Read Ben Romberg's review of the FACT exhibition for the BBC Liverpool website.

Look out for this brochure in the 08 Place and other such venues. As I'm sure you all know by now 2006 is the Liverpool Performs themed year. A lot of the events listed have been happening anyway such as Mathew St. festival, Dadafest, Africa Oye, Brouhaha etc .etc. In fact, seeing them all listed in one booklet helps appreciate just how much is going on annually in the city.
But there's more, of course, and there'll be some things which aren't listed here I suppose. The City in Transition project sounds interesting and I'm looking forward to the Super Vision multi-media theatre show in April co-commissioned by the Culture Company. More details on the new-look liverpool08.com site

The Awards Evening is announced:
The event will take place on the: 2nd March 2006.
The venue is: Microzine, in Liverpool City Centre.
The start time is: 7pm
The after party is at: The Tea Factory (till late) - great Liverpool Bar
The aim of the evening: to greet, meet and celebrate

If you want to attend we are now compiling a guest list. You will need to be on the list to get in as we expect a really high turn out.
Email Bob at the100shirts@aol.com to register for the guest list and if you have any questions. Every artist who entered can bring 2 guests. We will compile a little map and send it out to all those who are travelling from afar, also we will post details of types of accomdation etc on the blog by the 6th February 06 .
Its going to be a night to remember.
See you there

As usual, the final-year Art Students at Liverpool John Moores University have to organise the funds and promotion of their degree-show in May/June. To help them on their way the Headspace curators have kindly offered the use of the Eggspace for 2 weeks to the group who will exhibit and hopefully sell some of their works under the title of 'Spotlight'.
The show opens tomorrow evening, thats Wednesday Feb 1st from 19.30 onwards and runs until Sunday Feb 19th 2006. See you at the Egg cafe tomorrow.

BOOKSHOP EVENT...BOOKSHOP EVENT...BOOKSHOP EVENT...BOOKSHOP EVENT...BOOKSHOP EVENT...

On Thursday 16th February the RENEW Rooms will be hosting a talk in connection with the publication of 'Transculturation : Cities, Spaces & Architectures in Latin America', edited by Felipe Hernandez, Mark Millington and Iain Borden.

The guest speaker that evening will be Prof Luis Carranza from Roger Williams University in the USA, who will be discussing 'Uncontaminated Truth : Ancient America in the Modern Imaginary'.

The book will be launched a few days later at the Tate Gallery in the Albert Dock, and there will also be another talk held there on Friday 17th February.

Felipe lectures in Architecture at the University of Liverpool and will also be attending that evening.

To reserve your place, please contact: anna.johnson@member.riba.org
or call 0151 707 4380

Found at flickr. A collection of pictures from Christian Jankowski's 'Everything Fell Together' viewing and after-party at FACT and 3345 Parr St..

So, knowing that I would be in Manchester for 3 days for the the British Art Show, I booked into a hotel with wi-fi access and took my laptop. It turned out that the internet was only available from the lounge which was dark, smokey and noisy. Then the very first time I logged on my glasses broke (why does that always happen when you're away from home?) so I couldn't see the screen. Hence no blogging or email for 3 whole days, aghhhh!

Still, it was a great weekend. The British Art Show only happens once every 5 years and this is the 6th one so its been around a while and is highly regarded as a guide to the most significant art being made in Britain. 25 of the 50 artists or groups on show are not actually British-born, this is about art made in Britain or by British artists abroad. It is a Hayward Gallery touring exhibition having just arrived here after a few months in the Baltic gallery in Gateshead.

It is spread across 8 venues which is why a weekend visit was required, the launch was on Friday evening but circumstances dictated that I was up at 6am to visit Blackburn first (more about that in a later post) so I was already a bit worn out. Starting at the Cornerhouse, visitors are invited to swap footwear with some that had been donated by local people. You can wear these alien shoes as you go round the venues and return to reclaim your own shoes later (Adam Chodzko, M-Path). Also here is the wonderfully clever carpet sculptures by Tonico Lemos Auad.

Up to the Northern Qtr at the Chinese Arts Centre is a 9ft tall hand-stitched rag doll slumped on the floor in an art-deco setting. This is one of the series of Alter Ego dolls by Enrico David.

Next was Urbis but it was already nearly closing time so just a brief look around the more architectural pieces here by the likes of Matthew Houlding, Nathan Coley and Toby Paterson.

There was a bit of a cock-up on the organisational front later at Urbis, the after-show party was full to capacity with a big queue of would-be party-people waiting outside. So someone came up with idea of only allowing in people who had RSVP'd. It does mention rsvp in the small-print on the tickets but hardly anybody actually did of course. I get the impression that Urbis is not the most loved place in the local art-scene so this was just more fuel for the fire. Lots of joking about all future visits there will be preceded by several emails informing of the visit and RSVPing ad nauseam. I did manage to get in later on but wasn't much happening anyway, so back to the hotel and ready for the remaining venues on Saturday.

