Creative Midlands South

Arts Bursary Winners Annoucement
Creative facilitator brief (WEA) - Public Art Project
IF: MK Festival 2014 - Dance/Music opportunities
Curious & Creative - 23rd Jan 12pm
Christmas & New Year opening hours

Posted: 20 Dec 2012 02:30 AM PST

Arts Bursary Winners Annoucement

Over 80 guests gathered at the MK Gallery to celebrate local artists, as MK Community Foundation presented the winners of this year’s Arts Bursaries with their awards.

Many talented local artists applied and the shortlisted finalists were invited to show their work at the Gallery presentation last Thursday. 

Collaborative Artist Dave Ronalds won the £8,000 Arts Bursary having impressed the judges with his potential to create work with fellow artists and to make surprising things happen within the MK arts scene.

‘This bursary from the Community Foundation will have a huge impact on my life and my practice. My work is collaborative and cross-disciplinary, spanning events, installations, exhibitions and interventions. It is far from traditional and so I see the Community Foundation’s decision to present me with this award as pretty

brave - and in that sense I am already feeling the benefits of their faith in me. It’s already a real boost in more ways than one’. Dave Ronalds Winner 2012 MK Community Foundation’s Arts Bursary Winner

Yannick Perichon is a highly skilled stonemason and winner of The Adams Traditional Crafts Bursary. She will use the bursary to travel to Italy and work with marble from Michelangelo’s quarry in Carrara.

‘I wish to thank the Milton Keynes Community Foundation for this incredible gift of trust and encouragement. This bursary is most of all the acknowledgement of my enduring passion and dedication for stone carving throughout my creative journey. Much more than a cheque, it represents the generosity and benevolence of a team of people in my community who chose to believe in me and my future as a sculptor’. Yannick Perichon

The Christopher Hopkinson Music Bursary supports young musicians up to the age of 25. In its’ inaugural year, it was awarded to two young musicians Scott Lovell and Hattie Roe-Cox, both will put the award towards purchasing new musical instruments.

Applications for the 2013 Arts Bursary Awards will open in Spring.

http://www.mkcommunityfoundation.co.uk

Creative facilitator brief (WEA) - Public Art Project

Posted: 20 Dec 2012 02:18 AM PST

Creative facilitator brief

Western Expansion Area (WEA) Public Art Project

Project Summary

The WEA Public Art Project Board wish to appoint an artist/creative facilitator to undertake a series of workshops and activities which engage the local community in scoping the public art commissioning plan for the Western Expansion Area (WEA). The workshops are anticipated to take place in February 2013.

We are looking for an artist/creative facilitator with an excellent track record in developing and delivering activities which engage communities. The facilitator will be required to generate ideas, inspire minds and take a lead in bringing together communities as well as private and public sector organisational partners. The facilitator will also need to be experienced in analysing the feedback and generating recommendations to the project board.

1.    Project Background & Context

Public art - In Milton Keynes we consider Public Art as any work of visual art, craft or design produced by an artist, designer or maker and sited in a location that is freely accessible to the public. Most importantly the Public Art Strategy for Milton Keynes recommends that new commissions should be:

Artist specific

Place specific

People specific

Western Expansion Area (WEA) - The intention is to create a sustainable community comprising of approximately 6,500 houses, employment area, primary and secondary schools, community facilities and public open space. It will have a quality living environment for its residents, with a strong identity, activity and a sense of place. A mix of housing sizes and types will provide choice and variety.

A network of open space and quality landscaping will create an attractive and safe environment in which to live and work. A clear and sustainable interface will be created between the urban development and the surrounding countryside.

Development will accord with the principles of quality design and best practice to create a townscape that is rich, varied and sympathetic to its environment.

The WEA public art plan identifies key features in the new development and strands of activity that we would like to explore with the wider community to develop a commissioning plan that can be delivered as the development grows and the community emerges.

2.    Creative Facilitators role

The facilitator will be required to undertake the following:

1.    understand the site context and aspirations within the public art plan

2.    develop engaging and creative workshops and activities for a range of audiences (adults, young people, local residents, private and public sector stakeholders) which explore the three strands of activity and opportunities identified in the public art plan

3.    arrange and promote the workshop sessions to include a daytime, evening and weekend offer in consultation with the project board

4.    Deliver 4 workshops for stakeholders in Feb/March 2013 which inspire creative ideas

5.    compile a written summary report to include a record of the workshops, visuals, feedback, ideas of participants, and recommendations of key proposals within the three strands of activity

6.    to present the recommendations to the project board

   

3.    Management

The Commissioner is WEA Public Art Project Board.   The processes will be managed and steered by the Public Art Project Board. 

