The Arts Council of Northern Ireland- Self-Care Workshops for Individual Artists

Another chance to read our interview with BBC Radio Producer Owen McFadden ahead of his Creative Audio Workshop in our Hill St studios tomorrow morning

You can still grab a ticket to his workshop via the link below or in our profile

https://blickstudios.org/events/digital-brunch-creative-audio-for-beginners/

Oct 24

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Our latest roundup of local and international funding, support & opportunities for NI creatives

01. Individual Artists Digital Evolution Awards

Programme Objectives
Upskilling NI artists in the use of new, emerging and immersive technology
Creation of excellent Digital Art

Programme Priorities
Creation of digital arts
Creating opportunities for audiences to experience digital and immersive arts
Encouraging cross-sectoral collaboration

Closing date: Thursday 27th November, 12:00PM

02. Digital Arts Studios Home Residency

The DAS Home Residency provides four months for you to develop a project of your choice, expanding your skills and practice.

Open to artists across Ireland and the UK, we welcome proposals from artists whose work employs digital technologies to challenge artistic boundaries and reimagine the cultural landscape.

Closing date: Sunday 16th November, Midnight

03. Imagine! Festival of Ideas and Politics – Call for Events

The Imagine! Belfast Festival returns during 23–29 March 2026 and they are once again inviting you to send them ideas for an event as part of the festival.

Closing date: Friday 7th November

04. Vault Christmas Market Call For Stallholders

This year’s Christmas Market is taking place on the first weekend of December (Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th) in Carlisle Memorial Church.

Closing date: Monday 27th of October

05. Belfast City Council Social Economy Incentive Fund

Apply now if you have a new or early stage social economy or co-operative business and want support to grow your venture further. The
fund can provide between £1,000 and £10,000 to help with things like equipment, skills development, set-up costs and specialist support.

Closing date: Tuesday 11th November 2025, 4pm

06. Craft NI Call For Facilitators

Craft NI is seeking expressions of interest from practitioners or facilitators who can deliver professional development sessions for craft
makers across Northern Ireland.

Closing date: Sunday 2nd November

Full listings including links on our blog (link below and in profile)

https://blickstudios.org/blog/13044/

Oct 24

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Some pics from a fab workshop hosted by @homewerk.project for us earlier this year on Adventures in ChatGPT.

This Saturday morning they are back with us hosting a ‘Creative Audio Workshop’ with radio and audio producer Owen McFadden from WhyFi Productions, who’ll draw on his experience of creating award-winning audio for BBC Radio Ulster, Radio 4 and more, to give insights into the basics of recording, editing, and shaping audio into compelling listening.

Whether you’re curious about podcasting, oral history, or creative soundscapes, this session will give you time and inspiration to think about the potential and power of audio.

WORKSHOP DETAILS

Event Date(s): Saturday 25th October

Event Time: 10.00 am - 12.15pm

Location: Blick Shared Studios, 46 Hill Street, Belfast, BT1 2LB

Cost: £15.00

More info & booking: https://blickstudios.org/events/digital-brunch-creative-audio-for-beginners/

Oct 23

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Some pics from a fab workshop hosted by @homewerk.project for us earlier this year on Adventures in ChatGPT.

This Saturday morning they are back with us hosting a ‘Creative Audio Workshop’ with radio and audio producer Owen McFadden from WhyFi Productions, who’ll draw on his experience of creating award-winning audio for BBC Radio Ulster, Radio 4 and more, to give insights into the basics of recording, editing, and shaping audio into compelling listening.

Whether you’re curious about podcasting, oral history, or creative soundscapes, this session will give you time and inspiration to think about the potential and power of audio.

