2012 Cultural Framework for Dorset
Vision
Our vision is that the cultural programme will excite, engage and enchant residents and visitors of all ages, touch the lives of communities, and mark a step change in the way culture contributes to the area’s wellbeing and prosperity. The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are a once in a lifetime opportunity for Weymouth, Portland and Dorset to really up their cultural game. As the eyes of the world turn to Weymouth and Portland in 2012, the borough will have the huge responsibility of representing Dorset and the South West region to the world. The four year period of the Cultural Olympiad is an unbeatable chance to bring culture[1] into the foreground, both to showcase our own talented artists and distinctive culture, and to embrace and learn from inspirational cultural activities from the rest of the UK and the world.
Dorset 2012 Cultural Framework Group
The 2012 Cultural Framework Group has been brought together by the Dorset Strategic Partnership Culture Theme to start planning for the cultural programme in Weymouth, Portland and Dorset. The group is an evolving one. It currently includes representation from local authorities, arts, community planning, tourism, archives, World Heritage Site, Arts Council England, South West, Team Dorset and 2012 Creative Programmer (SW).
Purpose of this Document
The 2012 Cultural Framework Group has a strong determination that cultural events connected with the Games should link into existing planning processes, so that events provide a fantastic immediate experience for participants or audience and at the same time contribute to the long-term infrastructure which will support cultural activity into the future. The legacy could include both tangible and intangible gains such as increased cultural skills and capacity, a positive change in the perception of Dorset, new networks, better facilities and resources.
This paper describes the national, county and local strategic context for the Cultural Olympiad in Weymouth, Portland and Dorset. It also sets out the objectives and criteria for the Dorset cultural programme. In addition, there is information about who to contact and how to get involved, and about how to use the official ‘Inspire’ branding. This document will be updated as national and regional plans for the Cultural Olympiad emerge, but please look out for detailed updates on www.london2012.com/beinspired and www.culturesouthwest.org.uk/downloads/.
Background
Weymouth and Portland is hosting the Olympic and Paralympic sailing events, the only place outside London to host a complete competition. Sailing teams will be visiting regularly to train in the run up to the Games. In 2012 thousands of visitors will arrive to take part in and watch the sailing events, and broadcast images of Weymouth and Portland will be seen by more than 3 billion people worldwide.
Dorset is known for its beautiful coast and countryside, much of it protected by national and international designations for landscape and wildlife value. The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site was recognised in 2001 by UNESCO for its outstanding and accessible continuum of geology spanning 185 years of earth history. It stretches 95 miles from Exmouth in Devon to Studland in Dorset, with Weymouth and Portland near its centre. It is the only natural world heritage site in the world to develop an arts strategy.
This is a defining moment for Weymouth and Portland to reposition itself as a coastal resort for the 21st century, with incomparable built and natural assets and locally distinctive cultural experiences across Dorset to meet the needs of the 21st century visitor.
Strategic Context
The cultural programme for 2012 in Weymouth, Portland and Dorset is framed by national, regional and local priorities. The successful bid by the London 2102 Olympic Organising Committee (LOCOG) has the vision to: ‘Stage an inspirational Games that captures the imagination of young people around the world and leaves a lasting legacy.’
This translates into the three core values for London 2012 Cultural Olympiad:
Celebrate London and the whole of the UK welcoming the world
Inspire and involve young people
Generate a positive legacy
Seven themes[2] developed through consultation with the arts and cultural sectors include ‘Animating and humanising public spaces’ which has been chosen as the key theme for the South West region.
At regional level, Team South West’s Legacy Strategy for the 2012 Games[3] has as its overall vision: ‘A lasting and discernible community legacy from the London 2012 Games’. The regional Cultural Celebration mission is: ‘To achieve a magical, vibrant and inspiring programme of events and activities as part of the Cultural Olympiad, celebrating the uniqueness of the region and unlocking the creative potential in all of us.’
The Dorset Working Group for the 2012 Games[4] (Team Dorset) has been established to ensure that appropriate action is taken to deliver a successful Games in Dorset in line with Dorset’s contractual obligations. Six sub groups have been formed to concentrate on key issues: Business & Economy; Transport; Event management; Communications; Visitor management; Community partnership.
Arts Council England, South West defines its regional vision as: ‘A vibrant and rewarding Olympic Games and Paralympic Games where the creativity of south west artists is enriched and inspires individuals and communities to fulfil their potential and achieve their best.’ Five key priority themes are also identified including the Olympic venue of Weymouth and Portland.
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Partnership[5] vision for 2012 is: ‘Museums, libraries and archives will help ensure that the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games are an inclusive event. We will engage with young people, celebrate diversity and help deliver the best ever Games, sustaining a legacy for people in London and in all regions. We will champion the development of collections, audiences and workforce so that the 2012 Games will be a transformational event for the sector and our users.’
The emerging Dorset Destination Management Partnership[6] has key members from the public and private sectors of the tourism industry in Dorset. It has cultural tourism as one of its themes and identifies the common objectives between culture and tourism as Image making, Identity creation, Selling experiences and Memories.
The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site Arts Strategy[7] forms the basis of the arts strategy for the cultural programme for the 2012 Games in Dorset. Themes for 2008-2011 are Arts and Earth Science, Carnival, Celebration of Stone, Jurassic Coast fellowship, Sounds of the Coast, and Site Specific Arts.
The Dorset Strategic Partnership brings together the public, private, business, voluntary and community sectors in the county. ‘Shaping our Future’ : The Dorset Community Strategy 2007-2016[8] was developed through community consultation and includes priorities for the contribution of culture to economic, tourism and community development, the environment and well-being through culture which are overseen by the Culture Theme Group. The Community Strategy is the basis of Dorset’s Local Area Agreement with central government which this year has been negotiated around the set of 198 National Indicators (NI) published in October 2007, including NI11 Engagement in the Arts.
The Weymouth and Portland Partnership’s Community Plan 2008-2016: Your Place, Our Future [9] was developed through community consultation and identifies a key role for culture in the delivery a number of its priority actions within the Economy, The Built and Natural Environment, Safer, Stronger Communities, and Learning, Culture and the Arts.
The Dorset Strategic Partnership led a consultation process to arrive at a shared aspiration for the Olympic legacy in Dorset: 12 for 2012: Legacy for Dorset from the 2012 Games. The DSP Culture Theme Group has responsibility for delivery of priority 10: ‘Sustain the enhanced international profile of Dorset and through this continue to develop interest in the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, cultural activities and Dorset’s economic offer.’ The Weymouth and Portland Partnership has responsibility for the delivery of priority 11: ‘Provide a stimulus to improvement in the social, cultural and economic fabric of Weymouth and Portland together with improving the supply of housing accommodation, including affordable housing.’
London 2012 Cultural Olympiad
The national programme is divided into four categories:
Mandatory ceremonies (handover at Beijing, torch relays, opening ceremonies)
Delivered by LOCOG.
Major Projects which featured in the London 2012 bid.
Delivered by LOCOG with regional partners
UK-wide Festival
Supported / led by 2012 Regional Programmers
In the main, the 2012 Cultural Framework Group is concerned with projects in the Major Projects and UK-wide Festival categories. The UK-wide Festival includes Live Sites – outdoor video screens in major towns and cities. Planning is in progress for at least one temporary Live Site in Weymouth and Portland in the build up to and during 2012.
Cultural Olympiad in the South West
The overall theme for the regional programme is the Extraordinary Mile[10] embracing a series of Extraordinary Journeys through the unique environment of the South West and beyond in search of extraordinary people, places, spaces, events and challenges. The regional programme has a commitment to minimising the carbon footprint of every project presented.
Cultural Olympiad in Dorset
The 2012 Cultural Framework Group has agreed shared aims, themes and priority programme strands.