I have mentioned the 'Guild of Ghostwriters' Blog before, it was a bit quiet at the time bit has got really busy with lots of good illustrations from guest artists lately. The blog is run by a guy called Dem in Toxteth.

The Cornerstone Gallery, Liverpool would like to invite you to meet the artists Elizabeth Willow and Becca Backhouse.

Following a successful and well received exhibition launch last Thursday of 'What Big Eyes You Have', The Cornerstone Gallery would like to invite you to an informal chat with the artists to talk about their current exhibition within the Gallery space.

The artists will be available to talk on Wednesday 1st February and Wednesday 8th February between 3 and 4pm.

The Exhibition is open from Friday 20th January to Friday 17th February 2006. The Gallery is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm.

For directions of how to get to the gallery please visit www.hope.ac.uk/gettingtohope/hopeateverton
For further information please contact the Gallery.
Tel: 0151 291 3997
Email: thecornerstonegallery@hope.ac.uk
Web: www.hope.ac.uk/cornerstonegallery

The Cornerstone Gallery
Liverpool Hope University
Hope at Everton
1, Haigh Street
Liverpool, L3 8QB

www.hope.ac.uk/artsandcommunity

I mentioned this women only art prize had been short-listed last October. The winner was announced today...

It went to Yorkshire-based film-maker Margaret Salmon, 30, who will use the award to shoot a new work about motherhood.
The prize, inaugurated last June in collaboration with London's Whitechapel gallery, is for emerging female artists based in the UK. It has ambitions to become the art world's equivalent of the women-only Orange Prize for Fiction, nurturing new talent and boosting the profile of female artists.

Full story in the Guardian

THE HUB presents

An Introduction to Arts Fundraising

Featuring 3 guest speakers from the worlds of public and private funding

Thursday 23 February - Birmingham
Tuesday 28 February - London
Wednesday 8 March - Leeds
Wednesday 22 March - Liverpool
Wednesday 5 April - Cambridge
Wednesday 19 April - Bristol
Wednesday 3 May - Newcastle
DATES have changed to
Newcastle Wednesday 3 May
London Wednesday 10 May
Cambridge Wednesday 24 May
Birmingham Wednesday 7 June
Leeds Wednesday 21 June
Liverpool Thursday 22 June
Bristol Wednesday 5 July

A one-day training course designed for those who would benefit from a comprehensive overview of the sources of funding available in the arts.
These new dates follow a series of successful hub training programmes in 2005.

The Trainers & Speakers

This bespoke course brings together the expertise and experience of one of the UK’s leading arts consultancies, the hub, with relevant guest speakers, who can provide an insight into the different areas of arts fundraising. Previous speakers at hub training days have included representatives from the world’s most successful and widespread creative network, Arts & Business and the national agency for the arts, Arts Council England. From the commercial world the hub has booked representatives of Sony and O2 to give delegates the inside track on sponsorship and at our last training event we were joined by a representative from The PRS Foundation whose presentation was a real hit with delegates. the hub are known for their ‘think and do’ approach to consultancy and training, which sees fundraising strategies and techniques regularly tried and tested in the field and subsequently, up to date and relevant advice offered to clients and delegates. The lead trainers are actively working as fundraisers today.

Why you?
With central government funding for the arts at a standstill until 2008, the pressure is on for arts fundraisers, programmers, curators, producers and promoters everywhere to be proactive about their fundraising targets and have a clear understanding of the fundraising options open to them. This course gives participants a practical overview of the variety of fundraising sources available and the opportunity to discover in which areas they are most likely to enjoy success. With a limit on budgets and time available, how are your working hours and skills best spent to get the maximum return? Should you be looking to Europe, approaching your local arts council, seeking business sponsorship or cultivating a high value donor? The course will help you to answer these questions in a supportive environment.

Content

This is a practical, interactive course which aims to get people involved right from the outset in the experience of fundraising. The course covers an introduction to fundraising, fundraising strategies, sponsorship, trusts and foundations, public sector funding, European funding, individual giving, income generation, servicing partnerships and the role of Arts & Business.

Price & Details

The course is £250 + vat per head. This includes lunch, presentation materials and a follow-up manual. The maximum number of participants is 20 to ensure a high quality experience. Discounts are available for group bookings. Places are limited and allocated when interest forms are received. The course will run in the cities and dates specified above at a central location from 9.30am-5pm. Location and confirmation details will be sent out on receipt of interest forms.

How to Book & Contact Details

To register interest, email to training@thehubuk.com with your details completed in the form below, by Friday 3 February.