WORKSHOP DETAILS

Event Date(s): Saturday 25th October

Event Time: 10.00 am - 12.15pm

Location: Blick Shared Studios, 46 Hill Street, Belfast, BT1 2LB

Cost: £15.00

More info & booking: https://blickstudios.org/events/digital-brunch-creative-audio-for-beginners/

A workshop I definitely want to sit in on! Audio content is such a powerful way to tell stories. Hoping to find new ways we can bring it into our projects at Blick. We’ve already seen the impact through past projects Small Town Big Dreams and Our Time is Now (https://blickstudios.org/our-time-is-now/

** DIGITAL BRUNCH WORKSHOP: CREATIVE AUDIO FOR BEGINNERS **

This Saturday morning in our Hill St studios as part of @homewerk.project, talented BBC radio producer Owen McFadden of @whyfiproductions will be sharing some of his secrets for audio creativity in this creative audio for beginners workshop.

Fresh from winning gold at the 2025 British Podcast Awards for a history podcast documentary on the Brighton Bomb, Owen is also the producer of The Ticket, BBC Radio Ulster`s most essential arts show.

Whether you’re curious about podcasting, oral history, or creative soundscapes, this session will give you time and inspiration to think about the potential and power of audio.

WORKSHOP DETAILS

Date: Saturday 25th October
Time: 10.00am – 12.15pm
Location: Blick Studios, Hill Street, Belfast
Cost: £15.00

(price includes light refreshments)

Booking link below and in profile

https://blickstudios.org/events/digital-brunch-creative-audio-for-beginners/

Oct 22

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Some pics from our last creative talk with Ciaran Crudden founder of @lastbrand.studio sharing his creative story!

Oct 22

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Some pics from our last creative talk with Ciaran Crudden founder of @lastbrand.studio sharing his creative story!

Some photos from our Retail Ready Fieldtrip for Ulster University Enterprise Placement Year students that we led on Friday 10th October. Starting in our Hill Street studios before visiting @wearebornandbred_ @hunterpaperco and @storyboxni

With the students all learning about how to get their creative products ready for retail with Linzi Rooney founder of Born and Bred, Emma Johnston founder of Hunter Paper Co and Rachel McIlgorm founder of Story Box NI all sharing their stories, thoughts and experiences.

Such a great day with loads of brilliant insights and tips that we will share in a blog in coming weeks!

Thanks to Linzi Rooney, Emma Johnston and Rachel McIlgorm for very kindly giving up their time to meet with the students and share their experiences and thanks to Jackie Smyth from Ulster University for inviting us to be part of their programme we loved it!

Oct 21

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Some photos from our Retail Ready Fieldtrip for Ulster University Enterprise Placement Year students that we led on Friday 10th October. Starting in our Hill Street studios before visiting @wearebornandbred_ @hunterpaperco and @storyboxni

With the students all learning about how to get their creative products ready for retail with Linzi Rooney founder of Born and Bred, Emma Johnston founder of Hunter Paper Co and Rachel McIlgorm founder of Story Box NI all sharing their stories, thoughts and experiences.

Such a great day with loads of brilliant insights and tips that we will share in a blog in coming weeks!

Thanks to Linzi Rooney, Emma Johnston and Rachel McIlgorm for very kindly giving up their time to meet with the students and share their experiences and thanks to Jackie Smyth from Ulster University for inviting us to be part of their programme we loved it!

Some pics from our `Creative Brunch With Innovate UK Business Growth` earlier this month, event writeup and resources coming soon!

Oct 20

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Some pics from our 'Creative Brunch With Innovate UK Business Growth' earlier this month, event writeup and resources coming soon!

* * Next Weekend - Digital Brunch: Creative Audio for Beginners * *

Are you curious about how to bring stories to life through sound? In this session we’ll be joined by radio and audio producer Owen McFadden from WhyFi Productions, who’ll draw on his experience of creating award-winning audio for BBC Radio Ulster, Radio 4 and more, to give insights into the basics of recording, editing, and shaping audio into compelling listening. Whether you’re curious about podcasting, oral history, or creative soundscapes, this session will give you time and inspiration to think about the potential and power of audio.

