Blick Creative Roundup August – September
Our summary of some interesting and useful opportunities, events and resources over the next couple of months.
FUNDING, SUPPORT & OPPORTUNITIES
ARTISTS INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND
The programme will support early-stage international development opportunities for individual, freelance and self-employed artists and arts organisations based in Northern Ireland.
Closing date: 12noon on Monday 21 August 2023
INTERNATIONAL WRITERS RESIDENCY PROGRAMME
British Council 4-week international writer’s residency programme February-March 2024 in Hong Kong for writers with at least one book published
Deadline: Thursday 31 August
BRITISH COUNCIL SPOTLIGHT ON CULTURE UK/FRANCE GRANTS
The British Council are seeking artistic collaborations between France and Northern Ireland for a new fund designed to spark new and refresh connections between the UK and France. Up to £30k is available through the fund to support collaborations between Northern Ireland and France – to help build long-term relationships among artists, creative practitioners, and cultural organisations.
Deadline: 8th September
ARTS COUNCIL NATIONAL LOTTERY MAJOR INDIVIDUALS AWARDS (SIAP)
Major Individual Awards are intended to create the circumstances in which established artists with national / international recognition may develop extended or ambitious work. Costs can be for specific projects, specialised research, personal artistic development and materials/ equipment.
Four awards of up to £15,000 each are being offered in 2023/24.
Deadline: Tue 15th August
ARTS COUNCIL NATIONAL LOTTERY SUPPORT FOR INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS PROGRAMME (SIAP)
The aim of the overall Support for Individual Artists Programme (SIAP) is to support artists across all disciplines to create work and develop their practice.
Closing date: 31st August
SCULPTURAL ARTWORK COMMISSION FOR BUSHMILLS COURTHOUSE SHARED SPACE CREATIVE HUB
This tender seeks visionary artists for the design, fabrication, and installation of four striking 2D/3D sculptural artworks. The maximum budget for each sculptural artwork is £50,000. Each individual artist is limited to applying for a maximum of two commissions.
This opportunity is part of the Bushmills Courthouse Shared Space Creative Hub project, supported by the EU’s PEACE IV Shared Space Programme. The project aims to restore the historic grade 2 listed Bushmills Courthouse and construct a new three-story extension, creating a vibrant Creative Hub for creative businesses, the local community, and visitors.
To apply
For full details and how to apply, please email thecourthouse@enterprisecauseway.co.uk
Deadline: Friday 4th August 2023 at 4pm
RENDR OPEN CALL 2024
The RENDR Festival is a unique experience in Northern Ireland, celebrating creative craft and artistry in a fully immersive festival exploring the space between creativity and technology. They are doing an open call for people to Speak, Perform or Demo at the 2024 festival
Deadline: Friday 11th August 2023
ARTS & BUSINESS NI AWARDS TROPHY COMMISSION
This year, Arts & Business NI are seeking trophy artworks which reflect the theme of ‘connection’. Artists are invited to submit design proposals for the Award Pieces in response to the brief which can be found at the link below.
The total fee for this commission (15 award pieces) is £4,000. Submission of design proposal along with a CV required by noon on 29 August 2023
Deadline: noon on 29 August 2023
EVENTS, EXHIBITIONS, WORKSHOPS & FESTIVALS
Collaborative exhibition of reinterpreted iconic album artworks from some of Usfolk’s favourite illustrators in partnership with Sound Advice Belfast.
Date: Thursday 3rd August
Time: 6 – 9pm
Venue: Banana Block
Launch night Thursday 3rd August
Open day Sunday 6th August
Venue: Belfast Ceramics Studio
KERRY WHELAN X PURE DIRT EXHIBITION OPENING
Date: Fri 11th August
Time: 7 – 10pm
Location: Blick Shared Studios, 51 Malone Road, Belfast, BT9 6RY
A series of workshops and gatherings for creatives
This August we are excited to return with our first program of in-person events since 2020. A series of workshops and gatherings for creatives who want to take some time out for themselves, to develop their creative ideas and to connect with other like minded creatives.
We hope to provide space, support and inspiration to allow you to follow your own path and take the first practical steps to make your creative idea, whether it’s a new business, a new project, side hustle, rebrand of your current creative business or anything at all that’s creative a reality.
An afternoon of thinking, idea development & connecting with other creatives
Date: Fri 4th August
Time: 3.30 – 5.30pm
Providing space and support for you to work on your creative idea
Dates: Sat 5th, 12th & 19th August
Time: 10.00am – 2.00pm
A series of workshops on defining and writing your creative story
Dates: Sat 5th, 12th & 19th August
Time: 2.30 – 5.00pm
An afternoon of making & connecting with other creatives
Date: Sun 6th August
Time: 3.00 – 5.00pm
Summer get-together for creatives to gain inspiration and connect with other like-minded creatives.