If you have any questions about this course, please contact:
Wendy Smithers, Director, at the hub on 020 7377 1373 or email wendy@thehubuk.com
or contact the hub's Producer, Emily Webber on emily@thehubuk.com
www.thehubuk.com

Date of Session:

Location of Session:

Name:

Position:

Organisation:

Email address:

Phone number:

Please send this form to training@thehubuk.com

CulturEuro seminars:

EU funding opportunities for the cultural sector…

2 WEEKS TO GO - LIVERPOOL - BOOK YOUR PLACE NOW!

EUCLID, the UK’s official Cultural Contact Point appointed by the EC and the DCMS, is pleased to announce that our new round of popular CulturEuro seminars on EU funding opportunities for the cultural sector is now underway, and we look forward to visiting Liverpool on Thursday 9th February.

CulturEuro will take place at the Blackburne House and we will be highlighting not only current and future EU funding opportunities, but also ways in which cultural organisations can build partnerships, access other European sources of funding and deal with the challenges of EU rules and regulations.

This half day seminar will run from 13:30 – 16:45 and all participants will receive a full information pack with notes on the presentations and extensive contact details. The cost to attend is £75 + VAT (£88.12).

REGISTER ONLINE NOW!

For further details, including the full list of venues and dates, and to access the online booking form, please visit www.euclid.info/uk/seminars

Many thanks and please do forward this information on to any colleagues and contacts whom you think would be interesting in attending.

Another week, another free magazine launch. The latest is JustLiverpool (the website justliverpool.co.uk launches in April) and it hit the streets yesterday. Went to the launch party at 3345 Parr St for the obligatory glass of wine, networking etc. and some nice live music from local band the Stawls who are interviewed in the first issue. There's also interviews with Louise Ellman MP and the artist Andy Prior and others. Its not just another listing mag. there's a fair bit to read.
It should appear every 2 months. How long it lasts is yet to be seen but I wish them good luck.

Well, it didn't stop long did it? It only opened at the Albert Dock last July, always seemed busy whenever I looked in, selling good but rather safe, commercial art.
The Maria Louisa gallery is relocating to Brimstage Hall on the Wirral, its very nice but nothing like as busy as the Albert dock. Due to open on February 2nd 2006.

Liverpool features strongly in the UK’s most ambitious survey of contemporary visual art

A HAYWARD GALLERY TOURING EXHIBITION
28 January – 2 April 2006 at venues across Manchester.
Supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

Works by fifty artists and artists’ groups, selected from contemporary artists living and working in the UK, will appear in Manchester in January for the Hayward Gallery’s sixth British Art Show. Including work by Liverpool-born and Liverpool John Moores University alumni artists, the British Art Show is a unique chance to view recent developments in British art, with every major art gallery in Manchester – Castlefield Gallery, Chinese Arts Centre, Cornerhouse, The International 3, Manchester Art Gallery, Urbis and The Whitworth Art Gallery – taking part.

Fresh from its success at BALTIC in Gateshead – where it was seen by over 42,000 visitors in its first month – the British Art Show moves to Manchester on 28 January 2006. The connection to Liverpool is strong, enhancing the city’s reputation as Capital of Culture 2008. Mark Leckey was born in Birkenhead and shows Made in ‘Eaven (2004) at the Chinese Arts Centre, while fellow Liverpudlian, Paul Rooney continues to live in Liverpool and exhibits Lights Go On: The Song of the Nightclub Cloakroom Attendant (2001) at The Whitworth. Andrew MacDonald studied at the then Liverpool Polytechnic, and displays John's Country (2003) at Cornerhouse, while Marcus Coates has been a regular visitor to Liverpool, having exhibited as part of the Further up in the Air show in Liverpool in 2004 and whose work in the British Art Show is set inside a Liverpool towerblock.

Formby based pottery maker, Jo Scott, will be running a Raku pottery course in the south of France from 29th March this year, until 4th April at Congenies, near Nimes (direct flights from Liverpool, I paid £12.99 last year!) Full board and tuition for the week is 550 euros - about £400. There will also be a chance to try feltmaking and silk painting.. A great arty-crafty week with birdwatching and french markets thrown in!
Full details on her website www.coachhousecrafts.co.uk

I posted a short while ago that the former Trade Union Building (known as TUB) at 24 Hardman Street will, hopefully, soon be an Arts centre with space available for galleries, studios, rehearsals etc.
The latest is that it will now be known as the Liverpool Centre for Contemporary Art and Culture with an email address of LCCAC@hotmail.co.uk
Contact Moira and Callum if you are interested.

Some better news.
From Daily Post....

LIVERPOOL John Moores University last night announced Maghull Developments as its preferred partner for the controversial sale of four buildings around Hope Street.