Aims
To effect a real and permanent transformation in the profile of culture in all aspects of sustainable economic and community life.
To contribute to the re-energising of Dorset as a place to live, visit, and do business, for visitors, residents and young people.
To establish the arts as a key player in effective and sustainable working across boundaries with other sectors especially tourism, sports, economic development and community development.
To leave a lasting legacy for culture in terms of physical resources, infrastructure, skills and capacity.
Themes
All projects must embrace the following themes:
Work with young people
Inclusion of disabled people and disabled artists
Recognise diversity
Create international links
Leave a lasting legacy
Projects may also address:
Participation
Skills development
Excellence and personal best
Programme Strands
The eyes of the world on Dorset
Celebrating the built and natural environment
Carnival
Movement and migration
How to Get Involved
The 2012 Cultural Framework Group is compiling a list of projects for the Cultural Olympiad in Dorset proposed by individuals, artists, cultural groups, local authorities and others, in order to identify complementary projects and duplication of effort, to keep an overview of the progress of projects and to check that priority objectives are being met. Projects taking place in Dorset may, of course, be part of the national programme, the regional programme or the Dorset programme or all three.
If you have a project at any stage of development – at concept stage, in active development or with confirmed funding and ready to run, please let us know about it. Please note that the Working Group has no funds to disburse but the programme list will be used to help potential funders to prioritise their resources.
In the first instance, please contact your local authority Arts/Cultural Development Officer with a short written description of your project (up to 2 sides) including project title, brief description, location, date and time, lead organisation, partners, stage of development, an indicative budget and funding sources identified to date.
Christchurch District Council
North Dorset District Council
Kevin Morris, Environmental Policy Manager
kmorris@north-dorset.gov.uk
Purbeck District Council
Holly Lagden, Tourism Officer
tourism@purbeck-dc.gov.uk
West Dorset District Council
Jude Allen, Cultural Development Officer
j.allen@westdorset-dc.gov.uk
Weymouth and Portland Borough Council
Alan Rogers, Arts Development Officer
alan_rogers@weymouth.ac.uk
London 2012 ‘Inspire’ Mark[11]
The ‘Inspire’ mark sits within the official 2012 brand family. It is a badge of recognition which will be awarded to innovative non-commercial projects and events inspired by the Games across sport, culture, education, environment, volunteering and business opportunities. Projects must be largely or fully funded before applying for the ‘Inspire’ mark – it cannot be used to assist with fundraising. During the first year, the ‘Inspire’ mark is being piloted exclusively on cultural projects, with a view to rolling the branding out to projects in the other sectors in future years. Any proposals for cultural projects during 2008/09 should be discussed with the 2012 Creative Programmer, South West.
Contact details: Richard Crowe, 2012 Creative Programmer South West
richard.crowe@culturesouthwest.org.uk
www.culturesouthwest.org.uk
www.london2012.com/plans/culture/index.php
Appendix
The Strategic Context
London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Ltd
Cultural Olympiad briefing pack, March 2008
Core Values
The London 2012 Cultural Olympiad is for everyone. It will:
Celebrate London and the whole of the UK welcoming the world – our unique
internationalism, cultural diversity, sharing and understanding
Inspire and involve young people
Generate a positive legacy – for example through cultural and sports participation, audience development, cultural skills, capacity building, urban regeneration, tourism and social cohesion and international links.
Themes
The Cultural Olympiad will focus on the following themes:
Bringing together culture and sport
Encouraging audiences to take part
Animating public spaces – through street theatre, public art, circus skills, live big screen sites
Using culture and sport to raise issues of environmental sustainability, health and
wellbeing
Honouring and sharing the values of the Olympic and Paralympic Games
Encouraging collaborations and innovation between communities and cultural
sectors
Enhancing the learning, skills and personal development of young people by
linking with education programmes
www.london2012.com
Team South West
South West England Legacy Strategy for the 2012 Games
Vision
A lasting and discernible community legacy from the London 2012 Games.
Cultural Celebration: Regional Mission
To achieve a magical, vibrant and inspiring programme of events and activities as part of the Cultural Olympiad, celebrating the uniqueness of the region and unlocking creative potential in all of us.
The Regional Plan for Cultural Celebration includes:
Working with the London 2012 Organising Committee in contributing to the major elements of the Cultural Olympiad
Developing a South West cultural programme with an overarching theme of international friendship and inclusion
Developing through consultation, a series of projects that could include [amongst others]:
§ Projects within the Jurassic Coast Arts Strategy based on connecting sport,
World Heritage and culture
§ Specific opening and closing ceremonies at Weymouth and Portland
§ Iconic public art project for the region
§ A series of inspirational events linking sport, art and the Olympic and Paralympic ideals
§ Education projects which will link schools across the world
www.southwestrda.org.uk/region/london2012/introduction.shtm
Dorset Working Group for the 2012 Games (Team Dorset)
Aims
To ensure that action is taken to deliver a successful Games in Dorset, as per Dorset’s contractual obligations, where all partners are sharing information and working towards the same aim.
Key Areas of Responsibility
The DWG will support the work of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG), the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) in their activities relating to or connected with the management and hosting of the sailing events for the 2012 Games, and associated activities.
The work of DWG will focus primarily on the areas of: Event management; Transport management; Communications; visitor management. For these areas it will establish sub-groups.
Information will be shared between the sub-groups and the partner organisations. The DWG will provide a steer in respect of areas of overlapping interest.
The DWG will liaise with the Dorset Strategic Partnership (DSP) on issues relating to “12 for 2012”, Dorset’s legacy from the 2012 Games, for which the DSP will have ultimate responsibility.
The Group, chaired by David Jenkins, Chief Exec Dorset County Council, has representation from Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, West Dorset District Council, Dorset Strategic Partnership, South West Regional Development Agency, Royal Yachting Association, Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, Active Dorset,
Dorset Police, Dorset Echo and Portland Port. The Vice Chair of the Dorset Strategic Partnership Culture Theme Group currently provides representation for the Cultural
Olympiad and Legacy Trust UK.
www1.dorsetforyou.com/common/partnerships.nsf/Partnerships/EE768F47212AA476802572E10074E88E?OpenDocument
Arts Council England, South West
Olympic and Paralympic 2012 project vision
Vision
A vibrant and rewarding Olympic Games and Paralympic Games where the creativity of south west artists is enriched and inspires individuals and communities to fulfil their potential and achieve their best.
Priorities
The Olympic Paradox: individual excellence and world peace
Inspiring young people and celebrating interculturalism
The south west natural environment: sailing, the sea, Jurassic coast and ecology
Ports of entry, departure and exchange
Major venue and training camps
www.artscouncil.org.uk/regions/index.php
Museums, Libraries and Archives Partnership
Setting the Pace
MLA Partnership is government's agency for museums, galleries, libraries and archives. It was created in 2006 bringing together the MLA Council and the nine regional agencies. The 2012 programme is the first major initiative of the Partnership.
Setting the Pace is the product of extensive consultation with the sector, and responses have been distilled into concrete proposals for five projects which will help deliver the best ever Cultural Olympiad, and have a transformational impact on the museum, libraries and archives sector. The five projects are:
International Exhibitions Programme
Telling ‘Stories of the World’ through the re-interpretation of UK collections.
The People’s Record
Capturing people’s life stories in London and across the UK and the engagement with the Cultural Olympiad and the 2012 Games.
The Record
Setting a new standard for a comprehensive Games archive and enabling this legacy to be used to inform and inspire.
Literature and Storytelling
Inspiring young people by celebrating ‘London and the UK welcoming the world’ with the written and spoken word.
