Archive for July, 2008
Rathayatra Festival – Sunday 10 August 2008
The Rathayatra Festival returns to the City Centre on 10th August, 2008.
It promises to be a most gorgeous city centre procession and festival, incorporating all the exoticness, vitality and colour that is India.
Don’t miss the spectacular grand procession of the enormous Jagannatha Chariot at 12:30pm from Victoria Square to the Bullring and returning along the same route.
This will be followed by a free festival in Victoria Square at 2:00 pm with vegetarian feast, traditional dance and music, meditation area and stalls. Young and old can expect a great day of spectacle, participation and enjoyment.
Add comment July 31, 2008
SING BIRMINGHAM
SING BIRMINGHAM
BE PART OF SOMETHING BIG!
August 24th is a significant day as the Olympic torch will be passed from Beijing to London. To Celebrate, community choirs will lead a mass sing-a-long in Victoria Square and join up with other live sites across the Country.
Any community choirs and interested individuals are invited to attend a FREE workshop with Mike Brewer OBE, Director of the National Youth Choir and resident of Solihull. At the workshop, you will learn the regional and national songs.
But this is more than a vocal masterclass. In this session, Mike Brewer will show you how to be an effective song leader yourself and how to persuade even the most reticent to jump into the Song! If you want be part of something BIG then come and join us on;
Tuesday 29th July, 7:00 – 9:00pm
Adrian Bolt Hall , Birmingham Conservatoire, Paradise Place, B3 3GH
For a FREE workshop with Mike Brewer
Having learnt the songs at the workshop, you’ll be invited to help and lead Sing Birmingham on August 24th.
For further information please contact Collette Fallon on 0121 303 3836 or email collette_fallon@birmingham.gov.uk
Add comment July 28, 2008
ShortCuts Film Programme Update…
A little update for you on the Short Film Programme this year..
The format of ShortCuts will be similar to last, taking place in the Library Theatre on Saturday and Sunday evening, however we have added an extra venue and made some exciting partnerships along with adding a strong youth and community element. So…
We are pleased to announce that we have joined up with Deaffest the UK’s only deaf film and TV festival, managed by Zebra Uno Ltd. We are extremely excited by this development and have programmed a whole host of great films by Young Deaf Film Makers throughout the weekend. Zebra Uno will be there to introduce Deaffest and the screening of their 3 Film Bursary Competition Winners from 18.00 – 19.00 in the Library Theatre (City Centre Library). More details from Zebra Uno and Deaffest can be found at the following addresses:
www.deafmediaresource.org Young Deaf Filmmakers workshops and their films
www.deaffest.co.uk Main festival website with details of ALL films from across the globe including the Young Deaf Filmmakers
www.zebra-uno.com Keep your eye on this one, it’s currently being re-constructed and due for lift off in the Autumn
Also, this year we are very excited by the introduction of a youth and community organisation element to the programme as well as films for children and free animation workshops for schools and teachers with animation artist Lee Skinner! The Custard Factory Theatre in Digbeth will host a series of film, talks and events throughout the day on Saturday 13 September.. keep your eye out for updates as they are confirmed but for now check out the work of Flip 08 animation festival (coming in November), Craftspace and Women & Theatre who will both be programming films for this part of the ShortCuts Film Programme!
http://www.flipfestival.co.uk/ & www.light-house.co.uk
www.craftspace.co.uk
http://www.womenandtheatre.co.uk/
Sunday afternoon at the Custard Factory will see a more relaxed, experimental programme of films made by local and international film makers.
For more information on FREE animation workshops for teachers please call 0121 464 5678 or email artsfest.org.uk with subject heading ‘animation workshops for teachers’. By running these workshops for teachers ArtsFest is aiming to promote the use of animation as a key learning tool in schools across the West Midlands.
Please take a look at the work of Lee Skinner: www.littlescholar.co.uk
Dont forget that ArtsFest runs 12th-14th of september 2008! The festival will kick off on Friday evening with Birmingham’s first ever Light Night & Evening Carnival Parade. Watch this space and www.artsfest.org.uk for more details as they are confirmed! Thanks for your support!
(this is the main festival of ALL films from across the globe including the Young Deaf Filmmakers)
ShortCuts has been expanded to include 2 venues this year, These 2 venues are at the libary theatre in the centeral libary and the Custard factory theatre.
We are also doing some slight changes to our film making aspect of Artsfest. The changes are to change the ethos to match the rest of the festival, we are also looking at young film makers more this year to show off their talents, so watch out at these two venues for young budding film makers!
Also there is going to be a animation workshop lead by animation artist lee skinner who will be passing on valuble animation skills and many ideas to teachers from local schools to take back and use within their classrooms.
A list of film makers to look out for:
Dont forget that artsfest run 12th-14th of september 2008! The festival starts in Birmingham, The first night will be the first light night in Birmingham, a carnival parade and a reggae rockz in St Tinary’s square. Watch this space and our website for more details as there confirmed! our website is www.artsfest.org.uk!
1 comment July 25, 2008
Julie Jibber Jabbers about her role at ArtsFest
“Hi, it’s Julie here. volunteer bookers and presenters coordinator for ArtsFest.
