The weekend in Accrington…

It’s all happening on Accrington market. This weekend saw people creating furniture for the Haworth Art Gallery from images of what it looked like as a family home.

Find out more about whats going on http://annehaworthsfan.wordpress.com/

Accrington is underway…

I’ve returned from leave to find the Accrington Open Shop Project well underway with exciting new developments. From this Friday there will be dress on display in the market that is a replica of one the Anne Haworth wore when in mourning.

Sarah will also be using the printing blocks from the Haworth’s collection in the market.

For more developments see http://annehaworthsfan.wordpress.com/

Quick update…

I won’t be here for the next two weeks, but Lucy will be regularly updating the Blackburn blog http://blackburnbookarchive.blogspot.com/ and Sarah Jay will be starting the blog www.annehaworthsfan.wordpress.com to keep you up to date with all the activity in Accrington.

Here’s a preview of the postcard for Accrington…

Anne Haworth’s Fan…

Artist Sarah Jay has been doing her research with the Haworth Art Gallery in preparation for their Open Shop Project. Here are some of her finds…

To Recap…

We now have five very exciting artists in place for the projects that will take over this summer:

Burnley/Towneley: ArtYarn  – May-June

Blackburn/Blackburn museum and Art Gallery: Lucy May Schofield  – July-August

Ribble Valley/North West Sound Archive: Laurence Kaye – June – July

Rossendale/Rossendale Museum: Kaspar Wimberley and Susanne Kudielka   - June

Hyndburn/Haworth Art Gallery: Sarah Jay  - August

Final Appointment…

 

We have made the fifth and final appointment for the Open Shop Project artists. Sarah Jay will be working with the Haworth Art Gallery in Accrington during August 2010. She will be looking into the stories of the family that built the house and exploring how the largest collection of Tiffany glass in Europe came to be housed in this small Lancashire town.

Hyndburn Project (Haworth Art Gallery)

Haworth Art Gallery/ Phase 1 Artist Brief

 Creativity Works background:

Creativity Works is a consortium consisting of Pennine Lancashire Arts Officers, Arts Council North West, Lancashire County Council, Creative Lancashire, Elevate and Curious Minds. The partnership provides the infrastructure for joint working, shared approaches, economies of scale working across the sub region and alignment to the Multi Area Agreement as well as districts Local Area Agreement’s.

 Creativity Works was initially set up in 2000, supporting Creative Industries in Pennine Lancashire. In 2008 it extended its remit to work strategically on four priority areas: Health, Business, Regeneration and People, to raise the profile of and participation in, quality arts practice in the region.

 The engagement programme of work that this project belongs to, began in September 2009. The aim of this work is to increase engagement in the arts through working with local heritage venues.  This project forms part of the initial programme of activity that will happen with each partner venue.

 Project background:

 The Haworth Art Gallery house a collection of Tiffany Art Nouveau glass of international importance.The collection consists of over 140 glass tiles, vases and mosaics; it is the largest public collection of Tiffany glass in Europe. Many visitors come from around the world to see this collection however, looking at audience research data, there is a lack of engagement from the local communities with this venue. 50% of visitors are first time visitors, which would indicate they are not being visited by local communities that could make repeat visits.

 Alongside this project, Creativity Works are working throughout East Lancashire to utilise empty shop spaces in town centres. This commission is part of a larger scheme of work that brings together empty shop spaces/town centre spaces and local heritage venues as a way of increase community engagement with arts and heritage. There will be an opportunity in each of the six Pennine Lancashire local authorities to work in partnership with a local heritage venue to increase engagement in the visual arts through the use of an empty shop. The commission is to work in Hyndburn.

 Aims:

• To increase engagement in the arts in Hyndburn
• To work creatively with the community to take an innovative and new look at the Tiffany collection housed at the Haworth
• To raise the profile of The Haworth Art Gallery in the town centre
• To encourage conversation and discussion through artistic activity
• To engage the public as well as selected voluntary groups through arts activity
• To create new work that uses unexpected media to reinterpret elements of the Tiffany glass collection

 Project brief:

 We would like to recruit an artist to work in partnership with the Haworth Art Gallery and the community, to use the Haworth’s permanent collection of Tiffany glass to develop a project to bring it to the attention of and make it relevant to the local community. We are looking to recruit an artist who can work with the staff of the Haworth to build an exciting and innovative project inspired by the glass collection. It is important the project has an element of conversation and dialogue, in what ever form is most relevant, so we can use the opportunity to capture the public’s thoughts on the Haworth and its collection. We are keen to use this creative activity to see what the community’s barriers to engagement with the arts are.

 The Haworth’s Tiffany collection can not be brought out of the gallery and into the empty shop space, but representations or images can. We would like to see a project that:

• Uses unexpected forms (we have a particular interest in how digital art forms can be used, but welcome innovative proposals from any art form),  to respond to the Tiffany Glass collection
• Incorporates an aspect of dialogue and conversation, a way of capturing people’s opinions on the collection and how they engage with the arts more generally
• Uses innovative approaches to engage with the community and local voluntary groups
• Encourages participants to visit the Haworth
• Results in new work that can be temporarily put back into the Haworth Art Gallery for exhibition, this could take any form
• Uses any art form, or a combination of art forms 

 Project Structure:

 This project will take place in an empty shop/market stall (venue tbc, appointed artist can have an input into this) in Hyndburn. We have the use of this space for four weeks in August 2010. As part of the project you must:

• Be in the space for a timetable arranged between the Artist, Art Gallery and Arts Engagement Officer. There are a total of 18 half day session paid for in the budget and these can be divided up in the planning stages.
• The sessions will be divided up into a mix of time working with community and voluntary groups and open sessions for the public to drop in
• The artist may also use the space out of these hours
• Organise the installation/distribution of the outcome of the project (there is one paid artist day in the budget for this).
• Undertake an online blog to document the progress of the project

 Budget:

 18 x 0.5 artists days @ £90 = £1,620

1 x full artist day (installation) = £180

Materials = £450

Total = £2,250

 How to apply:

 To apply, please send us:

 1. An outline of how you would approach this project. This should include:

• How you would approach working with the community and voluntary groups
• The themes you would be interested in exploring
• Methods you might use to create new work
• A draft budget

2. Examples of previous work/projects that you have undertaken

3. A full CV

4. A letter of application stating what interests you about this project.

 Please send application, or for more information, by email to Laura Rodgers, Creativity Works Arts Engagement Officer, laura.rodgers@blackburn.gov.uk

 Closing date: 26/03/2010  (12 noon)

Interview date: 13/04/2010