Information Hubs
Showcasing the cultural wealth of London and the regions to an international audience.
www.mla.gov.uk/programmes/settingthepace
Dorset Destination Management Partnership
Destination Dorset: The Cultural Dimension
The Dorset Destination Management Partnership is currently being developed. Its aim is to make the most of the unique tourism and natural assets the area has to offer, reduce duplication and enable local associations and tourism partnerships to work better, to make better use of resources, to improve seasonality aimed at creating a year-round tourist destination and to maximise the potential of hosting the sailing events for the London 2012 Games and the World Heritage Status of our coastline. The Partnership already comprises of key members of the industry from the private and public sectors and a Steering Group has been formed in order to help shape the management partnership.
Cultural tourism is one of the themes which the Partnership is exploring. Cultural tourism is concerned with the consumption of cultural product from both the past and the present, or the way of life of a people or region. It is not one defined market but, rather, a number of niche markets which contribute to a general trend in tourist behaviour away from standardised mass tourism towards ‘knowledge-based tourism’. Whilst culture and tourism will gain in different ways from cultural tourism, they share the following common objectives: Image making, identity creation, selling experiences, and memories.
Cultural tourists want:
Authenticity
Travel and Discovery
A fairly wide and non-exclusive view of culture
Critical mass of cultural assets and product
Key stakeholders in Dorset are:
Dorset Art Weeks
Hidden Dorset
Creative Dorset
WHS Jurassic Coast Arts Strategy
Dorset 2012 Cultural Framework Group
National Trust
Organisations representing heritage, archaeology, museums and family history
Arts and Business
www.dorsetdmo.co.uk
Dorset Strategic Partnership
Shaping our Future: The Community Strategy for Dorset 2007-2016
C.4 Developing Dorset’s Economy
C.4.3.8 Improve the perception of Dorset as a place to do business through the ‘Image and identity’ project.
C.4.3.9 Enhance the performance of key business sectors. These sectors are advanced engineering including marine and aerospace, care, food and drink, tourism (year round, high value) and creative industries.
C.4.3.10 Meet the LAA reward element target to support the growth and productivity of the creative industries business sector.
C.6 Safeguarding Dorset’s Environment Now and for the Future
C.6.3.10 Plan, protect and positively manage Dorset’s natural and built environment in a way which retains a diversity of landscapes, supports biodiversity and retains local distinctiveness.
C.6.3.11 Use the international quality of the environment, including the AONB and World Heritage Site, as a driver for economic development and quality of life, within environmental limits.
D2 Building Stronger and Inclusive Communities
D.2.4.1 Develop a county-wide approach to volunteering, including the implementation of the LAA reward element target to increase formal volunteering.
D.2.4.2 Develop a public sector strategy for third sector infrastructure and by working with all partners build the capacity of the third sector for a future of shared service planning and delivery.
D.4 Creating Well-being through Culture
D.4.3.1 Implement the Creative Dorset Business Plan and maintain the support it offers to the sector beyond 2010.
D.4.3.2 Implement the World Heritage Site Jurassic Coast Arts Strategy and use this connection to build and strengthen other productive art and nature links in the county.
D.4.3.3 Work with partners to deliver a high quality cultural festivals programme, including international and locally distinctive work, for the Cultural Olympiad and provide a cultural tourism legacy for Dorset.
D.4.3.4 Support the creation of enhanced destination management arrangements for Dorset based on links between culture, local food, landscape, film locations etc.
D.4.3.6 Work with regional and local organisations to map and develop cultural volunteering for example to support community museums.
D.4.3.9 Establish a Dorset design and heritage forum to steer the resourcing and delivery of a programme of work which will enable a step change in quality through design professionals and public art.
D.4.3.11 Support partners including Active Dorset, the County Sports Partnership, and grass roots level voluntary sports organisations to retain and develop physical infrastructure and increase levels of participation and volunteering in physical activity and sport.
www.dorsetforyou.com/index.jsp?articleid=2736
Weymouth and Portland Partnership
Your Place, Our Future: Community Plan for Weymouth and Portland 2008-2016
Economy
16 Develop the identity and image of the Borough as a business location to attract investment and new business
20 Develop a thriving creative industries sector, including arts, multi-media and new technologies
22 Develop the appeal of the Borough beyond a traditional tourist resort, taking advantage of changing markets and tourism patterns
24 Increase the provision of resident focussed culture and leisure activities
26 Improve specialist marketing, for example outdoor activities, environmental volunteering and the arts
The Built and Natural Environment
34 Work with other organisations to develop projects which celebrate and enhance the environment
37 Improve awareness and adoption of good quality design and architecture
38 Improve the seafront, town centre, and other key areas within Weymouth and Portland
Safer, Stronger Communities
81 Work with voluntary and community groups that set priorities and support their neighbourhoods
82 Create a more appealing and inclusively safe environment in Weymouth Town Centre
85 Work towards more inclusive communities, engaging people from black and ethnic minority groups, gypsies and travellers and the EU immigrant population
Learning, Culture and Arts
99 Develop the identity of the Borough as a vibrant and creative place
100 Develop a varied programme of temporary and permanent arts, heritage and cultural activities
101 Introduce a programme of public art for the Borough which enhances the character of the area
102 Develop policies to secure financial contributions for art works through public and private finance
103 Establish the Borough as a centre for training and enterprise in the cultural industries
104 Involve young people and use their creativity and skills to create a sense of belonging and pride of place
105 Increase the provision of cultural venues, both temporary and permanent
106 Develop the artistic direction of Weymouth Carnival as a showcase for the South West and legacy for 2012
107 Participate in the cultural programmes of the World Heritage Coast and wider Dorset area
108 Promote volunteering as a way to develop and utilise the skills of residents
109 Develop specific projects to engage young people, particularly in sporting activities and cultural projects linked to 2012
110 Support the development of affordable activities for young people in the Borough
www.weymouthandportlandpartnership.org/
12 for 2012: Legacy for Dorset from the 2012 Games
1. Improved transport infrastructure and access, with the Weymouth Relief Road open and in use, and an integrated road and rail based public transport system offering improved reliability and accessibility for road-based public transport serving Weymouth and Portland and more frequent and faster trains to and from Weymouth.
2. Creation of Europe's top international sailing venue at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy, including improved facilities and a new marina for the benefit of the whole of Dorset.
3. Increased participation by people of all ages in sport, play and leisure activities.
4. Increase in general levels of health and reduction in level of obesity in all ages of Dorset's population through more healthy, active lifestyles.
5. Weymouth and Portland becomes a centre of international marine and leisure excellence with a view to stimulating Dorset's economy, increasing wage levels and providing more year round employment.
6. Improved economic opportunities for wider Dorset, with access to quality employment, where young people can see they have a future.
7. Well trained and more highly skilled people in work or volunteering to support local communities and sustain the local economy well beyond the Games.
8. International recognition of Dorset as a desirable county to visit, that offers a warm welcome with improved customer care and quality service meeting international standards, backed up by high quality visitor accommodation.
9. A greater understanding of diversity and multiculturalism, including improved access and facilities in the area for visitors and local people with disabilities.
10. Sustain the enhanced international profile of Dorset and through this continue to develop interest in the Jurassic Coast World Heritage site, cultural activities and Dorset's economic offer.
11. Provide a stimulus to improvement in the social, cultural and economic fabric of Weymouth and Portland together with improving the supply of housing accommodation, including affordable housing.
12. Dorset to achieve a step change in its environmental and sustainability performance including energy and water use; waste & recycling; travel; food; materials and wildlife.
www.dorsetforyou.com/index.jsp?articleid=358424
[1] The definition for culture adopted by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport is a broad one including visual art, craft, music, dance, literature, carnival and street arts, tourism, fashion, food, film, video, photography, architecture, design, heritage, libraries, archives, museums, galleries, creative industries, sport and the media.
