Archive for the 'News' Category

Michael Treanor at Freshwater Gallery

Published by Ian Jackson on March 16, 2010 23:20 in Art Review and News. 0 Comments Tags: .

treanor-1

Self-taught artist, Michael Treanor, has become a very accomplished watercolourist and his work is appearing in more and more places. He has quite a few in the Freshwater Gallery at the Albert Dock and he was there demonstrating his skills at the launch event last week.

Freshwater is near the Tate and has been there for a couple of years, originally trading under a different name before going independent last year and this is the first of a series of regular exhibitions featuring local artists.

As well as a variety of original works, they sell prints, cards and other arts and crafts items.

http://www.michaeltreanorwatercolours.co.uk/

http://www.thefreshwatergallery.com/

Published by Ian Jackson on March 16, 2010 23:20 in Art Review and News. 0 Comments Tags: .

Wirral Arts Audit

Published by Ian Jackson on March 16, 2010 19:50 in News. 1 Comment

Call to all you Wirral arty people…

Wirral Council’s Arts Unit is currently undertaking an audit of arts activity across the borough of Wirral.

They are looking for venue managers, professional artists, community arts practitioners, arts organisations and members of the general public who are interested in taking part in arts activities to fill out a short questionnaire to feed into their study.

Although the activity is ongoing, those who reply by Wednesday 5th May 2010 will be entered into a draw to win 2 tickets to either a private viewing at the Williamson Art Gallery or a show of their choice at the Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

If you are interested in sharing your thoughts, please e-mail Sarah Kerton, Arts Development Officer at sarahkerton@wirral.gov.uk

Published by Ian Jackson on March 16, 2010 19:50 in News. 1 Comment

Ancient Egyptian Adventure reaches the final chapter

Published by Ian Jackson on March 16, 2010 18:16 in News. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Meretseger,-the-Cobra-goddess

MUSEUM DRAMA ENDS
Ancient Egyptian Adventure reaches the final chapter

More than 6000 children across Merseyside went on an Egyptian adventure – without even leaving their schools! They all took part in Ancient Egyptian Adventure – The Secret of the Jewelled Heart, an ambitious collaboration between National Museums Liverpool and theatre Hope Street Ltd that draws to a close this month.

Actors performed the atmospheric show to children inside a ‘pyramid tomb’ stage set, as part of a day of ancient Egyptian activity. The theatre and museum worked together to find new and innovative ways of exciting young people about ancient history and museum collections. The unique ‘spectacle’ has been taken into 60 selected schools in Liverpool, St Helens and Knowsley. The experiment is part of the government’s Find Your Talent pathfinder which aims to get young people into creative and cultural activities.

Continue reading ‘Ancient Egyptian Adventure reaches the final chapter’

Published by Ian Jackson on March 16, 2010 18:16 in News. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Galleries Invited to be in Own Art Scheme

Published by Ian Jackson on March 16, 2010 14:53 in News. 0 Comments Tags: .

I’d like to see more Liverpool galleries taking part in this scheme – the more the better.

The application period for galleries wishing to join the Own Art scheme is now open. The closing date for applications is 26 April 2010.

Who can apply?

Membership of the Own Art scheme is open to the following types of organisation:

  • Commercial art galleries
  • Not for profit galleries, museums and artists associations
  • Local authority funded galleries and museums
  • Specialist art colleges and higher education establishments
  • Internet based galleries whose registered offices are based in England

Please note that we are unable to consider applications from individual artists or from businesses that promote the work of a single artist only.

Continue reading ‘Galleries Invited to be in Own Art Scheme’

Published by Ian Jackson on March 16, 2010 14:53 in News. 0 Comments Tags: .

Walker Art Gallery Short-Listed for Art Fund Collect

Published by Ian Jackson on March 16, 2010 11:38 in News. 0 Comments Tags: , .
Jacqueline Ryan Sea Brooch, 2008 18ct gold and vitreous enamels Height 65mm Width 65mm Depth 40mm Courtesy The Scottish Gallery

Jacqueline Ryan Sea Brooch, 2008 18ct gold and vitreous enamels Height 65mm Width 65mm Depth 40mm Courtesy The Scottish Gallery

More exciting news from the Walker…

Four North West art institutions in the running for national contemporary art prize

Independent art charity The Art Fund, and the Crafts Council, today announced that four museums and galleries in the NorthWest have been short-listed to take part in Art Fund Collect, a nationwide initiative championing contemporary craft and increasing its presence in UK collections.

The four institutions from the North West are: Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool; Manchester Art Gallery; Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester; and Harris Museum, Preston. Eleven museums and galleries have been short-listed in total, out of 21 applications from across the UK.

Now in its third year, Art Fund Collect offers a fund of £75,000 for curators from UK institutions to select and acquire outright a unique work from COLLECT, the Craft Council’s international art fair for contemporary objects, which takes place at London’s Saatchi Gallery in May.

Art Fund Collect will take place on 13 May at COLLECT. On the day, short-listed curators will be granted special advance access to the fair, ahead of private buyers and VIP guests. They will have one hour to race around the fair and cherry-pick an item to acquire for their museum’s public collection.

