Note that the deadline for applications for the Biennial Independents board and the job of Creative Consultant has been extended to April 29th. See details in a previous posting.

From biennial.com....

Liverpool Biennial Update Event

The next Liverpool Biennial UPDATE event is taking place Friday 5 May from 6-9pm at Liverpool John Moores University, 68 Hope Street.

The first part of the evening will involve 1-2 minute updates from the biennial team, local artists, arts groups and arts organisations, to share plans and ideas for Biennial activity and let each other know of opportunities that may exist. This will be followed with the chance to chat further over a glass of wine.

The event is open to anyone working within the arts in Merseyside and there is no need to book. More information on the event will be posted on the website shortly.

See you there.

Liverpool Biennial, tenantspin and FACT (Foundation for Art & Creative Technology) proudly present WAYS OF SEEING VOLUME 3. In the third of these collaborations, six live webcasts in the lead up to Liverpool Biennial 2006 will focus on community participation. How has the Biennial affected peoples' lives since it began in 1999? tenantspin presents some of the remarkable stories, meets some creative Merseysiders and finds out how they have been involved in the Biennial.

Participants include Halewood Resource Centre, Kelly Mark, Biennial Network, local photographer John Macdonald and Young Mums From Speke

Go to www.tenantspin.org to watch the broadcasts and ask questions live at 2 pm on the following dates:
April 12th, May 17th, June 14th, July 12th, August 16th and September 13th.

Each of these broadcasts will be archived on the tenantspin website and can be accessed after the event.

I mentioned this a while ago but the deadline for submissions seems to have moved.

Get under the skin of the city for Made in Liverpool 06!

Liverpool Biennial, Liverpool Culture Company and the Scarman Trust are looking for films, no longer than ten minutes in length, that reflect the energy of our changing city and that respond to the theme “Beneath the skin of the city�.

Selected films will be screened across Liverpool and on the BBC big screen during the opening weekend of Liverpool Biennial 2006 (16 September – 26 November). Celebrations will also include a special screening and awards ceremony.

If you have a film that fits the above criteria we would love to hear from you!

For more information and to apply for in Made in Liverpool 06 please contact Renae Belton on 0151 709 7444 or email renae@biennial.com

Deadline for submissions is 7 July 2006.

If you are interested in finding out more about Liverpool Biennial 2006 please visit www.biennial.com

Please form an orderly queue...

"We are four Liverpool artists who are opening a space for the duration of the Biennial 2006, building on the success of two shows in London and one in Manchester earlier this year.
However, we only wish to exhibit for the first two weeks.
If there are other artists or groups of artists who would like to talk to us about exhibiting after this period, please get in touch via whythewormturns@hotmail.com
We are in the process of finding the space and applying for arts council funding and we envisage either getting funding, or paying very little for the running of the space.
This will be a relatively hassle free way of exhibiting in the Biennial, as you would be inheriting a space which is already up and running."

Via Liverpool Biennial website...

MADE IN LIVERPOOL 06: BENEATH THE SKIN OF THE CITY

Made in Liverpool 04 was a screening of locally made films that took place as part of Liverpool Biennial 2004. Following on from the success of Made in Liverpool 04, Liverpool Biennial, the Liverpool Culture Company and the Scarman Trust will work together on the development of Made in Liverpool 06. The theme for Made in Liverpool 06 will be ‘Beneath the skin of the city.’

Get under the skin of the city through the medium of moving image for Made in Liverpool 06!

We are looking for films that respond to our changing city and that expose the energy of a city in transition.

The project will create an opportunity for local film makers to respond to this experience and provide a platform for these voices to be heard during Liverpool Biennial 2006.

Selected films will be shown in the seven Liverpool neighbourhood areas and on the BBC big screen during the opening weekend of Liverpool Biennial. Celebrations will include a special screening event and awards ceremony.

If you have a film that fits the above criteria we would love to hear from you!

For a submission form to apply for inclusion in Made in Liverpool 06 please contact Renae Belton on 0151 709 7444 or email renae@biennial.com

Closing date: 23 June 2006.

From Mike Noon at Arts Council NW....

Arts Council England Funding for Biennial Independents

Dear colleagues

Please find below the information that was given regarding Arts Council funding for projects which will take place during the Biennial Independents.

There is only one way to access funds from Arts Council for Independents Projects and this is the usual route i.e. - through an application to the Grants for the Arts scheme. The usual application process will apply. Packs can be requested from the national call centre on 0845 300 6200 or downloaded from the internet at www.artscouncil.org.uk

No money can be ring-fenced from lottery funds, so there is no separate Biennial Independents fund. Projects will be assessed purely on their indvidual merits.

Usual turnaround times will be applied - six weeks for a grant request under £5,000; twelve weeks for a grant request over £5,000.