[2] http://www.london2012.com/plans/culture/now-to-2012/getting-involved.php
[3] http://www.southwestrda.org.uk/region/london2012/legacy-1.shtm
[4]http://www1.dorsetforyou.com/common/partnerships.nsf/Partnerships/EE768F47212AA476802572E10074E88E?OpenDocument
[5] http://www.mla.gov.uk/programmes/settingthepace
[6] http://www.dorsetdmo.co.uk/index.html
[7] http://www.jurassiccoast.com/downloads/WHS%20Management/jurassic_coast_arts_strategy_1.pdf
[8] http://www.dorsetforyou.com/index.jsp?articleid=17275
[9] http://www.weymouthandportlandpartnership.org/community-plan.shtml
[10] http://www.culturesouthwest.org.uk/downloads/list.asp?CategoryID=97
[11] http://www.culturesouthwest.org.uk/downloads/file.asp?Filename=cultural-olympiad-background-briefing.pdf
Friday, May 23, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Dorset Artists 2012
Decisions are being made now on how resources are allocated for the Cultural Olympiad 2012. Have you been invited to put your ideas forward? Did you even know it was happening? Probably not.
The Cultural Olympiad in 2012 is a once-in-many-generations opportunity to overcome the chronic underfunding of Dorset arts. We have launched a network called “Dorset Artists 2012” to make sure that Dorset artists and projects are given the opportunity to take part in this international event. If we can get 100 Dorset artists and supporters to join together then our voices will be heard in Exeter and London where these decisions are being made now.
Contact Peter John Cooper spyway@avnet.co.uk
Or join Facebook site “Dorset Artists 2012”
I hope to have a website up and running shortly that will aim to bring together ideas and to pass on information about where to apply to and what you need to do to get support.
The Cultural Olympiad in 2012 is a once-in-many-generations opportunity to overcome the chronic underfunding of Dorset arts. We have launched a network called “Dorset Artists 2012” to make sure that Dorset artists and projects are given the opportunity to take part in this international event. If we can get 100 Dorset artists and supporters to join together then our voices will be heard in Exeter and London where these decisions are being made now.
Contact Peter John Cooper spyway@avnet.co.uk
Or join Facebook site “Dorset Artists 2012”
I hope to have a website up and running shortly that will aim to bring together ideas and to pass on information about where to apply to and what you need to do to get support.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Bridport Slam
Attention Purbeck! Peter John Cooper is taking part in the Bridport Slam. I need all the support I can get. Please come along if you possibly can. I'll even give you a lift. I will be up against the best of the best so come and make a noise. below are details of how it works......
APPLES & SNAKES BRIDPORT PRIZE SLAM !
Where: Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, Dorset
When: Friday November 16th @ 7.30pm
Could all slammers please try to arrive by 6.30pm (7pm by the very latest).
Any problems on the night please call Richard on 07939-044086 or the venue on 01308-424024.
12 slammers each performing twice.
There will be two rounds of three minutes each per poet.
The 3 minutes start as soon as you speak on the mic, ie it includes any introductions you might want to give the poem.
Order of performance will be drawn on or before the night and will be reversed in the second round.
5 judges will be chosen at random from the audience and briefed to award marks based on quality of writing, performance and audience reaction.
No friends/family of any slammers will be chosen as judges. If you have any friends/family in the audience please ensure that they know that they can’t agree to be a judge if asked.
Please encourage as many friends/family/strangers to come along and support.
The top and bottom marks awarded by the 5 judges will be discounted (to avoid any potentially bizarre judging) and the middle three scores (which could range from 0.0 to 10.0) added together.
A “sacrificial” poet will perform before the slam starts and will be awarded by points by the judges so they can get an idea of what’s expected of them.
There will be a 10 second grace period before any penalty points kick in. Thereafter there will be a 1 point penalty for every 10 seconds overtime ie if your poem is 3 minutes 9 seconds you’re fine but if it’s 3 minutes 11 seconds you lose 1 point, 3 minutes 21 seconds, 2 points etc.
The winner of the slam will be the poet with the highest aggregate score overall, ie the two rounds added together.
If there is a tie there will be a sudden death play-off between the relevant poets (so have a third poem up your sleeve).
The winner will receive £100 and an Apples & Snakes gig in 2008 and will have the opportunity to perform a third poem on the night.
Everyone else will receive adulation from the audience.
As well as the Slam there will appearances from special guests including the inimitable Byron Vincent and a top poet from the USA and a short set featuring performances from some of the participants in a youth slam workshop run earlier in the day.
MC - the 2006 World Slam Champion and Radio 4 regular Elvis McGonagall.
If you haven’t already done so could you please confirm that you’re able to take part asap by email to: Richard at Apples & Snakes South-West - richard@fleming.prestel.co.uk
Equally, if you can’t now take part, no problem just email me asap so I can let the next person on the waiting list know.
And finally, a couple of tips for anyone who hasn’t slammed before:
1 – Time your poems beforehand.
2 – If they’re comic poems allow for audience laughter – it’ll make the poem longer.
Any problems/questions – give me a shout on the email address above.
Peter
APPLES & SNAKES BRIDPORT PRIZE SLAM !
Where: Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, Dorset
When: Friday November 16th @ 7.30pm
Could all slammers please try to arrive by 6.30pm (7pm by the very latest).
Any problems on the night please call Richard on 07939-044086 or the venue on 01308-424024.
12 slammers each performing twice.
There will be two rounds of three minutes each per poet.
The 3 minutes start as soon as you speak on the mic, ie it includes any introductions you might want to give the poem.
Order of performance will be drawn on or before the night and will be reversed in the second round.
5 judges will be chosen at random from the audience and briefed to award marks based on quality of writing, performance and audience reaction.
No friends/family of any slammers will be chosen as judges. If you have any friends/family in the audience please ensure that they know that they can’t agree to be a judge if asked.
Please encourage as many friends/family/strangers to come along and support.
The top and bottom marks awarded by the 5 judges will be discounted (to avoid any potentially bizarre judging) and the middle three scores (which could range from 0.0 to 10.0) added together.
A “sacrificial” poet will perform before the slam starts and will be awarded by points by the judges so they can get an idea of what’s expected of them.
There will be a 10 second grace period before any penalty points kick in. Thereafter there will be a 1 point penalty for every 10 seconds overtime ie if your poem is 3 minutes 9 seconds you’re fine but if it’s 3 minutes 11 seconds you lose 1 point, 3 minutes 21 seconds, 2 points etc.
The winner of the slam will be the poet with the highest aggregate score overall, ie the two rounds added together.
If there is a tie there will be a sudden death play-off between the relevant poets (so have a third poem up your sleeve).
The winner will receive £100 and an Apples & Snakes gig in 2008 and will have the opportunity to perform a third poem on the night.
Everyone else will receive adulation from the audience.
As well as the Slam there will appearances from special guests including the inimitable Byron Vincent and a top poet from the USA and a short set featuring performances from some of the participants in a youth slam workshop run earlier in the day.
MC - the 2006 World Slam Champion and Radio 4 regular Elvis McGonagall.
If you haven’t already done so could you please confirm that you’re able to take part asap by email to: Richard at Apples & Snakes South-West - richard@fleming.prestel.co.uk
Equally, if you can’t now take part, no problem just email me asap so I can let the next person on the waiting list know.
And finally, a couple of tips for anyone who hasn’t slammed before:
1 – Time your poems beforehand.
2 – If they’re comic poems allow for audience laughter – it’ll make the poem longer.
Any problems/questions – give me a shout on the email address above.