The Hahnemann Building (42 Hope Street), 68 Hope Street, 2 Blackburne Place and Josephine Butler House (Myrtle Street) are currently occupied by departments from the Liverpool School of Art and Design and the School of Law.

The proposed sale has prompted severe criticism from the Liverpool Heritage Forum as 68 Hope Street was where John Lennon went to art school.

Once sold, the Art school departments will relocate to JMU's new £23.5m Art and Design Academy which is expected to open next to the Metropolitan Cathedral in 2008.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Brown said: "Naturally, there has been great concern expressed about the university leaving these buildings, particularly 68 Hope Street.
"Despite all of the hysteria that has been generated recently, I can now reveal that LJMU has been working behind the scenes to ensure that 68 Hope Street continues to have a creative output and it is the intention that elements of the building will have a future role in arts education

Oh Dear, here we go again.
From BBC news...

City's modern museum bid rejected

A bid for lottery funds to help finance a futuristic museum on Liverpool's waterfront has been turned down.
The Museum of Liverpool is planned for Mann Island and will replace the current Museum of Liverpool Life.

On Wednesday, the Heritage Lottery Fund said it would not be giving the project the £11.4m it asked for, saying the plans were not detailed enough.

Planning permission for an X-shaped building is currently being considered by Liverpool City Council.

The North West Development Agency (NWDA) approved funds of more than £33m for the redevelopment of the site close to the historic "three graces" in July.
National Museums Liverpool said it was disappointed by the Heritage Lottery decision, but has not given up hope that it will deliver the project for Liverpool.

You might want to add your name to this statement on the VAGA (Visual Arts & Galleries Association) website.
Full details on the Link.

REALISE your right to art
As UK citizens, we have a right to housing, education and health. Shouldn’t all of us also have the right to a share in the rich visual culture of the nation? Shouldn’t all of us have the opportunity to flourish as visually literate and creative citizens throughout our lives?

We live in a compelling, complex and dynamic visual world. Art lies at the core of culture, yet, despite its power to ignite our senses and provoke our thoughts, it remains wastefully detached from the lives of too many of us.

REALISE is a long term campaign to place visual culture at the centre of people's lives, public policy and the political debate, creating a society where everyone can participate as critically empowered and creative citizens within our increasingly dynamic, diverse and global environment.

SIGN UP >> 2006 for 2006: REALISE represents a powerful and expanding alliance of individuals and organisations, to endorse the above statement of principle and aspiration email: signup@righttoart.com. Help us demonstrate the will of a critical mass, with 2006 signatories for 2006.

The new, temporary, venue for the Connect strand of the Bluecoat Arts Centre opened at 51-53 Paradise Street. Its called 'Out of the Bluecoat' (clever eh?). The 'soundscape' project is on there until the end of this week - Jan 28th and is well worth a visit. Here's all the info...

A unique "soundscape" of Liverpool, a city in transition, has been recorded and edited by a group of young people, capturing the soul of our city in sound. They have worked in equal collaboration with a sonic artist, an acoustic ecologist and a performance poet to record and document the sounds that most of us allow to wash over us almost unnoticed.

The project has introduced young people to the concept of listening more closely to the everyday sounds that we generally take for granted whilst teaching them the skills and processes of editing and recording.

The participants wandered the inner-city streets of Liverpool, capturing the city’s sounds and conversations using a range of equipment from boom microphones to dictaphones.

The collected and created sounds have inspired visual soundscapes, word games and poetry which are all part of the ingredients to compliment the unique sound experience.

Bec Jones, Bluecoat Arts Centre’s Participation Manager says, "Bluecoat felt it was important to capture the sounds of Liverpool at this period of intense change. By involving local young people and artists this has been done in a creative and quite magical way."

Alex Decoupigny, the sonic artist from Germany who worked with the young people commented; "We gave them such a free range and they did not disappoint us, but gave us the best recordings you can imagine"

The work will be presented to the public in an innovative surround-sound experience at Bluecoat Art Centre’s new ‘Out of the Bluecoat’ space, 51 – 53 Paradise Street. The free exhibition will be open 11am – 5pm Thursdays and Fridays, 10am – 4pm Saturdays from 14th to 28th January.

Pool of Sound has been managed by Bluecoat’s innovative participation programme, Connect. Connect continues working with artists and communities throughout Bluecoat’s closure for renovation and development. This project was organized in conjunction with Merseyside Youth Association, Frakture and Windows Project with support from the University of Liverpool’s Acoustic Research Unit.

This project has been made possible through funding by Arts Council England and the Liverpool Culture Company and Urban Cultural Programme who are working together for European Capital of Culture 2008.