I look forward to Fridays as it’s my weekly chance to join the lovely ArtsFest team. My role is to make sure lots of agents and bookers are aware of the scale and brilliant quality of the acts we have on this year, and to invite them to come along and treat ArtsFest as a showcase for spotting new stars and acts for their events. I’m an agent myself (the rest of the week) so I know what a brilliant resource ArtsFest is, and with 500 fabulous acts on from dance to comedy over the weekend, it will be a bookers dream to be here – if they can decide which of the 6 stages and 26 venues to visit first! I’m also looking forward to organising the presenters who will hold the shows together over the weekend. Kate, Emily and Elise are a great team to work with, and I’ve enjoyed meeting the other volunteers.
Juliexxxx
Add comment July 21, 2008
China Now – FREE workshops this Saturday
Victoria Square
FREE
China Now, the largest festival of Chinese Culture in the UK, will be visiting Birmingham this Saturday with a celebration of the British Chinese community. A big screen will be showing films and animations, together with short films produced by our own local Chinese community and video links to other China Now celebrations in Glasgow, Manchester and Leicester Square, London.
There will also be a stage show of Chinese culture, including traditional dragon dancers, Cantonese Opera and martial arts demonstrations. Contemporary Chinese culture will also be showcased with breakdancing and DJs. The show will finish with a bang as an entertainer is raised up on a lift to finish this unique show from the top of the Council House!
Workshops will be running throughout the day with chances to journey through Chinese myths and legends, and to create your own origami boat to float in the fountain. As attention turns to the Beijing 2008 Olympics, this is a great opportunity to celebrate Chinese heritage closer to home, and experience the colour and vibrancy in this free, open air event.
China Now in Birmingham has been organised in partnership by Birmingham City Council, BBC Video Nation, Emergency Exit Arts and local Chinese community organisations.
For more information please contact Collette Fallon on 0121 303 3836, go to www.chinanow.org.uk or www.bbc.co.uk/videonation/feature/silkscreens
1 comment July 17, 2008
Sutton Festival Of Arts – This Weekend
Hi, just a quick reminder to head over to Sutton for their Arts Festival this weekend. Check out their website
http://www.suttonfestivalofarts.co.uk/
for more details. Plans look really exciting!!!!!
Add comment July 11, 2008
Matt – Work Experiance for 1 week
Hi my names Matt I’m 15 and go to the earls high school. As part of my Work Experience i have been working with the arts fest to try and get a feel for what it would be like to organise a major event and work in an office environment. The work that i have been given has been varied from sticking posts up on the website to putting stickers on envelopes. I have enjoyed my time here and it has been very useful to me in trying to figure out what i would like to be doing later in my life.
The various Activities i have been involved in are:
- Answearing the phone and calling various artists to try and confirm a spot in this years festival.
- Making the tea now and then. (as any true Work experience volunteer should be doing!)
- Working on spreadsheets converting information from one form to another (About time’s and were Artists are performing)
- Working on spreadsheets to find people who have been confirmed and marking them.
- Labeling envelopes so we can send out all the contract infomation to the various artists.
- Taking messages and passing them on to either Kate or Emily
- Making a list of confirmed acts and writing down contact infomation so that can be passed on.
I have enjoyed doing arts fest as the many people i have met and worked with have been amazing and helpful, The work i have been doing has not been boring and there is always something to do, also i have had time to work on myspace! Thanks for reading and thanks to Kate and Emily for taking me in!
Matt
Add comment July 10, 2008
Change of Scenery at New Art Gallery Walsall
I’m not quite sure how I’ve managed to keep this to myself for the last ten days but I now take great pleasure in spreading my excitement with this Visual Arts related news.
A week or so ago New Art Gallery Walsall www.artatwalsall.org.uk unveiled it’s new exhibition featuring Ansel Adams: Photographs (the title doesn’t do any justice to the subject matter – but then I’m not sure what words would) & John Davies: The British Landscape.
Now I like colour, I am a sucker for a digitally enhanced image that draws me in with over/under saturated colour tones. With that said I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by this selection of black and white photographs. I was very wrong. Gazing in to Ansel Adam’s studies of Yosemite National Park I had to muster all my restraint to stop myself from jumping in to the crisp cool pools and deep lush forests. John Davies does equal justice to our home grown treasures.
I am a self labelled ‘outdoors enthusiast’ so I was bound to be blown away but I challenge you to visit this exhibition and not rush straight home and google ‘quickest route to the Lake district?’.
P.s I’m off on my first wild camping trip for a couple of days in July – if you’re lucky I might treat you to a photo.
Kate
| John Davies: The British Landscape | ||
| 27/6/2008—31/8/2008 | ||
John Davies captures the British landscape in a permanent state of flux.
|
1 comment July 7, 2008
Radio play in the camp
Had a very exciting text from Adham that his single Mothers Day was played by Huw Stephens on Radio 1 the other night…
Check it out
http://www.myspace.com/afselectronica
Check Adham’s blog out below… he’s our longest serving 08 volunteer but hasn’t been seen since Glastonbury! If anyone has seen him can you post him back to ArtsFest for us… no one gets away from us that easily!
Kate
Add comment July 7, 2008
ARTSFEST TWITTER IS NOT OFFICIAL
Hey everybody,
it has come to my attention that somebody has taken it upon themselves to set up an ArtsFest Twitter over the weekend. I JUST WANT TO MAKE CLEAR THIS IS NOT OFFICIAL AND HAS NOT BEEN SET UP BY THE ARTSFEST TEAM and we do not endorse any views expressed there or any people contacted. Our sincerest apologies if you have been contacted through this Twitter site – the contact made with you does not express the views of the ArtsFest team. We are working to remove this Twitter page by the end of the day, and register an official Twitter page ourselves.
Emily, Kate & Elise
1 comment July 7, 2008