Peter
Friday, October 12, 2007
Quarrying for Ideas
I'm going to Landers Quarry tomorrow at 10.15 am to find out something about new ideas for creative thinking. Let's all go. A brilliant idea by Tara Dominick. Tea and buns in the Worth cafe afterwards I believe. Tara says to bring wellingtons.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Swanage Seen
Dear All,
*Joy of Joys!*
**
I have just heard from Councillor Hadley that the *Swanage Seen, Art Trail Project* will be on the agenda for discussion at the Swanage Town Council meerting this *Monday 15th October 7pm.* As this is the meeting members of the public are allowed to speak in the first 20 minutes we would like as many people as possible there to support the project. We will have the first three boards that are completed there on display,( you can view the Paul Nash at the Heritage Centre)
It is now over a year since I first got in touch with the Swanage Town Council and it still seems to be the siting and planning permissions that are holding us back. I would really like to see this project up and running as I have devoted so much of my time and energy and need to concentrate on my own work.
A *Big Thank you* to Strata, The Quarr Gallery & everyone who has helped.
Please could you forward this to all Strata members and people who would be interested.
All the Best
Carlotta
*Joy of Joys!*
**
I have just heard from Councillor Hadley that the *Swanage Seen, Art Trail Project* will be on the agenda for discussion at the Swanage Town Council meerting this *Monday 15th October 7pm.* As this is the meeting members of the public are allowed to speak in the first 20 minutes we would like as many people as possible there to support the project. We will have the first three boards that are completed there on display,( you can view the Paul Nash at the Heritage Centre)
It is now over a year since I first got in touch with the Swanage Town Council and it still seems to be the siting and planning permissions that are holding us back. I would really like to see this project up and running as I have devoted so much of my time and energy and need to concentrate on my own work.
A *Big Thank you* to Strata, The Quarr Gallery & everyone who has helped.
Please could you forward this to all Strata members and people who would be interested.
All the Best
Carlotta
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Bridport Slam!
CALL FOR SLAM POETS!
Apples & Snakes present the first ever poetry slam at the Bridport Prize Live! literary festival on Friday November 16th at the Bridport Arts Centre in sunny Dorset.
MC’d by the 2006 World Slam Champion and Radio 4 regular Elvis McGonagall, there will be two rounds of three minutes each with a £100 cheque and an Apples & Snakes gig in 2008 for the winner.
VERY limited number of places available.
If you’d like to take part email Richard at Apples & Snakes South-West asap - richard@fleming.prestel.co.uk
First come, first served. As it were.
Apples & Snakes present the first ever poetry slam at the Bridport Prize Live! literary festival on Friday November 16th at the Bridport Arts Centre in sunny Dorset.
MC’d by the 2006 World Slam Champion and Radio 4 regular Elvis McGonagall, there will be two rounds of three minutes each with a £100 cheque and an Apples & Snakes gig in 2008 for the winner.
VERY limited number of places available.
If you’d like to take part email Richard at Apples & Snakes South-West asap - richard@fleming.prestel.co.uk
First come, first served. As it were.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Here's Your Chance. Be a roadie........
I'm looking for a Roadie.
Now I’m starting to do a few gigs round the area - and being disabled, though I can walk a bit – I’m looking for help to get me there with my equipment. That’s a keyboard, PA and a couple of stands. It’s all relatively lightweight, nothing weighs more than about 35 lbs/15 kg.
So you’ll need a car or other vehicle and to be able to carry stuff. I’m looking for a few different people to do a bit now and then, unless I can find just one reliable person.
There’s money in it for you too!
You can contact me on 01929 422338.
Best Wishes,
Steve Darrington
PS the new festival's looking good, see www.bluesroots.org. I've just added Ocean's Seven, a 7 piece Jump Jive outfit with members of Jools Holland's band, for the Kings Bar!
Now I’m starting to do a few gigs round the area - and being disabled, though I can walk a bit – I’m looking for help to get me there with my equipment. That’s a keyboard, PA and a couple of stands. It’s all relatively lightweight, nothing weighs more than about 35 lbs/15 kg.
So you’ll need a car or other vehicle and to be able to carry stuff. I’m looking for a few different people to do a bit now and then, unless I can find just one reliable person.
There’s money in it for you too!
You can contact me on 01929 422338.
Best Wishes,
Steve Darrington
PS the new festival's looking good, see www.bluesroots.org. I've just added Ocean's Seven, a 7 piece Jump Jive outfit with members of Jools Holland's band, for the Kings Bar!
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
California Dreamin'
dear all I am having a Social for Strata- ites, anybody that knows me or is interested in the arts in Purbeck (ie opportunity for networking -or just an excuse for a glass of vino!). it is this wed evening (5th September) short notice but hope you can make it. look forward to seeing you all. let me know if you can make it so I can sort chairs, glasses etc and car parking - others that you know who you think may want to come along are welcome.
details below
BARBECUE (or if necessary under cover (without the live flame effect!) in the studio) at California Cottage (Karens Place) PRIESTS WAY, SWANAGE
(BH19 2RS if you need to do map search but carry on up through Swanage coastal park caravan site and then a further quarter mile up over hill towards to cliffs), this Wednesday evening (5th Sept) from 7pm.
warm clothes as it is getting chilly and I get the breezes off the sea.
bring a bottle and something small to nibble.
hope you can make it
Cheers Karen (delahay)
details below
BARBECUE (or if necessary under cover (without the live flame effect!) in the studio) at California Cottage (Karens Place) PRIESTS WAY, SWANAGE
(BH19 2RS if you need to do map search but carry on up through Swanage coastal park caravan site and then a further quarter mile up over hill towards to cliffs), this Wednesday evening (5th Sept) from 7pm.
warm clothes as it is getting chilly and I get the breezes off the sea.
bring a bottle and something small to nibble.
hope you can make it
Cheers Karen (delahay)
Friday, August 31, 2007
From Swanage with Love
As Europe's surrealists met in Paris cafes to hotly debate the very nature of art, what were their British counterparts up to? Making hats in Dorset. Jane Ure-Smith on the seaside surrealists
From Monday March 5, 2007 The Guardian
'I began to discover that Swanage was surreal' ... Paul Nash's Event on the Downs.
As coastal towns go, Swanage is hardly a seaside idyll. Sprawling around a bay that stretches from the chalky cliffs of Ballard Head to the stubbier Peveril Point, the Dorset town is a hotchpotch of architectural styles. On the front, pinball alleys jostle with fish-and-chip shops. Away from the water, there is more coherence - in the neat, grey-stone high street, for instance, which climbs up to a grand-ish town hall. But Swanage is hardly, at first glance, a place to fire the imagination of artists.
Yet it was this town that inspired Eileen Agar and Paul Nash, the two British artists who came to be known as the "seaside surrealists", making art from what they saw - and found - around Swanage. The pair met and had a passionate affair while staying there with their respective partners in the mid-1930s. Agar, daughter of a Scottish businessman, was born in Buenos Aires, but came to England as a child. The quirkiness of her art - her Ceremonial Hat for Eating Bouillabaisse was an assemblage of objects found on a beach and turned into headwear - quickly landed her in the surrealist camp.
London-born Nash, 10 years her senior, was famous for his paintings of both world wars. He experimented with numerous modernist styles, but is probably best known now for Totes Meer, his "dead sea" of wrecked German planes painted in 1940, which he hoped would depress the Nazis. But before that, Nash went through a surrealist phase that coincided with a move to Swanage in 1934.
Nash had asthma and hoped the coastal climate would help. Living with his wife Margaret, first in a farmhouse by Ballard Head and later in a seafront flat, he regained his strength and threw himself into a series of decidedly surreal pieces. It wasn't long before he met and fell for Agar, who had taken a house in Swanage for the summer with her long-term partner, Joseph Bard.