After almost a century as a thriving centre for the contemporary arts, Bluecoat Arts Centre has embarked on a £9.75 million restoration, renovation and expansion scheme that will secure the future of one of Liverpool’s best-loved and most distinctive architectural gems.

Bluecoat Arts Centre closed its doors to the public in early 2005 to begin the process that will:
• Restore and preserve the fabric of a grade One listed building, the oldest in the city centre
• Re-organise and improve existing areas, including the foyer, garden, offices and shops, to make the building as accessible as possible to everyone
• Create excellent new gallery, performance and workshop spaces for our arts and participation activities.

Connect, Bluecoat’s innovative outreach programme has continued throughout the closure. Connect works to unite artists and selected community groups to work together in creative participation.

If you are interested in being a part of this exciting stage by volunteering then we always have opportunities, especially now that our new temporary space Out of the Bluecoat on Paradise Street is open for workshops and occasional exhibitions.

Please contact annie@bluecoatartscentre.com or call 0151 703 9248 for more information. Alternatively you can write to:
Annie MacLean
Bluecoat Arts Centre
School Lane, Liverpool L1 3BX

James Lakey from Lark Lane, Aigburth is the first local artist to exhibit work as part of the new ARTEFACT programme, showing in a specially designated area in the FACT Bar from 13 December 2005 through to 03 March 2006.

Over 60 local artists submitted work for consideration by the ARTEFACT panel, comprising a broad range of FACT and Picturehouse staff. The submission requirements were that the work, any 2D medium be it painting, drawing or print, must have employed the use of technology at some stage in its production and that it should have been made on Merseyside, in the last three years. Each chosen artist's work will be on show for a period of three months.

James Lakey, who kick starts the ARTEFACT programme, studied at the Ruskin School of Art, Oxford and now lives and works in Liverpool. His hauntingly beautiful photographs entitled, They Walk Amongst Us, feature glimpses of birds in Sefton Park in the Autumnal dusk. "The images on display are in fact video stills, taken from a camera that was set up to capture any irregularities in the momentary existence of the common crow" Lakey explains, continuing "It seems each stretch, flutter and caw contains potentially infinite permutations, each bound within its own specific space-time." Fluctuations in the form and texture of the bird were observed prior to this experiment, during which time it was thought the crow was harking back to its roots as a shape shifter, or a trickster spirit.

Pictured here is a detail from the piece.

Link to FACT

I'm sure most private viewings used to take place on Fridays. Now they all clash on Thursdays. Perhaps the idea was to avoid the weekend but now, for me at least, the weekend is even longer.

So last Thursday was a bit of a rush. Having been to the World museum (see previous posting) I walked up to Microzine in Bold Street for the book signing. Here Christian Jankowski was signing his book which accompanies his exhibition at FACT, 'Everything Fell Together'. As a bit of a publicity stunt, FACT and/or Microzine had asked members of the public to come up with an alternative spelling for Christian's name. Steve Dunn (pictured here), a teacher at Broadgreen High School, suggested Christian Yank Housie. This was then printed onto a T shirt, seen here, and badges.

Onto FACT itself and we all got one of the badges in our 'goodie bags' on entry. I went on the pre-preview tour, I enjoyed the exhibition and will be returning to do a proper review at some point soon.
Lots of drink provided by Peroni Nastro Azzurro / Microzine so a taxi was required for a quick trip across town to catch the viewing at Cornerstone. Here we have more interesting installations from Becca Backhouse and Elizabeth Willow. Again, a full review to follow later.
Then, the long walk back to 3345 Parr st. for the after-show party with Ian McNabb on the turn-tables (or itunes more like)
After all that Friday was disappointing, nothing much happening. A redistribution of art activities is urgently required.

As well as the celebrations in Nelson Street next Sunday (29th), National Museums Liverpool have a few events at the Maritime and World Museums next weekend. Full details already posted.
Here is 5 yr old Sophia from Smithdown Primary School showing NML staff how to wear the costume (I think its a lion)

Speaking of Antony Gormley, Almiro gallery in Waterloo just up the road from Crosby beach now stocks 'Another Place' merchandise. Calendars, prints, postcards etc.
But I was there to have a look at the exhibition of Danny John's paintings on show for the whole of January. The gallery has a good space in a former workshop at 45 Mersey View, it opened in October 2005, this was my first visit and I was made very welcome by the whole McCarthy family who own and run the place.
Danny John has his studio in 50 Parr St. and is currently working on various commissions as well as exhibiting here. These are mainly abstracts but with a couple of figurative pieces which I prefer to be honest as they have their own distinct style which I find appealing.
There are some works by other featured artists such as Roy McCarthy, Eric Orme, Jazamin Sinclair and Paul Butler and a good selection of prints. The gallery is open Thurs/Friday 10-19.00 and Sat/Sun 11-18.00.
Danny John at Alimro until end January 2006

Thanks again to Anonymous for more pictures of Antony Gormley's 'Another Place' guys.
Any more, anyone?