The Public Art Board includes representatives from:

Gallaghers

Milton Keynes Council

Homes and Communities Agency

The Parks Trust

Local community

4.    Timescale

The commission will be finished by April 2013. The artist will need to demonstrate flexibility in relation to this contract and have availability to fit to the timescale of work.


Action		Dates

Brief circulated		December 2012

Interviews and Appointment		Week 14^th January 2013

Workshops and activities		February - March  2013

Presentation of  recommendations		March/April 2013

This is for guidance only and some dates may change.

5.    CRB and insurance

The successful applicant will need to have public liability insurance to cover the activities they undertake with the public and to hold or be willing to apply for a CRB check.

6.    How to Apply

If you would like to apply for this commission please supply the following information by midday on Monday 7^th January 2013

1.    An outline to your approach to creative facilitation and engagement

2.    Description of two examples of occasions when you have undertaken a similar creative engagement or facilitation role, outlining what they were for, what was delivered and the outcome

3.    Your proposed fee for this piece of work to include all expenses and materials

4.    Contact details of 2 referees for whom you have delivered engagement / facilitation activities

Please send your submissions as electronic files to the email address below, please note files sent need to be PC compatible, preferably as a PDF.

The WEA public art plan is available to read on www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/arts

To discuss this brief or for further clarification please contact:

arts@milton-keynes.gov.uk

01908 253273        

IF: MK Festival 2014 - Dance/Music opportunities

Posted: 20 Dec 2012 01:42 AM PST

IF you want to dance...
Get involved with choreographer and Artist-in-Residence Rosemary Lee

IF: Milton Keynes International Festival has quickly established itself as one of the UK’s most exciting arts events. Taking place every two years, the Festival was founded in 2010 and staged its second edition in July 2012 attracting huge audiences from the UK and abroad.

Rosemary Lee has been choreographing, performing and directing for over twenty years. She works in a variety of media, including installation and film and has also created several extraordinary large scale, site-specific works with casts whose ages range from under 10 to over 80.

Rosemary has been appointed as Artist-in-Residence for IF: 2014 and her vision is to create a unique and special performance at the Cathedral of Trees in Newlands, Milton Keynes.

The Cathedral of Trees Project will bring together a cast of over 50 people from the local area (8 years upwards) with professional dancers and musicians.

We are now beginning to look for people with varied experience to be involved in the project in different ways, from dancers and musicians to design and production assistants.

Can You Take Part?

If you are interested, this is an indication of the level of commitment required:

Performers
๏ From September 2013 to Spring 2014 there will be intermittent weekend or evening workshops, or possibly school time if with a specific class/year group
๏ From May to July 2014 there will be weekly rehearsals (evenings/some weekends or in school)
๏ Daily rehearsals and performances will be scheduled in the run up to and during the Festival which will take place from 18 to 27 July 2014

Others
๏ Involvement mainly from May to July 2014

So, if you have dance experience or you would like to have a go, or you work with a specific group or individuals who you think might like to get involved, then please contact Helen Parlor on 07980871677 or by email: helen@article19.co.uk

Curious & Creative - 23rd Jan 12pm

Posted: 20 Dec 2012 01:23 AM PST

It's Back!! Lunch-time networking for artists and people working in the creative sector.  Come along to talk about projects, have some lunch and chat to others working in the sector.  If you have a particular project you would like to talk about then let us know and we will ear-mark some of the agenda for you.

Creative and Curious  - Wednesday 23rd January, 12pm - 1:30pm (upstairs North Pavilion)

Join us for the first in a series of informal lunch time meetings to share and exchange ideas, knowledge, skills and resources. This event is open to all creative practitioners and those working in the arts sector however our capacity is limited so please rsvp to info@artworks-mk.co.uk to avoid disappointment.

Christmas & New Year opening hours

Posted: 19 Dec 2012 07:32 AM PST

The gallery will be closed on the 23, 24, 25 & 31 December and 1 January 2013.

Creative Midlands