The views from his window emerged in such works as Event on the Downs, which depicts a tree trunk and a giant tennis ball heading off together on a journey, and Landscape from a Dream, a clifftop scene with bird and mirror, praised by André Breton. But about the town itself Nash was scathing. In an essay published in 1936 by the Architectural Review, he wrote: "Modern Swanage is of such extreme ugliness, architecturally, that the inhabitants instinctively look out to sea ..."
Neither Nash nor Agar was a surrealist in the sense of being a member of the Paris-based group. The British surrealists - including artists such as Graham Sutherland and Henry Moore, neither of whom we think of as surrealists today - were a looser group. Fascinated by the strangeness of the natural world, they cherry-picked the ideas percolating in Parisian cafes. Nash bought into Breton's notion that a statue standing in the street is just a statue; if, however, the statue is lying in a field, it is "in a state of surrealism" - and becomes somewhat disquieting. It was an idea that made sense to him in Swanage.
Soon after he moved there, Nash read a review of his photographic work in a magazine. The writer, Raymond Mortimer, insisted that the pictures were surrealist and Nash found the idea appealing. "They planted ideas in my mind which, deliberately, I allowed to grow," he wrote. "I began gradually to discover that Swanage was definitely ... surrealist."
For Nash, Swanage's strangeness was complemented by the beauty of the surrounding landscapes and seascapes, and images that could suddenly take shape before his eyes. "I am not likely to forget the morning when, from my window, I beheld a solitary swan wheel over the south-west and plane down not far short of the pier," he wrote. Swanage's swan took on a mystical significance: perceiving it in the design of new seats on the esplanade, he snapped away with his camera.
During the 1930s, much of Agar's work, like Nash's, focused on natural objects. She often saw in them the funny side: her aptly named Bum-Thumb Rock is a case in point, one of a set of photographs of odd rock formations she took while on holiday in Brittany. The accident of coming across these rocks, lying like "enormous prehistoric monsters, a great buttock ending in a huge thumb, or a gigantic head tuned with organ pipes ... all sculpted by the sea ..." prompted Agar to rush off and buy a Rolleiflex and make photography a part of her repertoire.
Later, Agar was the only female artist to have her work included in the 1936 International Surrealist Exhibition in London. On Nash's recommendation, the show's organisers visited Agar's studio and selected several works. She was puzzled: "One day I was an artist exploring personal combinations of form and content, and the next I was calmly informed I was a surrealist!"
The sea held a certain terror for Nash because he almost drowned as a child, but he came to love it on the coast. With Agar, he scanned the shores for found objects to develop into artworks. Seashore Monster at Swanage, based on a "snakey monster" Agar found in the sand at Lulworth Cove, was one of their collaborations. "Digging like a child hunting for treasure, I unpebbled a long snakey monster with a bird's beak," Agar recalls in her memoirs. "It was an old anchor chain, metamorphosed by the sea into a new creation, a snake bird." They both photographed the object, Nash incorporating it into his photo-collage, Swanage.
Snakes, birds and flight had become part of the private mythology shared by Nash and Agar. When she ended their affair, Nash wrote to her: "If we break now, we break at the peak of our flight where we had climbed like two birds who make love in mid-air heedless of where they soar. We have not yet taken down our bright sky".
From Monday March 5, 2007 The Guardian
'I began to discover that Swanage was surreal' ... Paul Nash's Event on the Downs.
As coastal towns go, Swanage is hardly a seaside idyll. Sprawling around a bay that stretches from the chalky cliffs of Ballard Head to the stubbier Peveril Point, the Dorset town is a hotchpotch of architectural styles. On the front, pinball alleys jostle with fish-and-chip shops. Away from the water, there is more coherence - in the neat, grey-stone high street, for instance, which climbs up to a grand-ish town hall. But Swanage is hardly, at first glance, a place to fire the imagination of artists.
Yet it was this town that inspired Eileen Agar and Paul Nash, the two British artists who came to be known as the "seaside surrealists", making art from what they saw - and found - around Swanage. The pair met and had a passionate affair while staying there with their respective partners in the mid-1930s. Agar, daughter of a Scottish businessman, was born in Buenos Aires, but came to England as a child. The quirkiness of her art - her Ceremonial Hat for Eating Bouillabaisse was an assemblage of objects found on a beach and turned into headwear - quickly landed her in the surrealist camp.
London-born Nash, 10 years her senior, was famous for his paintings of both world wars. He experimented with numerous modernist styles, but is probably best known now for Totes Meer, his "dead sea" of wrecked German planes painted in 1940, which he hoped would depress the Nazis. But before that, Nash went through a surrealist phase that coincided with a move to Swanage in 1934.
Nash had asthma and hoped the coastal climate would help. Living with his wife Margaret, first in a farmhouse by Ballard Head and later in a seafront flat, he regained his strength and threw himself into a series of decidedly surreal pieces. It wasn't long before he met and fell for Agar, who had taken a house in Swanage for the summer with her long-term partner, Joseph Bard.
The views from his window emerged in such works as Event on the Downs, which depicts a tree trunk and a giant tennis ball heading off together on a journey, and Landscape from a Dream, a clifftop scene with bird and mirror, praised by André Breton. But about the town itself Nash was scathing. In an essay published in 1936 by the Architectural Review, he wrote: "Modern Swanage is of such extreme ugliness, architecturally, that the inhabitants instinctively look out to sea ..."
Neither Nash nor Agar was a surrealist in the sense of being a member of the Paris-based group. The British surrealists - including artists such as Graham Sutherland and Henry Moore, neither of whom we think of as surrealists today - were a looser group. Fascinated by the strangeness of the natural world, they cherry-picked the ideas percolating in Parisian cafes. Nash bought into Breton's notion that a statue standing in the street is just a statue; if, however, the statue is lying in a field, it is "in a state of surrealism" - and becomes somewhat disquieting. It was an idea that made sense to him in Swanage.
Soon after he moved there, Nash read a review of his photographic work in a magazine. The writer, Raymond Mortimer, insisted that the pictures were surrealist and Nash found the idea appealing. "They planted ideas in my mind which, deliberately, I allowed to grow," he wrote. "I began gradually to discover that Swanage was definitely ... surrealist."
For Nash, Swanage's strangeness was complemented by the beauty of the surrounding landscapes and seascapes, and images that could suddenly take shape before his eyes. "I am not likely to forget the morning when, from my window, I beheld a solitary swan wheel over the south-west and plane down not far short of the pier," he wrote. Swanage's swan took on a mystical significance: perceiving it in the design of new seats on the esplanade, he snapped away with his camera.
During the 1930s, much of Agar's work, like Nash's, focused on natural objects. She often saw in them the funny side: her aptly named Bum-Thumb Rock is a case in point, one of a set of photographs of odd rock formations she took while on holiday in Brittany. The accident of coming across these rocks, lying like "enormous prehistoric monsters, a great buttock ending in a huge thumb, or a gigantic head tuned with organ pipes ... all sculpted by the sea ..." prompted Agar to rush off and buy a Rolleiflex and make photography a part of her repertoire.
Later, Agar was the only female artist to have her work included in the 1936 International Surrealist Exhibition in London. On Nash's recommendation, the show's organisers visited Agar's studio and selected several works. She was puzzled: "One day I was an artist exploring personal combinations of form and content, and the next I was calmly informed I was a surrealist!"
The sea held a certain terror for Nash because he almost drowned as a child, but he came to love it on the coast. With Agar, he scanned the shores for found objects to develop into artworks. Seashore Monster at Swanage, based on a "snakey monster" Agar found in the sand at Lulworth Cove, was one of their collaborations. "Digging like a child hunting for treasure, I unpebbled a long snakey monster with a bird's beak," Agar recalls in her memoirs. "It was an old anchor chain, metamorphosed by the sea into a new creation, a snake bird." They both photographed the object, Nash incorporating it into his photo-collage, Swanage.