Workshop details
Date: Saturday 25th October
Time: 10.00am – 12.15pm
Location: Blick Studios, Hill Street, Belfast
Cost: £15.00

For more information or to book your place visit the events page of our website (link below and in profile)

https://blickstudios.org/events/digital-brunch-creative-audio-for-beginners/

Oct 19

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Some more weekend reading. This time an interview with radio and audio producer Owen McFadden from WhyFi Productions (Radio 2, Radio 4, Radio Ulster and more) who is facilitating our `Digital Brunch Creative Audio for Beginners Workshop` next Saturday morning

https://blickstudios.org/events/digital-brunch-creative-audio-for-beginners/

Oct 18

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Some more weekend reading. This time an interview with radio and audio producer Owen McFadden from WhyFi Productions (Radio 2, Radio 4, Radio Ulster and more) who is facilitating our 'Digital Brunch Creative Audio for Beginners Workshop' next Saturday morning

https://blickstudios.org/events/digital-brunch-creative-audio-for-beginners/

Hard to believe it has been a year since our trip to Hong Kong to create the Design Your Life interactive design installation with Belfast Design Week as part of the British Council Hong Kong Spark Festival. Sadly no international travel this year, but lots of great projects coming up including more @belfastdesignwk projects as part of @irish_designweek in November. We will be sharing more details on these over the next few weeks!

Oct 17

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Hard to believe it has been a year since our trip to Hong Kong to create the Design Your Life interactive design installation with Belfast Design Week as part of the British Council Hong Kong Spark Festival. Sadly no international travel this year, but lots of great projects coming up including more @belfastdesignwk projects as part of @irish_designweek in November. We will be sharing more details on these over the next few weeks!

Some weekend reading! An interview we did with our friends Graeme and Katya founders of @homewerk.project back in the spring who are now working with us on a new series of Saturday morning workshops for creatives!

The next workshop is on creating Audio Content which is next Saturday 25th October at 10am with radio and audio producer Owen McFadden from WhyFi Productions, who’ll draw on his experience of creating award-winning audio for BBC Radio Ulster, Radio 4 and more, to give insights into the basics of recording, editing, and shaping audio into compelling listening.

https://blickstudios.org/events/digital-brunch-creative-audio-for-beginners/

Oct 17

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Some weekend reading! An interview we did with our friends Graeme and Katya founders of @homewerk.project back in the spring who are now working with us on a new series of Saturday morning workshops for creatives!

The next workshop is on creating Audio Content which is next Saturday 25th October at 10am with radio and audio producer Owen McFadden from WhyFi Productions, who’ll draw on his experience of creating award-winning audio for BBC Radio Ulster, Radio 4 and more, to give insights into the basics of recording, editing, and shaping audio into compelling listening.

https://blickstudios.org/events/digital-brunch-creative-audio-for-beginners/

Last chance to book for tonight`s creative talk by Ciaran Crudden founder and creative director of The Last Brand creative agency

CREATIVE TALK DETAILS
Date: Wed 15th October
Time: 7pm - 8pm
Venue: Blick Hill St
Cost: Free

More info & booking (link below and in profile)

https://blickstudios.org/events/blick-creative-talk-ciaran-crudden-creative-director-of-the-last-brand/

Oct 15

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Tonight Ciaran Crudden founder and creative director of The Last Brand is sharing his creative story with us at our creative talk.

Ahead of his talk we have done a short interview with Ciaran which we have been sharing in bits over the last week or so. Here`s the full interview and you can also find it on the blog on our website!

We still have a couple of free tickets left for tonight which you can also sign up for on our website if you would like to join us!

https://blickstudios.org/events/blick-creative-talk-ciaran-crudden-creative-director-of-the-last-brand/

Oct 15

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** Blick Resident Gallery 545 – Contemporary Art of Northern Ireland #6 **

25 October – 22 November 2025

Blick resident Gallery 545 @gallery545online in collaboration with the Island Arts Centre @islandartscentre presents this annual showcase of contemporary art of Northern Ireland, presenting over twenty accomplished artists and a diverse selection of exciting artworks.

Featuring Lisa Ballard, Justė Bernotaitė, Majella Clancy, Craig Donald, Ray Duncan, Emma Fitzpatrick, Karl Hagan, Elham Hemmat, Eamonn Higgins, Ashely B. Holmes, Sharon Kelly, Louise Lennon, Judith Logan, Alison Lowry, Rosie McGurran, Sinead McKeever, Sarah McWilliams, Maria Perry, Frances O’Reilly, Latisha Reihill, Katherine St Angelo and Anushiya Sundaralingam.

