers this prize for a sequence of poems on any subject, up to 300 lines. The first-placed entry will be published in chapbook form by the University’s Lamplight Press.   There will be two further prizes of £50 each.

The deadline for submissions is 17th April, find out more here.

Wirksworth Festival - Apply Now

Apply now to exhibit at one of the UK's leading rural arts festivals for the Art & Architecture Trail, 12 - 13 September 2015.

Last year over 4,000 people visited the town to enjoy the Art & Architecture Trail Weekend, where more than 100 artists and designer makers exhibited in 70 venues throughout this beautiful market town.

Our March ebulletin has Landed...

Our March e-bulletin has landed, packed full of jobs, opportunities, funding and plenty more. Click here to read online. If you haven't already signed up, you can get it emailed directly to you as soon as it goes live.

Our February ebulletin is out now!

Our February e-bulletin is out now, packed full of jobs, opportunities, funding and plenty more. What are you waiting for? Click here to read online. If you haven't already signed up, you can get it emailed directly to you as soon as it goes live.

The Purple Breakfast Show are open for Submissions

 

 

The Student Wordsmith team invite writers and illustrators to submit their work on the theme of ‘Beginnings’ to be considered for publication in the first issue of our 2015 online journal, The Purple Breakfast Review.

The first issue will be published in March 2015, with submissions for this issue closing onFriday 20th February 2015 at 5pm.

You can enter up to 3 pieces of creative work or 3 illustrations for FREE, to be considered for any one issue. Subsequent submissions will be at a small fee.

We are accepting written submissions in the form of prose, poetry, drama and non-fiction.Illustrations are to be sent in PDF or jpeg formats and written submissions attached as a Word document.

Maximum Word Limits are as followsPoetry – 600 words, Prose – 2000 words, Drama – 2000 words, Non-fiction – 1000 words.

To enter your work, simply send your submission/s to pbr@thestudentwordsmith.com  

We look forward to receiving your entries.

The Student Wordsmith Team

News from soundLINCS

soundLINCS Putting the Focus on Folk

A new mapping resource has gone live on soundLINCS’ website this week to help young people find folk groups and opportunities across the East Midlands and help put the Focus on Folk!

This mapped resource is available on the soundLINCS website at www.soundlincs.org/resources/folk-mapping and highlights singarounds, ceilidhs, folk clubs, folk concerts, folk festivals, organisations and collaboratives providing folk activities, workshops, courses and events for young people taking place across the region, together with information of nationally available resources / toolkits, digital resources and workforce development activities assisting in teaching and community engagement.

We want the map to keep growing so your contributions are welcome!  If you know of any other opportunities or resources in your area not currently on this map, please get in touch with soundLINCS at info@soundlincs.org or by calling us on 01522 510073 and we will happily include them.

How Can You Improve Your Workshop Techniques?

As a freelance Music Practitioner have you ever felt isolated in your work and thought it would be great to have the chance to talk to like-minded, experienced, contemporaries about your workshop techniques and working practice; or to get a personalised outside perspective on what you do and how you do it, to discuss on a 1-2-1 basis how you may develop or enhance your musical offer?

soundLINCS is offering up to 10 Music Practitioners the chance for a peer to attend their workshop for FREE. This unique learning and development opportunity is designed to help inspire, energise and develop your delivery by way of an accessible approach to observational practice.

Telephone us on 01522 510073 or email info@soundlincs.org to let us know what your needs are and how we can help and support you on a confidential 1-2-1 basis!  Get in touch for more information and book an appointment for an informal observation and reflection on your session and working practices.

‘I Could Do That’ – Know About and Use Early Years Apps

During Summer 2014 soundLINCS held ‘Early Years Arts in the Park – I Could Do That’; a free active creative learning event held in Rufford Abbey Country Park by soundLINCS and the Nottinghamshire County Council Arts Service.

The event built on the simple phrase ‘I can do that’ by using the known habits of settings to create and develop a programme of events and activities that inspire and enthuse Early Years practitioners and their groups.

soundLINCS have released the first of a series of 4 videos illustrating the active learning provided by music workshops on the day, available at www.soundlincs.org/2015/01/earlyyearsapps. This video offers an overview of the workshop ‘Know About and Use Early Years Apps’ with soundLINCS’ Music Facilitator Eddy Mentzel.


In his workshop Eddy used iPads to demonstrate a variety of tried and tested music apps for early year’s activities, enabling practitioners and children to explore and create music using the iPads, and gain advice from a music technology specialist.

Our January ebulletin is out now!

Our January e-bulletin is out now, click here to read online. If you haven't already signed up, you can get it emailed directly to you as soon as it goes live.