Snakes, birds and flight had become part of the private mythology shared by Nash and Agar. When she ended their affair, Nash wrote to her: "If we break now, we break at the peak of our flight where we had climbed like two birds who make love in mid-air heedless of where they soar. We have not yet taken down our bright sky".
Purbeck Film Academy Awards
Purbeck Film Academy Premiere and Awards Evening
Sunday 2nd September 2007 from 5pm at Mowlem Theatre Swanage.
First screening of 3 short films on the theme of 'lost' made by local 11-13 year olds with Purbeck Film Academy.
Award will be given for best film as judged by the audience.
Come along and vote.
Sunday 2nd September 2007 from 5pm at Mowlem Theatre Swanage.
First screening of 3 short films on the theme of 'lost' made by local 11-13 year olds with Purbeck Film Academy.
Award will be given for best film as judged by the audience.
Come along and vote.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
No More Arts in Worth?
The Worth Centre has been sold to a property developer and there is a current application in at the Council to re-develop it into 4 Residential Dwellings.
Apparently the community of Worth and, in fact, many residents of Purbeck, feel that this application should be opposed.
The main opposition is to the Change of Use, from Business to Residential, as it will mean the loss of local employment opportunities and of course the loss of opportunity for local artists to have another venue at which they can exhibit.
The general feel is that perhaps the business has never been realised to its full potential and that now is the time and opportunity for that to happen.
If this Application is approved this opportunity will be lost forever as there seems to be no other site available for business in Worth.
If you are interested follow this link for more information, the fuller story and examples of letters of opposition that have already been sent in.
www.purbeck.gov.uk/planning/PlanAppDisp.asp?RecNum=32837
The person to send letters to is Ros Drane (rosdrane@purbeck-dc.gov.uk)
Thanks for taking the time to read this. It maybe doesn't affect you directly but is perhaps an opportunity for one community to help another for Art's sake.
Kind Regards
Kate Cross
Apparently the community of Worth and, in fact, many residents of Purbeck, feel that this application should be opposed.
The main opposition is to the Change of Use, from Business to Residential, as it will mean the loss of local employment opportunities and of course the loss of opportunity for local artists to have another venue at which they can exhibit.
The general feel is that perhaps the business has never been realised to its full potential and that now is the time and opportunity for that to happen.
If this Application is approved this opportunity will be lost forever as there seems to be no other site available for business in Worth.
If you are interested follow this link for more information, the fuller story and examples of letters of opposition that have already been sent in.
www.purbeck.gov.uk/planning/PlanAppDisp.asp?RecNum=32837
The person to send letters to is Ros Drane (rosdrane@purbeck-dc.gov.uk)
Thanks for taking the time to read this. It maybe doesn't affect you directly but is perhaps an opportunity for one community to help another for Art's sake.
Kind Regards
Kate Cross
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Purbeck Footprints
OPPORTUNITY: Workshops for Writers
As part of the Purbeck Heritage Trust’s Purbeck Keystone Project, Artsreach has commissioned the writer Paul Hyland to lead Purbeck Footprints, an initiative which aims to stimulate new, high-quality writing about the local stone industry. Please see the attached sheet regarding this opportunity.
Most people who see quarrs from the footpath or stone lorries on the road have little idea of the quality of work that Purbeck has exported from both its cliffstone and Purbeck stone and marble quarries. Some have heard quaint stories about the Ancient Order of Purbeck Marblers and Stone Cutters or dramatic tales of wrecks and smuggling connected with the quarries. Few understand the scale and difficulty of the stone business or appreciate the impact of Purbeck craftsmen and materials on national and international architecture.
There are many areas for research and chances to record oral history. Paul’s writing workshop will be an opportunity to network and share resources as well as to stimulate and feed back on new writing and work-in-progress. Paul is a poet, travel writer, biographer and broadcaster; he will bring his expertise in these areas to the table together with his experience in encouraging good writing from workshop participants.
The workshops will be linked to a special series of walks exploring all aspects of the stone industry – geology, quarrying, the craft of the stonemasons… and we will invite experts in the stone industry, its history and craft, to some of the workshops.
The workshops (ten sessions – 7.30-9.30 pm) will start at weekly intervals in October 2007, then become fortnightly (as well as leaving a six-week gap for the Christmas period) and finish in March 2008. We still have to decide the venue and day of the week, but they will be held either on a Monday or a Wednesday and the venue will be in Purbeck, in the heart of stone country. The fee for all ten sessions is £50 (concessions available).
Places will be limited – if you are interested in finding out more, please contact Angie Green as soon as possible – angie@artsreach.co.uk / 01305 269512.
Best wishes
Angie Green
Artsreach
As part of the Purbeck Heritage Trust’s Purbeck Keystone Project, Artsreach has commissioned the writer Paul Hyland to lead Purbeck Footprints, an initiative which aims to stimulate new, high-quality writing about the local stone industry. Please see the attached sheet regarding this opportunity.
Most people who see quarrs from the footpath or stone lorries on the road have little idea of the quality of work that Purbeck has exported from both its cliffstone and Purbeck stone and marble quarries. Some have heard quaint stories about the Ancient Order of Purbeck Marblers and Stone Cutters or dramatic tales of wrecks and smuggling connected with the quarries. Few understand the scale and difficulty of the stone business or appreciate the impact of Purbeck craftsmen and materials on national and international architecture.
There are many areas for research and chances to record oral history. Paul’s writing workshop will be an opportunity to network and share resources as well as to stimulate and feed back on new writing and work-in-progress. Paul is a poet, travel writer, biographer and broadcaster; he will bring his expertise in these areas to the table together with his experience in encouraging good writing from workshop participants.
The workshops will be linked to a special series of walks exploring all aspects of the stone industry – geology, quarrying, the craft of the stonemasons… and we will invite experts in the stone industry, its history and craft, to some of the workshops.
The workshops (ten sessions – 7.30-9.30 pm) will start at weekly intervals in October 2007, then become fortnightly (as well as leaving a six-week gap for the Christmas period) and finish in March 2008. We still have to decide the venue and day of the week, but they will be held either on a Monday or a Wednesday and the venue will be in Purbeck, in the heart of stone country. The fee for all ten sessions is £50 (concessions available).
Places will be limited – if you are interested in finding out more, please contact Angie Green as soon as possible – angie@artsreach.co.uk / 01305 269512.
Best wishes
Angie Green
Artsreach
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Arts Hub
Not sure where to add new items..but thought someone in this group might be interested in this job opportunity:artshub.co.uk is an arts website. We are known as one of the best places to find an arts job in the UK. But did you also know we are a central hub for UK and international arts news across the performing arts, film, writing and publishing, history and heritage, music, visual arts and more? Arts Hub is seeking writers who are located all over the UK to contribute occasional features, news stories and columns that are relevant to the arts in your particular region/area of interest.If you have an interest in writing for the arts please get in touch with our UK Editor, Emma Sorensen at emma@artshub.co.uk.Budget: £50-£75 per feature, depending on article complexity/experience
Strata Live! Cafe Culture in Swanage
Tara took these pictures on her phone camera at the July Open Mike evening. We all had a brilliant time. Don't miss the next one on August 21st.
Joe
Andy Martin came all the way down from Cambridge
Pete couldn't make it in the end
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Strata Meeting for August
The August Strata Meeting has been postponed until Wednesday 8th August (On account of fireworks, skydivers and general mafecking about in Swanage). Usual time and place - 7.30 at Quarr Gallery, 17 High Street, Swanage. Bring a bottle and have a convivial evening discussing matters of interest to creatives in Purbeck.
Paul Angel asked that we discuss his ideas (below) and I think we should.