See the events page of our website for more info or @gallery545online on Instagram

https://blickstudios.org/events/contemporary-art-of-northern-ireland-6/

Oct 14

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** Blick Resident Gallery 545 – Contemporary Art of Northern Ireland #6 **

25 October – 22 November 2025

Blick resident Gallery 545 @gallery545online in collaboration with the Island Arts Centre @islandartscentre presents this annual showcase of contemporary art of Northern Ireland, presenting over twenty accomplished artists and a diverse selection of exciting artworks.

Featuring Lisa Ballard, Justė Bernotaitė, Majella Clancy, Craig Donald, Ray Duncan, Emma Fitzpatrick, Karl Hagan, Elham Hemmat, Eamonn Higgins, Ashely B. Holmes, Sharon Kelly, Louise Lennon, Judith Logan, Alison Lowry, Rosie McGurran, Sinead McKeever, Sarah McWilliams, Maria Perry, Frances O’Reilly, Latisha Reihill, Katherine St Angelo and Anushiya Sundaralingam.

See the events page of our website for more info or @gallery545online on Instagram

https://blickstudios.org/events/contemporary-art-of-northern-ireland-6/

An Interview with Ciaran Crudden Creative Director and Founder of The Last Brand who is sharing his story at our next Creative Talk on Wednesday evening at 7pm in our Hill St studios

Ciaran runs The Last Brand, a small branding and digital design studio in Belfast that works across brand identity, web, experiential and motion.

You can find details and sign up on the events page of our website for Ciaran`s talk!

You can also read Ciaran`s full interview on our website blog: https://blickstudios.org/blog/an-interview-with-ciaran-crudden-creative-director-and-founder-of-the-...

Oct 14

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Our next Creative Talk is this Wednesday 15th October at 7pm in our Hill St studios with Ciaran Crudden founder and creative director of The Last Brand a creative studio committed to crafting brands that capture imaginations and inspire meaningful consumer interactions.

Ciaran is a senior creative with over 15 years’ experience across branding, experiential, art direction and motion design. His work focuses on uncovering the visual and verbal threads that connect and resonate with audiences. Known for bold ideas and thoughtful execution, Ciaran blends strategy with creativity to craft brand communications and experiences that are both distinctive and authentic.

In this talk, Ciaran will reflect on his creative journey, offering insights into different projects, valuable lessons learned, and the real-world experience of running an independent creative studio. You can find out more about Ciaran and see his work on his website The Last Brand https://www.thelastbrand.co.uk/

Here we are also sharing some examples of his design and branding work for the drinks industry. If you would like to come along to hear Ciaran share his creative story you can sign up for free on the events page of our website link below and in profile

CREATIVE TALK DETAILS

Date: Wed 15th October
Time: 7pm - 8pm
Venue: Blick Hill St
Cost: Free

More info & booking: https://blickstudios.org/events/blick-creative-talk-ciaran-crudden-creative-director-of-the-last-bra...

Oct 13

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In 2 weeks on Saturday 25th October!

* * Digital Brunch: Creative Audio for Beginners * *

Are you curious about how to bring stories to life through sound? In this session we’ll be joined by radio and audio producer Owen McFadden from WhyFi Productions, who’ll draw on his experience of creating award-winning audio for BBC Radio Ulster, Radio 4 and more, to give insights into the basics of recording, editing, and shaping audio into compelling listening. Whether you’re curious about podcasting, oral history, or creative soundscapes, this session will give you time and inspiration to think about the potential and power of audio.

Workshop details
Date: Saturday 25th October
Time: 10.00am – 12.15pm
Location: Blick Studios, Hill Street, Belfast
Cost: £15.00
For more information or to book your place visit:
https://blickstudios.org/events/digital-brunch-creative-audio-for-beginners/

Oct 11

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In 2 weeks on Saturday 25th October!