To help artists who have not applied for Grants for the Arts before, or those who need an update on funding, four Visual Arts-specific advice sessions have been set up in Liverpool. These will take place at Blackburne House, Blackburne Place, off Hope Street, Liverpool on the following days.

Session One, 11am, Friday 21st of April
Session Two, 2pm, Friday 21st of April
Session Three, 11am, Friday 19th of May.
Session Four, 2pm, Friday 19th of May.

These sessions are designed for first time applicants and will consist of a general grants for the arts application overview from Nick Thompson, Planning and Assessment Assistant Officer and specific advice for visual artists from Mike Noon, Visual Arts Assistant Officer. First time applicants will be prioritised for attendance at these events.

Each of the four sessions will be the same, so artists only need to attend one. Each session will be limited to fifteen attendees.

To book a place on one of these sessions, please send an e-mail to mike.noon@artscouncil.org.uk stating your preferred session date/times in order of preference and whether you are a first time applicant or not. You will receive confirmation as to which session you have been booked on to within three days. Non-first time applicants may be added to a waiting list, depending upon demand.

I see that this exhibition of Eastern European art curated by Liverpool-based artist Nicole Bartos for the Liverpool Biennial in 2004 is now on show in Huddersfield. Also Nicole has a nice new website (see below)

Eastern Europe art show Apr 3 2006
By The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

An exhibition opened in Marsden Mechanics Hall foyer today.

Local artist Rosie Lonnon, invited Romanian artist Nicole Bartos to select artworks which bring a taste of eastern European contemporary art to the Pennines.

Works range from the rustic landscapes of Transylvania by Melinda Farkas to intricate abstracts by Emil Moritz.

Other exhibitors include Andras Koncz- Munich, Andor Komives and Andrea Szocs.
The exhibition has already been seen at the Liverpool Biennial and the Hammersmith Festival in London.

Under the Blue Sky runs until April 27.

To find out more about the artists, visit the website www.gallery4allarts.com

150 artists attended the meeting at Unity Theatre yesterday to hear details of the Arts Council NW's plans to appoint a 'Creative Facilitator' and Board to support the Liverpool Biennial Independents Programme (LBIP).
There have been various meetings and discussions leading up to this and we were presented with the Job Description, Constitution, Guidelines and Nomination Forms.
Naturally, there was a lot of discussion, misunderstandings and clarifications.

In a nutshell...
A Creative Facilitator will be appointed as soon as possible (the post is yet to be advertised).
The role will focus on:
• Advising individual artists wishing to exhibit during the LBIP
• Research & deployment of available space for exhibition use during the LBIP
• Producing publicity, interpretation and marketing materials for the organisation’s activities
• Organising opening times of spaces & recruitment of volunteer invigilators
• Building a high quality experience for the Independent’s audience

A Board of no more than 8 members will be set up with the aims & Objectives...

a)
To support and advocate opportunities for artist-centred activity around the Liverpool Independents strand of the Liverpool Biennial.

b)
To appoint and support the Creative Facilitator in order that they can carry out the tasks outlined in their job description.

c)
Through the work of the Creative Facilitator and the Board:
• To evaluate the work and impact of the organisation with the aim of developing appropriate board structure models for the Liverpool Independent and to help determine the direction of the organisation in the run up to Capital of Culture 2008
• To develop an artists’ selection mechanism for the branded Independents
• To provide information on the branded Independents
• To provide prospective Independents artists with curatorial advice, generic exhibiting guidance, and a sign-posting service towards appropriate grants bodies, exhibition spaces and related partners.
• To coordinate the Independents show, including the central management of information, press and publicity
• To liaise with key partners (including the Biennial, Arts Council England, afoundation, Capital of Culture, Liverpool City Council etc) over planning and decision-making pertinent to the Independents
• To develop funding applications on behalf of the Independents to cover operating costs (including publicity, marketing, interpretation, personnel etc)
• To liaise regularly with the artistic community of Liverpool through meetings and electronic communication .

The word INDEPENDENT is very important in all this. The independents strand is artist-led, it is not run, curated or controlled by either the Biennial or the Arts Council but they and this new facilitator can help and selected independent shows can be included in the Biennial catalog, marketing etc. (the new board/ facilitator will have to set up a transparent selection process for this).
It is up to individual artists or groups of artists to apply for funding (if required) and find venues etc. as before.

Some useful dates:
Applications for grants from the Arts Council:
If less than £5000 allow 6 weeks so final date for submission is August 4th
If more than £5000 allow 12 weeks so final date is June 23rd

There are two workshop days at Blackburne house to assist people who are new to the process of applying for grants.
These are on April 21st and May 19th.

Further details on grants, workshops etc. from Mike Noon at the Arts Council NW. email mike.noon@artscouncil.org.uk

And forms etc. are on the website www.artscouncil.org.uk