Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

Funding is available from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation to support a small number of truly exceptional ideas and/or projects that contribute to meeting the identified objectives under their three main strategic aims:

•Cultural Understanding – To help improve people’s perception of each other by providing opportunities for interaction through culture and between cultures

•Fulfilling Potential – To assist the most disadvantaged in society to fulfil their potential by building connections and developing opportunities

•Environment – To help in the development of a society which benefits from a more sustainable relationship with the natural world and understands the value of its resources

Initial enquiries can be made online at www.gulbenkian-onlineform.org.uk/form1/init.pl

Sustainable Funding event, Southtown

‘The Trustee’s Role in Sustainable Funding’ on Tuesday 20 March at Kings Centre, Queen Annes Road, Southtown, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR31 0LE.

This half-day session is aimed at trustees who want to adopt a strategic approach to their organisation’s financial sustainability.

Using a mix of presentation and group exercises, NCVO advisors will make clear what trustees need to know about overseeing income generation from diverse sources, including gifts, grants, contracts and trading.

Participants will learn about the legal, operational and cultural issues they need to consider when accessing new income, as well as key considerations in overseeing changes in the way the organisation is funded. The session will also look at mitigation of financial risk associated with a new funding strategy.

For more information or to book go to: www.voluntarynorfolk.org.uk/events

Community Cinema

 The Adventures of Tintin (cert PG)
Saturday 7th April, 11.00am, Great Yarmouth Library, Toll House Street, Great Yarmouth, NR30 2SH
Adults £3.00, Concessions £2.00 Tickets on the door
Promoted by: Great Yarmouth Community Library   Web: www.gyccinema.co.uk

The Woman in Black (cert 12A)
Thursday, 12th April, 7.30pm, Gorleston Community Library, Lowestoft Road, Gorleston, NR31 6SG
Tickets £3.50 available from the library or 01493 441585
Promoted by: Gorleston Community Cinema

Funding opportunity: IdeasTap

IdeasTap is a creative network and funding body for emerging arts talent, bringing young, creative people together and offering cash funding, opportunities and a portfolio to showcase their work.

The Top up Fund is IdeasTap’s first-ever member-run fund with winners being chosen by a panel of IdeasTap members. The scheme provides an opportunity for young people to win £500 to boost their creative projects.

Prizes will be awarded to members aged between 16 and 30. The money can be used to support any artistic discipline the applicant is working in. For example, individuals might require a vital cash injection for an existing project, or funding to get a brand new idea off the ground. The £500 can be part of the budget or make up the full budget of the project.

The panel is hoping to fund initiatives inspired in some way by a location. Projects from all over the UK which celebrate the diversity of the regions are especially welcome. IdeasTap members will be encouraged to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects.

Applications are accepted from groups or individuals. One person must take the lead and has the main responsibility for managing the application and any money awarded. By groups of people, the sponsor means a single group of people working towards a shared or common goal.

The next deadline for receipt of applications is Friday 2 March 2012.

 For further information and to download an application form please click here.

Historic features at St. George’s Chapel

Restoration work at St. George’s Chapel has uncovered “lavish and unique” original paint finishes on its timber columns which experts believe are of major historical significance.

A team from the University of Lincoln discovered the 300 year old finishes hidden under many layers of paint applied over the centuries and the original finishes appear to be still intact and well preserved.

The four most important columns at the East end of the building were decorated with an opulent scheme imitating lapis lazuli using ground blue glass and gold.  Experts now believe that these were part of a much more extensive paint scheme covering the entire chapel.  Michael Crick-Smith, a senior research fellow at University of Lincoln, said “What makes this find so exciting is the exceptional quality of these finishes.  You would normally only find such work in Royal Palaces and, in addition, we have found very unusual application techniques were used.  We consider this to be a find of national importance.”

Historian Stephen Heywood said the find significantly added to the historical understanding about the building. He said, ” St. George’s has recently been recognised as one of the most important examples of Baroque church architecture outside London.  These rich decorations – which would have involved great expense – demonstrate the great wealth and ambition of the Borough in the early 18th Century. Yet it was probably only a few decades before changes in the church towards a more radical Protestant ethic led to all these decorations being washed off or painted over.  It is wonderful to find that such an important element of the original scheme has survived.”

At present only small sample areas of the columns have been treated. Consultation is taking place between Hopkins Architects, English Heritage and the St. George’s Trust to decide whether to reveal all or some of the columns.  Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s Conservation Officer, Darren Barker, said. “It is a difficult decision – while it would be great to reveal the columns in their original state for the public to see, we also need to consider how this can be blended into a working performance venue.  We must ensure the long term protection of the finishes, and of course, cost may in the short term be a factor. Whatever decision is made, we are keen that it does not delay the completion of the building works.”