The expert panel of judges will examine their choices and decide who will win a share of the £75,000 prize from The Art Fund.Winning curators will be able to buy their chosen piece outright on behalf of their museum or gallery.
TheWhitworth Art Gallery was among the winners of Art Fund Collect in 2008, a possible double win could be in store this year. The Harris Museum, Preston was shortlisted in 2008 and 2009 but is yet to come away with a prize. This is the first time that the Walker Art Gallery and Manchester Art Gallery have been short-listed to take part in Art
Fund Collect.

Robin Emmerson, Head of Decorative Arts at the Walker, will take part in Art Fund Collect on behalf of his institution. He said: “We are very excited that we have been short-listed for Art Fund Collect this year. This is a great opportunity for Liverpool to bid for a really astounding piece of new work – and if we get it, it will be free to see.”

http://www.artfund.org/

Published by Ian Jackson on March 16, 2010 11:38 in News. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Liverpool International Photography Festival Gets Go Ahead

Published by Ian Jackson on March 16, 2010 11:15 in News. 0 Comments Tags: .

Some exciting news for Photography fans…

PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL IN LIVERPOOL GETS GO AHEAD

Liverpool is to stage its first-ever international photography festival, entitled Look2011.
The festival will take place at galleries and exhibition spaces across Liverpool and Merseyside and will showcase significant new bodies of work by emerging and established photographers from both home and abroad. Look2011 will launch with a four-day event in May 2011 featuring exhibition openings, artists’ talks, workshops and will
play host to the 3rd National Photography Symposium.

Dedicated to pushing the boundaries of contemporary photography and developing ideas around our collective photographic future, the theme of the Look2011 festival will be social justice and photography as a ‘call to action’ and is designed to increase participation and awareness of the issues and practices of photography to audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

The festival has recently received generous funding and support from the Arts Council and is currently embarking on recruitment of an Artistic Director and a Festival Manager to be appointed in May 2010.

Key partners already in place include venues such as the Bluecoat, National Museums Liverpool, the Open Eye Gallery and also include the photographers’ network Redeye, Magnum Photos, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Liverpool City Council.

Colin McPherson, chair of the Look2011 organising committee said: “This is a decisive moment for photography in Liverpool and I am delighted that we have secured funding and support to allow us to stage this exciting event. I am sure it will be a significant part of the cultural landscape of Liverpool, Merseyside and the North West in 2011. The themes of the festival and the events which are being planned to allow for participation and interaction with the world of photography and will aim to educate, inform and stimulate debate.”

With a number of photography commissions on offer, Look2011 will also seek to create a legacy of original and exciting work from the festival.

Further details and confirmation of the events and dates will be released in due course. In the meantime details regarding employment opportunities with the festival can be found by
visiting www.look2011.co.uk or you can follow us on Twitter: @look2011.

Published by Ian Jackson on March 16, 2010 11:15 in News. 0 Comments Tags: .

Impact of Capital of Culture Year – Final Report Published Today

Published by Ian Jackson on March 12, 2010 12:39 in News. 0 Comments Tags: .

impacts08-report
Impacts08, based at the University of Liverpool have published their final report today (Friday 12 March 2010).

Creating an impact: Liverpool’s experience as European Capital of Culture looks at the social, economic and cultural effects of the city hosting the ECoC title in 2008. You can download a copy of the report here.

Not had time to read all 68 pages yet but at a glance it all looks very positive.

Here’s a bit from the highlights…

By the end of 2008
– The arts sector viewed the Liverpool ECoC
as a success in terms of raising the profile
of the city and its arts and cultural offer, and
in bringing visitors and the local population
in to enjoy its offer.
– The city region’s creative industries sector
also felt that: the Liverpool ECoC had
improved the profile of the city, particularly
externally; that it had improved the ‘local
morale’ of the sector and increased its
credibility within the city region; and many
anticipate long-term, positive impacts for
their businesses.
– Up to 51% of local cultural sector peers
agree that by the end of its ECoC year,
Liverpool has been repositioned as a
‘world class city’.
– At least 15 of the events of Liverpool ECoC
were judged to be ‘world class’ or
‘excellent’ by the majority of a panel of
consulted peer reviewers.
– There were 1,683 creative industry
enterprises in Liverpool employing 11,000
people. This represents a growth of 8% in
the number of enterprises since 2004.
– Total audience among the largest arts
and cultural organisations in the city
topped 5.6 million.

Published by Ian Jackson on March 12, 2010 12:39 in News. 0 Comments Tags: .

FACT’s Laura Sillars named as a ‘Woman to Watch’ in prestigious national list

Published by Ian Jackson on March 10, 2010 10:24 in News. 1 Comment Tags: .
Laura Sillars

Laura Sillars

FACT’s Programmes Director named as a ‘Woman to Watch’ in prestigious national list

Laura Sillars, Programmes Director at FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology), Liverpool has been recognised as one of the most talented and ambitious women in the UK cultural and creative industries, after being included on the Cultural Leadership Programme’s national list of ‘Women to Watch.’

The inaugural list has been established to profile the incredible achievements of 50 talented women leaders, including Laura, who will have a huge impact on the cultural life of the UK in years to come.

These women are already making a significant contribution to industries including design, libraries, literature, museums, heritage, music, performing and visual arts, the historic environment and creative businesses and have the potential to become influential and established senior leaders in the sector within the next few years.

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Published by Ian Jackson on March 10, 2010 10:24 in News. 1 Comment Tags: .