Liverpool Artists in Collective Show
(Written by Lucia Sweeney in consultation with Gaynor Evelyn Sweeney, 17 January 2006)
(Photographs Gaynor Evelyn Sweeney and Tony Knox)
 

Gaynor Evelyn Sweeney and Tony Knox, both Liverpool based artists, are part of an upcoming exhibition in Manchester called the Collective in Wellington House, Pollard Street, Ancoats, Manchester, under the Collective. The concept of this exhibition was founded by Irene Rukerebuka of Tilfeldig Productions from Manchester.

The Collective are a group of eight artists researched and selected by Irene Rukerebuka from diverse professional and creative backgrounds and practices. They were each set the brief to respond to the building where the exhibition is held, which was primarily a Cotton Mill in Manchester. The artists have produced a range of art, installations and performances to this and opens on Thursday 26 January 2006 between 6.00 pm – 9.00 pm. The exhibition is only open for seven days, 27 January - 01 February 2006.

The art created by Sweeney is an installation formed by cotton and polythene. Within this enclosure there will be a live performance. The structure is to relate the history and life behind the mill in the foundations and edifice of this building. The installation is born from a white, sterile, metal box, layered by cotton and plastic. This outstretched to form a sculptural synergy between spatiality of the building in it’s contemporary and historical context. This fusion between cultural object in this installation and artefact of the building re-animated with a heart pulsating in the centre of the labyrinth and white box. A live performance relative between the spatiality and temporality of the building and art created

Knox has produced a short film. This shows him surrounded by mirrors in a woodland. He cuts off his beard revealing physical similarities to his father and him. He then dresses in his father’s clothes, watch and starts to cut his long hair, transforming himself into the persona of his father who passed away nineteenth months earlier to the day this performance was shot. The work will be presented as a digital projection onto the hung mirrors that previously laid in the woods for five months. This project has been supported by the University of Central Lancaster providing the hire of the projector.
Rukerebuka has worked with Eva Aftab to realise the final stages of this extraordinary exhibition. As well as this project. Rukerebuka also is founder and editor of Rant Magazine and Tilfeldig Productions. Rant has an international distribution to various arts and cultural outlets. This coincides with the national event of the British Art Show 2006.

The Collective of artists in the group are made up of Ailis Ni Riain, Bryony Bond, Gaynor Evelyn Sweeney, Hemanti Chauhan, John Deller, Jo Harrison, T C McCormack and Tony Knox.

For further information please go to:
www.tilfeldigproductions.com/collective
www.gaynorevelynsweeney.co.uk (Artist: Gaynor Evelyn Sweeney)
www.podgy.org.uk (Artist: Tony Knox)

FACT Trading Ltd.
ASSISTANT CAFÉ BAR MANAGER
£13-17K (Depending on experience)

FACT Trading Ltd has a vacancy for an Assistant Café Bar Manager. Applicants should have suitable experience working in a similar catering establishment.

To apply please send your CV and a covering letter telling us what you could bring to the job to:

Alan Smith, Operations Director, FACT, 88 Wood Street, Liverpool. L1 4DQ

Should you require any further information please contact Becs Ward or Sheindal Cohen on 0151 707 4444, email recruitment@fact.co.uk.

Application deadline: Friday 3 February 2006

We welcome applications from any individual regardless of ethnic origin, gender, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation or age. All applications are considered on merit.

Check out the details on the !00shirts blog.

Rotunda College
109 Great Mersey Street
Liverpool
L5 2PL
Tel 0151 207 2176
Fax 0151 207 4122
Email – rotunda71@hotmail.com

Saturday Craft Workshops

Imaginative learning in a friendly, relaxed environment
Located close to Liverpool city centre, Rotunda College offers a wide range of inspiring workshops, all designed to give you the skills to create your own exclusive item.

Whether it be a precious silver bangle, set of personalised greeting cards or a unique piece of clothing, Rotunda College has the ideal course to get your creative juices flowing….

Why not create a personalised gift this Valentines Day?

With courses just £17.50, make an extra effort for that extra special card and gift this Valentines Day.

Get creative with Rotunda College this February…

Come along & try Hand Made Books, Personalised Card Making, Creating Silver Bangles using an ancient technique, Junk Jewellery - Wonderfully Jewellery from old buttons, beads, ribbons & lace, Intro to Batik/Fabric Painting, Reiki, Dyeing in an Ice Cream Box, Beautiful Embroidered Bag Making, Make your own paper and Felt Making

For more information on, or to book onto any of the above courses, please contact Marian Lockhart on 0151 207 2176, who will be more than happy to help.