Repair work on the building by the contractor R. G. Carter is nearly complete and the intricate process has begun of fitting out and installing services into the building without effecting the historic fabric.

Gemma Smart, Conservator, working on the columns at St. George’s Chapel.

Young Performers’ showcase at Epic Studios

Creative Arts East is hosting a Young Performers’ Showcase Event at Epic Studios on Wednesday 15th February from 2pm-6pm.

We are inviting young people who have a love for acting, music, magic, dance (the list is endless) to come along and showcase their skills to a panel of professionals from the sector.

As well as giving feedback and advice to each performer, our industry professionals will also be hosting master-classes; sharing their knowledge of the industry and giving you a chance to ask questions about their work and much more. We are excited to announce that Roger Lloyd Pack, (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,

Only Fools & Horses, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), Craig Hill (Tilting Sky Management), Sarah Lewis (Norfolk Dance) and Beverley Bishop (Creative Arts East) will be among the panel for this event and each hosting a 30 minute master-class.

The showcase sessions will take place at 2-3pm and 4:30-6pm with a selection of master-class sessions in the middle, plus refreshments.

Masterclasses will include:
Event Management with Beverley Bishop
The Iambic Pentameter with Roger Lloyd Pack
Music Management and Promotion with Craig Hill
Performers will be given a three minute lot to showcase a specific piece, so please make sure your performance is within this time frame.
If you are a performer or a promoter and would like more information, or to book a place at one of the Showcase or Master-class sessions, please email Elly Wilson at elly@somewhereto.org

www.creativeartseast.co.uk

News from the Upstairs Gallery

The Upstairs Gallery has won a BRONZE AWARD for the SUFFOLK CARBON CHARTER!

NEWS about  a major show for May 17th – 31st 2012 : we are looking for artists to exhibit alongside the many talents in the main show. If you are an artist that has work of emotive content, or stigmatic issues, we would like to hear from you. Please email; bigartgallery@aol.com

Current Show:
OPENING Hours 10 – 4.30 Tuesday-Saturday Closed Sun and Monday only
Richard Parsons and Christine Parsons, 16th February – 3rd March
From abstracts to still life to landscapes, Richards graphic training is clearly evident throughout, marking a unique and distinctive talent. Richard’s legacy of work is as much a part of East Anglia as the scenes that inspired him. His work is widely collected and has been exhibited at galleries in London and throughout East Anglia. His wife Chris carries on the tradition today, exhibiting and selling prints of his work alongside her own photographs of East Anglian landscapes.

Olympic Arts Show 23rd July – 17th August
Cultural Arts Show displaying works from Artists in East Anglia – open submissions, please apply to:  bigartgallery@aol.com

We are currently taking bookings for all artists for the coming year. Gallery space available from 2ft width, 6ft Height – ranging to 11ft width, 6ft height.  Main Gallery is available from March (No Bookings May or September) to December.  The Gallery Team is changing this year, with more volunteers to cope with additional workloads. At the height of the year, we coped with over 4000 visitors in one month, on average throughout the year we guarantee a 2000 footfall per month.  The gallery is regularly featured in many publications, and is supported by many businesses and clients, both for being dynamic and enthusiastic in its approach to supporting both clients and artists.

Artists are now able to book their time more freely at our gallery, with 2 week bookings, monthly bookings or 6 month and yearly bookings.  With 89 spaces available at any one time, we are able to suit the  requirements of all artists, from students through to professionals, and have a variety of artists with proven sales that remain within our gallery from year to year.  To make your booking for your exhibition this year, call 01502 717191  or email: info@theupstairsgallery.co.uk
The Upstairs Gallery Team, The Upstairs Gallery, Exchange Square Beccles Suffolk NR34 9HH
www.theupstairsgallery.co.uk

Olympic Torch event, opportunities for performers

The Garage and NORCA are offering a unique performance opportunity for people to join in with The Pulse, an exciting new show to welcome the Olympic Torch to Norwich in July… and you could be part of it!

We are looking for 15 talented people of all ages with skills in physical disciplines including sport, dance, martial arts, circus, gymnastics, parkour or skating. We’re also looking for 15 of the best percussionists to perform alongside them.

Renowned Norfolk born dancer and choreographer Aaron Sillis will return to Norwich as Artistic Director of the project and will run master classes at four venues around the city on 14, 15, 16 & 17 February.

The classes are FREE but places are limited so act soon. Further information and an application form are attached or go to http://www.thegarage.org.uk/pulse-olympic-torch-relay-show-nid160.html

Following the master classes, there will be open auditions for both performers and percussionists at The Garage on Sunday 4th of March – anybody of any age or discipline can sign up to audition. There will then be a boot camp on Sunday 11th March to select the final performers.

If you’d like any more information or publicity material, please contact carrie.mansfield@thegarage.org.uk or tel: 07739 737738.