Paul Angel - 5th June 2007
30 word simple mission statement:“Strata is a group of creative people who aim to promote and encourage the arts in Purbeck by helping to attract funding, to organise events and to support arts projects.”
Seven things we should be focussing on:
1 - Getting Strata known amongst the broader arts community in Purbeck.How? Hosting a regular informal arts networking opportunity, on the first ……………. of the month in the same pub at the same time - in the style of the Bournemouth & Poole networking evening. Invites should be sent to everyone we can think of with an interest in the arts in Purbeck, both by post and online. This would be something where you might just be meeting a group of friends every month, but NOT a meeting, and not an event, so no pressure for anyone, but worth doing for the networking.
2 - Get the website sorted out.The website should be a potential first point of contact. It should represent both the arts and Purbeck, and should be completely inclusive of all Purbeck’s creatives. People should want to be on it. Personally, I’m happy to work on it without funding, though of course funding would help.
3 - Get some paperwork.We need business cards and maybe even a leaflet. Something beautiful to give to people that we meet, something more than a winning smile and burst of enthusiasm.
4 - Supporting arts projects to raise our profile.How? We already are, with Swanage seen. Exactly as we should be.
5 - Finding funding for an ‘exhibition organiser‘.How? In my opinion, Strata’s key role should be in helping to create ‘showing’ opportunities for local artists, and even for well-known artists from outside. This could be by liaising with local showing spaces, including cafes, pubs etc, with advice on choosing the right artwork for the space, timings, fees/commission, publicity etc.. This could take up a lot of time, which is why funding for the person involved could be important.
6 - Keeping a log of funding opportunities.Working with DCA, perhaps, we need a list of potential funding bodies, either bodies specifically interested in the arts, or with coastal communities. This could be kept on the website. If someone has an idea for funding, they can ask Strata for support, and if we agree that the application is a good one, we can provide support in appropriate ways.
7 - Being inclusive.Some people still question the value of Strata and don’t feel as though they can be, or want to be, involved. The points above would help remedy this, particularly point 1, but it is important to make sure that we are absolutely clear that we welcome all of Purbeck’s creatives, and that we make positive invitations to any get-togethers to all of Purbeck’s galleries, art clubs, crafts groups and festival organisers. We need to get Swanage working together, guys!
Paul Angel asked that we discuss his ideas (below) and I think we should.
Paul Angel - 5th June 2007
30 word simple mission statement:“Strata is a group of creative people who aim to promote and encourage the arts in Purbeck by helping to attract funding, to organise events and to support arts projects.”
Seven things we should be focussing on:
1 - Getting Strata known amongst the broader arts community in Purbeck.How? Hosting a regular informal arts networking opportunity, on the first ……………. of the month in the same pub at the same time - in the style of the Bournemouth & Poole networking evening. Invites should be sent to everyone we can think of with an interest in the arts in Purbeck, both by post and online. This would be something where you might just be meeting a group of friends every month, but NOT a meeting, and not an event, so no pressure for anyone, but worth doing for the networking.
2 - Get the website sorted out.The website should be a potential first point of contact. It should represent both the arts and Purbeck, and should be completely inclusive of all Purbeck’s creatives. People should want to be on it. Personally, I’m happy to work on it without funding, though of course funding would help.
3 - Get some paperwork.We need business cards and maybe even a leaflet. Something beautiful to give to people that we meet, something more than a winning smile and burst of enthusiasm.
4 - Supporting arts projects to raise our profile.How? We already are, with Swanage seen. Exactly as we should be.
5 - Finding funding for an ‘exhibition organiser‘.How? In my opinion, Strata’s key role should be in helping to create ‘showing’ opportunities for local artists, and even for well-known artists from outside. This could be by liaising with local showing spaces, including cafes, pubs etc, with advice on choosing the right artwork for the space, timings, fees/commission, publicity etc.. This could take up a lot of time, which is why funding for the person involved could be important.
6 - Keeping a log of funding opportunities.Working with DCA, perhaps, we need a list of potential funding bodies, either bodies specifically interested in the arts, or with coastal communities. This could be kept on the website. If someone has an idea for funding, they can ask Strata for support, and if we agree that the application is a good one, we can provide support in appropriate ways.
7 - Being inclusive.Some people still question the value of Strata and don’t feel as though they can be, or want to be, involved. The points above would help remedy this, particularly point 1, but it is important to make sure that we are absolutely clear that we welcome all of Purbeck’s creatives, and that we make positive invitations to any get-togethers to all of Purbeck’s galleries, art clubs, crafts groups and festival organisers. We need to get Swanage working together, guys!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
ANOTHER poetry event
Love, Love, Love
Rob Hughes invites you to celebrate love with a delightful evening of
love poetry at Boscombes’ brightest New True Food café.
Cafe Boogaloo is the perfect place to enjoy a romantic evening of
classic love poetry and new works by local poets.
From 7:30 this Friday (the 27th of July) Rob Hughes, Johanna Lawrence
and others will be reading the most beautiful, sexy and humorous poems
celebrating romantic love.
In the first half of the evening classic love poems will be celebrated.
If you have a favourite you’d like to hear bring it along and read it
or have it read for you.
The second half of the night is new works. In an “open mike” kind of
way we hope to encourage the audience to read their own works.
I know I’ll be reading mine…
There will be “prizes”. Tokens of love.
Café Boogaloo is on Christchurch Road on the pedestrianised bit of
Boscombe opposite Barclays bank and near Specsavers. The sun will be
shining on Friday and you will find plenty of parking nearby. For those
of you not driving (well done you) there are frequent busses from
Bournemouth Square to Boscombe.
Entrance is a mere £3 English pounds. (Pay on the door) You are
encouraged to fully indulge in the beneficent hospitality of
Boogaloos’s brilliant owners Josh and Joel and enjoy the excellent food and tasty beverages.
Love Poetry @ Boogaloo’s is presented in conjunction with The
Bournemouth Literary Festival.
And now a poem I just wrote
Instructions for seductions
Soothe‘er with Shakespeare,
Relish ‘er with Raleigh.
Desire her with Donne.
Worship her with Wordsworth.
Beguile her with Baret Browning.
Bed her with Byron.
Rob Hughes 2007
Rob Hughes invites you to celebrate love with a delightful evening of
love poetry at Boscombes’ brightest New True Food café.
Cafe Boogaloo is the perfect place to enjoy a romantic evening of
classic love poetry and new works by local poets.
From 7:30 this Friday (the 27th of July) Rob Hughes, Johanna Lawrence
and others will be reading the most beautiful, sexy and humorous poems
celebrating romantic love.
In the first half of the evening classic love poems will be celebrated.
If you have a favourite you’d like to hear bring it along and read it
or have it read for you.
The second half of the night is new works. In an “open mike” kind of
way we hope to encourage the audience to read their own works.
I know I’ll be reading mine…
There will be “prizes”. Tokens of love.
Café Boogaloo is on Christchurch Road on the pedestrianised bit of
Boscombe opposite Barclays bank and near Specsavers. The sun will be
shining on Friday and you will find plenty of parking nearby. For those
of you not driving (well done you) there are frequent busses from
Bournemouth Square to Boscombe.
Entrance is a mere £3 English pounds. (Pay on the door) You are
encouraged to fully indulge in the beneficent hospitality of
Boogaloos’s brilliant owners Josh and Joel and enjoy the excellent food and tasty beverages.
Love Poetry @ Boogaloo’s is presented in conjunction with The
Bournemouth Literary Festival.
And now a poem I just wrote
Instructions for seductions
Soothe‘er with Shakespeare,
Relish ‘er with Raleigh.
Desire her with Donne.
Worship her with Wordsworth.
Beguile her with Baret Browning.
Bed her with Byron.
Rob Hughes 2007
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