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!

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

Elvis is in House (Square and Compass anyway)

TheBlue Suede SporranClub
(it’s poetry jim - but not as we know it! and it’s free!)
@ the square & compass,
worth matravers, dorset

thursday 26th july @8.30pm

hosted by Elvis McGonagall
(World Slam Champion, Radio 4 “Saturday Live” regular
and poet-in-residence at the Graceland Caravan Park)

and starring
Ms Rachel Pantechnicon
(surprisingly attractive 40 year old ingénue specialising in motivational poems for cats and for people. Some with illustrations. “I was weeing myself” – Sue Perkins)
Mr AF Harrold
(an English eccentric who does things that are unusual on the stage, at home and in the bath. “Made me cry” – Leonard Cohen, “Illuminates nothing” – The Nail)
and Spoz
(a self-appointed ambassador for Birmingham, as well as the city’s current poet laureate – but don’t let that put you off. Let his poems do that for you instead. “Bostin’” – as they say in Brum)

for further info email:
richard@fleming.prestel.co.uk


links:

www.elvismcgonagall.co.uk

www.rachelpantechnicon.com

www.afharrold.co.uk

www.spoz.net




a blue suede sporran production