Best wishes,

The Garage

www.thegarage.org.uk

Job opportunity at St. George’s Theatre

Marketing and Communications Officer – freelance
Reporting to: General Manager of St George’s and Co-Director of SeaChange Arts.

Background:
St. George’s is a mixed use entertainment facility housed in a beautiful 18th century baroque chapel. It is due to open in the summer of 2012 after high profile, publically financed redevelopment. The St. George’s Trust is the registered charity that will operate the building with a board of Trustees, a small professional paid staff and a large body of volunteers. The venue will be hosting drama, music, conferencing, art and private events.

The St George’s Trust is will also be working in close partnership with SeaChange Arts – the arts development agency for Great Yarmouth Borough who produce the Out There International Street Arts and Circus Festival and other activities with artists and communities locally and internationally. SeaChange is developing the Drill Hall, York Road into a training and creation space in the immediate vicinity that will compliment St George’s. Both Trusts will work together using the complex of buildings and activities to create a vibrant cultural quarter that will regenerate this historic and diverse area.

The Marketing and Communications Officer will work across both venues to help promote and publicize all the cultural activities on offer, create a strong brand for the two venues and help market specific events such as Mardi Gras and the Out There International Street Arts and Circus Festival.

Principle responsibilities:

•To lead on the management, development and implementation of a communications, events and audience development strategy designed to raise the profile of SeaChange Arts products (Out There, Drill Hall, year round creative programme and St George’s)
•Develop and lead on the branding of these afore mentioned products and customer awareness of these brands
•Promotion of Drill Hall and St. George’s to local potential hirers as well as across the street arts and circus sector nationally and internationally
•Broker sponsorship and partnership agreements such as media partners, sponsors for print and advertising in brochures
•Writing press releases, copy for print, contacting radio stations, magazines and journals and TV
•Contributing content to partnership marketing and comms plans/products e.g. Seachange Arts European Partnerships: ZEPA, PASS
•Organising and promoting press launches, PR events and sponsors/VIP events (linked to Drill Hall and Out There). Represent Seachange at the Out There Festival
•Working in partnership with marketing networks to promote our products e.g ISAN, Tourism, Arts Council, GYBC etc
•Updating websites, facebook, twitter pages and electronic marketing/communication approaches (promoting St.George’s, Drill Hall, regular creative sessions and Out There)
•Audience Development: employing marketing and communication approaches to engage different audiences – particularly young people aged 16 to 25 and BME communities with our work
•Manage all project and events documentation including working with external photographers and film makers
•Oversee and implement a marketing plan for the Out There Festival including programme design, distribution, copy, advertisement, PR and media, press coverage and Festival Signage
•Design and market merchandising for the Out There Festival
•Work with Seachange Arts and St George’s to oversee marketing spend and budget management
•Work with Seachange Arts and St George’s on design and copy for Annual Report
•Produce In-house designed posters, flyers, printed material for regular sessions and associated events
•Represent the organisations across a range of contexts and meetings

Terms of Employment:
The role is a freelance role for one calendar year from the start date and there will be an expectation of some home working as well as some regular presence in the two venues in Great Yarmouth. An office desk and facilities will be provided for the post in the Drill Hall in York Road.  The hours and contract will be negotiated with the shortlisted candidates but we are envisaging approximately up to 90 days a year for an overall fee of £10k to be confirmed.

For more information about the post and person specification contact  Sarah James at sarah@seachangearts.org.uk

The closing date for applications is 5pm Friday the 17th February 2012. Interviews will be held on Friday morning the 24 February 2012 in Great Yarmouth.  Please send a recent CV and covering letter explaining why you are interested in applying for the post and your skills and experience you can bring to the role to nSarah James on : sarah@seachangearts.org.uk  For an informal discussion on the post please contact Sarah on 01493 846436.

Please note Seachange Arts are in the process of moving office and hence will not be able to accept posted applications. It is also possible the enclosed telephone number will not be available at some point so e-mail is the best option!

DepicT! Filmmaking Competition – 2012 Call for Entries

DepicT! is an international short film competition provided by Watershed Media Centre which seeks to uncover up and coming film-making talent in the UK.

The contest is open to applications from film-makers with productions that last no longer than 90 seconds but still manage to show originality, imagination and the ability to engage audiences. Films can focus on a wide range of genres, including:

•Animation.
•Documentary.
•Drama.
•Experimental or artist film.
•Hybrid work.

All shortlisted film-makers will be invited to attend the Encounters Short Film Festival in Bristol.  The winning entry will receive a £1,500 cash prize plus UK distribution through the Digital Screen Network.  Film-makers in the UK may apply.  The deadline for entries to the 2012 competition is 9 July 2012.

For further information please visit: http://www.depict.org/