Courses run from 1pm-4pm each Saturday, starting February 4th 2006.

You can also try Di’s Kitchen where Refreshments and delicious homemade cakes are available.

 
Utopian Colours by George Lund
Written by Gaynor Evelyn Sweeney, 18 January 2006.
Photographs Tony Knox and Gaynor Evelyn Sweeney.

We are brought the vibrant expressions of George Lund at the Unity Theatre in his solo exhibition ‘Utopia Colours’.

The selection of art shows a combination of some previous works combined with his new series on his bizarre and wonderful creatures evolved from ‘Animal Utopia’. Other examples include his exuberant ‘Amazonian Colour Series’ and some Urbanscapes of Liverpool, all executed in his distinct, vibrant palette of his naive art style.

This exhibition is within an innovative place with history in the politics and development of the performing arts and the art presented by Lund equally flamboyant and energetic as the theatrical atmosphere.

When talking to Lund he explains about his art.

‘My artwork I feel now has a freshness, energy, liveliness and abundance of colour. Art work is produced in combination of various painting mediums and painted on large and small canvas. There is a certain naivety in my painting style, but I use this as a non conformity to become more of an individualist using more imagination. My artwork embodies colourful passionate abstractions of space and time. References of hybridism, urbanism, juxtaposed to Amazonianism’.

Lund will be showing a collection of art derived from his philosophical studies and texts of 'Animal Utopia'. A work written over several years. The beautiful and vibrant art will be accompanied by a live performance on the opening night, directed and collaboratively performed by Lund and other artists. Through his insight and concept, the creatures of 'Animal Utopia' will come to life! This event is scheduled for Museum Man in Spring 2006. Further information is available from the artist at georgelund@merseymail.com.

The current exhibition ‘Utopia Colours’ runs from the 17 January - 25 February 2006.

Artist: George Lund
Email: georgelund@merseymail.com
Website: www.lundart.co.uk

Thanks to Tony Knox for this report of last nights meeting at Open Eye.

JANUARY PUBLIC MEETINGS. Red Eye first meeting takes place on 17th January 2006
Open Eye Gallery, 28-32 Wood Street, Liverpool, L1

Redeye, a Manchester based photographic network silently made its debut at the Open Eye Gallery Liverpool, Paul Herrmann took centre stage in principal asking what people wanted, while continuing to show some of the work photographer's have been associated with in the history of redeye. This is long overdue but at least the open eye gallery had finally taken the initiative to invite redeye. Considering the success of redeye within Manchester.

The purpose of this meeting is to try and get a sense of community and discourse between the photographers and visual artists who may have felt somewhat excluded because of the lack of involvement that the gallery has had in the past. The atmosphere was relaxed and late-comers were greeted with a glass of wine and an engaging speaker. The venue of the open eye was crowded with 30 plus to the background of 'The Factory of Dreams' exhibition, the participants, encouraged to express and share their knowledge and concerns, egos were left outside.

Openeye is one of only a handful of photography galleries within England and personally I feel it is important that the gallery integrates itself with the community as well as showing international and contemporary photographers to the highest level but also to be accessible and engaging to photographers and artists that one day they may have the opportunity to show within the gallery. The recently appointed director of the Open eye, Patrick Henry, has a friendly demeanour and additionally an ex-professional photographer himself hopefully he will be sympathetic and supportive to some of the regional talents. This is a step in the right direction to achieve the objectives additionally it is also the responsibility of the photographers and visual artist to engage and share and to communicate with each other.

Tony Knox 2006

From Parbold artist Alastair Adams...

Life Drawing Classes in Parbold, West Lancs.
3 Hour untutored poses to suit keen amateur and professional alike. Evening sessions between 7pm and 10pm starting Tuesday 31st January. Space is limited to 10 places so booking in advance is essential. Booking in six week blocks, overall cost £30.00. Each six week block consists of three weeks male model, three weeks female model. For further information please call Tina on 01257 464015 or Alastair on 0780 8585366.

THE ART OF MATCH-MAKING
Singles night at the Walker Art Gallery

National Museums Liverpool is hosting a Valentine's singles night at the Walker Art Gallery from 1900- 2100 hours on Friday 10 February 2006.

The inspiration for the evening is the stunning exhibition Conrad Shawcross: the Steady States. Shawcross has been described as the Da Vinci of the 21st Century because of his awesome sculptures that use noise and light to explore cosmology, quantum mechanics and musical theory. In creating a wonderful sensory atmosphere, where art fuses with science and music, the exhibition provides a stimulating backdrop for meeting new people.

Guests are kept entertained and encouraged to mingle with various activities:
· Private tours of the beautiful Walker Art Gallery, including the Shawcross exhibition
· Ice-breaker games and quiz
· Indulgent refreshments including Smirnoff Norsk Vodka and Thornton's Eden chocolate.