* * Digital Brunch: Creative Audio for Beginners * *

Are you curious about how to bring stories to life through sound? In this session we’ll be joined by radio and audio producer Owen McFadden from WhyFi Productions, who’ll draw on his experience of creating award-winning audio for BBC Radio Ulster, Radio 4 and more, to give insights into the basics of recording, editing, and shaping audio into compelling listening. Whether you’re curious about podcasting, oral history, or creative soundscapes, this session will give you time and inspiration to think about the potential and power of audio.

Workshop details
Date: Saturday 25th October
Time: 10.00am – 12.15pm
Location: Blick Studios, Hill Street, Belfast
Cost: £15.00
For more information or to book your place visit:
https://blickstudios.org/events/digital-brunch-creative-audio-for-beginners/

Our latest roundup of local and international funding, support & opportunities for NI creatives

01. The Market Place Theatre & Arts Centre Artist / Creative Call Out – Digital Exhibition
The Market Place Theatre & Arts Centre are looking for digital submissions of works (in any discipline – Visual Arts, Written word, Film / Performance) for a thought-provoking Visual Arts Exhibition – displayed via screens and projections and a performance, highlighting Hate Crime.
Closing date: 4pm, 14th October 2025.

02. BSOA Christmas Market Open Call for Vendors
Saturday 29th November Belfast School of Art and Belfast School of Art Art Shop Christmas Market 2025

03. Grants for Blocked Creatives
Any creative can apply: artists, writers, painters, makers, designers. uk participants only. 18+
To apply: comment an emoji (or DM an emoji if you’re unable to comment)
Deadline extended: midnight 17th October 2025

04. Exhibition Call Out at Millennium Court
Millennium Court have released an open call for exhibition proposals. Most shows run for 4-6 weeks with a week for installation and de-installation.
Closing date: 31st October

05. Ards Arts Centre and North Down Museum OPEN CALL: ForM Sculpture Exhibition 2026
Applications are now open for artists from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to propose works, suitable for outdoors, that responds to the environment of Bangor Castle Walled Garden.
Closing date: Mon 2 March 2026, 11:59pm (sharp)

Full listings including links on our blog link below and in profile:
https://blickstudios.org/blog/creative-roundup-opportunities-for-creatives-4/

Oct 9

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On the final day of his interview with us ahead of his talk next Wed 15th October Ciaran shares with us how he copes on the days he doubts himself and his creative work

If you want to sign up for the talk just visit the events page of our website!

Oct 8

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On the final day of his interview with us ahead of his talk next Wed 15th October Ciaran shares with us how he copes on the days he doubts himself and his creative work

If you want to sign up for the talk just visit the events page of our website!

It`s a busy week. As well as today`s Creative Brunch event with Innovate UK Business Growth and tonight`s Creative Adventure Club with @homewerk.project this Friday 10th October we are very excited to be hosting a ‘Retail Ready Fieldtrip’ we have organised for a group of creative Ulster University Enterprise Placement Year students, covering topics such as:

• Understanding your Market – what makes your product different, where you will ideally sell your work, which retailers/ platforms will work best for your business

• Merchandising your product

• How to approach retailers

• How to present your product

• How to find the right retailers for your work

• Pricing your work

Delivered in partnership and with the kind support of the following local independent retailers who will generously be sharing their first-hand experiences and insights with the students

• Linzi Rooney founder of @wearebornandbred_ a gift shop in Belfast that specialises in the art of gifting top quality, locally designed products. Sourcing the best talent across the island of Ireland.

• Emma Jackson founder of @hunterpaperco an independent shop in Belfast, which sells a range of carefully curated stationery as well as their own luxury letterpress stationery, greetings cards and art prints

• Rachel McIlgorm founder of @storyboxni a Belfast-based social enterprise which sources and sells ethical gifts from local makers, social enterprises, and sustainable brands.

Thanks to Ulster University for inviting us to be part of their programme of events for the students

This event is specifically for Ulster University Enterprise Placement Year Students so unfortunately you can`t book a place, but we will be sure to share some pics and insights following the event

Oct 8

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Stay in the