Single in the City, a popular event for the singletons of the North West, takes place in different cultural organisations across Liverpool. Set in beautiful locations with things of interest to see and do, the events create a relaxed environment- perfect for meeting like-minded people and making new friends.

Tickets to the event cost just £5 each. Places are limited so please book in advance. For more information or to book your place call Kathy McKeon on 0151 478 4616 or email events@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk.

OK, here's your chance to show you can do a better job than the current part-timer.
Don't fancy the job myself - even for £150,000 per year.

From liverpool08.com...
Chief Executive
Salary: circa £150,000
Ref:CUL/3008/2635
Closing date: 3 February 2006

The European Capital of Culture 2008 represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Liverpool to reposition
itself as a world-class city.

The Liverpool Culture Company is looking for a Chief Executive who is a talented self-motivated strategic
thinker to lead the organisation towards and through to 2008. The successful applicant should have a high
level of interpersonal and communication skills, capacity to lead and support others, a high level of
competence in commercial and business management coordination combined with strong leadership skills.

The successful applicant will take the lead working with partners and stakeholders to take full advantage of
this opportunity to reposition Liverpool locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

The candidate will have at least five years' experience in a senior management role at national and
international level and preferably with knowledge of large-scale events.

For an application form and recruitment brochure please call the Human Resource and Payroll Service Centre on 0151 233 3003.

This is great fun. Its the British Library Online Gallery 'Turning the Pages' project. You will need to install the Shockwave plug-in if you don't already have it (make sure you unclick the install of Yahoo toolbar - unless you want it) and allow pop-ups.
There's only 15 books at present and they're not all painting related, there's Mozart's musical diary for instance and the First Atlas of Europe but there's also Leonardo's sketches and Flemish Masters in miniature.
You can pass a magnifier over the page and listen to or read accompanying audio/text.
Hopefully there's more on the way.

Link: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/ttpbooks.html

Thanks to (Anonymous) for sending in this photo of one of Antony Gormley's 'Another Place' statues dressed in a raincoat. The caption reads "Low tide on Saturday yet Gormley's man is ready for the rain" Nice one.
People have been having great fun interacting with these sculptures, not always tastefully but never mind. I did see some pictures of one dressed as Santa at xmas, no surprise there.

I am happy to consider posting other art-related pictures and news items. Just email them to me.
info@artinliverpool.com

The ZAP GRAFFITI ARTS company and LEASOWE DEVELOPMENT TRUST are seeking young unemployed 16-19 year olds from the Wirral for their new POPS course. (DURATION : 12 WEEKS @ 12 HOURS)

This course will allow participants to learn the basic skills of graffiti as an artform and engage in an extensive course involving:

LEARNING: FILM & LITERATURE, TALKS, RESEARCH TRIPS AND LECTURES

WITH EXPERIENCE GAINED THROUGH:

PRACTICAL WORK: PLANNING.
ILLUSTRATION.
GRAPHIC DESIGN.
GRAFFITI ART.
BASIC WOOD WORK.
FRAME MAKING SKILLS.
COMPUTER AND MULTIMEDIA WORK.
(CDROM / WEBSITE CREATION)

COMMUNICATION SKILLS: WORKSHOPS: TEACHING OTHERS / SHARING SKILLS.
DEALING WITH THE PUBLIC & COMMERCE.
DOCUMENTATION AND EVALUATION.

Entry into the course does not adversely affect your benefits, possible the contrary!

For full details and eligibility please contact:
LYNNE WATERHOUSE: LEASOWE DEVELOPMENT TRUST
0151- 638 9599 / 0775 6772 340
E-MAIL: lynnew@leasowedt.org.uk

or alternatively KIERAN GORMAN: ZAP GRAFFITI ARTS:
0771 6548 629
E-MAIL: info@zapgraffiti.com
WEBSITE: http://www.zapgraffiti.com

The excellent start to the year continues with the latest exhibition at Liverpool University Art Gallery in Abercromby Square. The title, 'Icarus' stems from Alexander Adams latest work specifically for this exhibition which is a series of 50 small paintings showing the motif of a falling, charred figure.
This is a substantial show of Adams's paintings and works on paper, he limits his palette to black and white only. I particularly like his trees and the simple but effective pencil drawings of small figures. It seems he doesn't do faces though, there's a whole section of pictures where the face has either been roughly obliterated or just left completely blank. Interesting.
This is a touring exhibition, most pictures are for sale and a catalogue can be purchased.
'Icarus' by Alexander Adams at Liverpool University Art Gallery until March 31st 2006

Excellent idea and no problem finding sponsors. Shame there's not a lot on the website though.

Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising in Notting Hill: http://www.museumofbrands.com/