Theme: ‘Courage’
Date: Wed 23rd August
Time: 8.00 – 9.30pm
All of our summer events are being hosted in our Malone studios
A get-together for Creative Hubs from NI to come together to share ideas and information, support each other and potentially come together to work on larger scale projects.
Date: Wednesday 23rd August
Time: 11am – 1pm
Location: Blick Shared Studios, 51 Malone Road, Belfast, BT9 6RY
VIRTUAL SPEAKING MASTERCLASS BELFAST
Learn the key skills of effective online communication
Date: Friday 25th August
Time: 6.30 – 8.00pm
Location: online
INTERTRADEIRELAND SEED FINANCE WORKSHOPS
The Seed Finance Workshops are designed to help early stage start-up companies seeking to raise Business Angel or Venture Capital finance.
The Workshop Timetable is as follows:
Seed Finance I Tuesday 22nd August 10:00am – 12:00pm
Seed Finance II Friday 25th August 10:00am – 12:00pm
Seed Finance III Tuesday 29th August 10:00am – 12:00pm
Sunday 27th August
Time: 2-6pm
Location: Banana Block
Join ArtsEkta for a feast of family events, late night music, food, exhibitions, walking tours, finishing with the spectacular festival weekend at Botanic Gardens.
Dates: 19 – 27 August 2023
Times: Various
Location: Various
Featuring some of the best in contemporary craft, the annual August Craft Month Exhibition aims to celebrate and profile excellence in Northern Irish craft.
Dates: 3rd August – 15th September
Location: Craft NI Gallery
WHY LEARNING TO FAIL CAN TEACH US TO THRIVE
The world’s leading expert on the science of psychological safety draws on a lifetime’s research to show how to get failure right.
Amy Edmondson has been named the most influential management thinker in the world. In her latest work, she introduces the three archetypes of failure – simple, complex and intelligent – and explains how to harness the revolutionary potential of the good failures – and eliminate the bad.
Date: Tuesday 26 September 2023
Time: 13:00 – 14:00
Location:online via YouTube
Creative UK’s annual festival has been engaging audiences since 2020 with creators from across the Creative Industries, forming a space for discussion and interaction, through thought-provoking panels, talks, workshops and performances.
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Another chance to see some of the pics from our @womenfolk.co JUNIOR.SENIOR event we hosted last month!
Jul 23
Here we meet and get some advice and insights one of our newist creative residents at Blick video editor Ben O’Neil
Jul 22
Due to an insanely busy period of work and travel, this is a very belated post on some of the key lessons from our last Blick Academy Creative Talk on 5th June with Saul Duffin founder of @yeomagazine
We have a full event writeup on our blog with lots more tips and insights from Saul and lessons he has learned throughout his creative journey! (Link to blog in profile) ✨️
Jul 16
Here we meet and get some advice and insights one of our newist creative residents at Blick video editor Ben O’Neil.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your creative work?
I’m a video editor who predominantly works in non-scripted television. Currently working on a two part documentary series for Amazon Prime
What was the biggest hurdle for you starting out and how did you overcome it?
Getting in the door. I didn’t know anyone in tv so the biggest hurdle was getting my name about and then getting hired to work on something. I made lots of tea for years then convinced someone to let me edit a small thing.
How do you stay inspired and motivated?
Watching good stuff
What do you wish you had known before starting out?
Everyone is faking it a little bit.
What’s your top tip/piece of advice for anyone wanting to follow a creative path?
Be prepared to fail and then get back up and try again. Also practice your craft as much as humanly possible.
Do you have any regrets or anything you wish you had done differently on your creative journey?
Too many to list probably. Still working on that part.
Where can people find you online?
I’m thoroughly offline but my email is mebenoneil@gmail.com
Jul 8
NI CREATIVE HUBS MEETUP #3 BANGOR
This is the third meetup for creative hubs in Northern Ireland to come together, connect, share ideas, and support each other. This time in sunny Bangor, where we will be visiting:
Boom Studios @boom.studios
Seacourt Print Workshop @seacourtprints
The Courthouse @courthousebangor
If you are involved with running or working in a creative hub in Northern Ireland, we would love for you to join us at this our third meetup.
This series of events is a collaborative project between Blick Shared Studios and Boom Studios
�Book your ticket on our website (link in profile) ✨️
Jul 2
Some pics 📸 from our @womenfolk.co JUNIOR.SENIOR event on Saturday 15th June with @wee.nuls and @majukooo sharing their creative stories ✨️
Jul 1
Happy Friday! It`s almost the weekend... some lovely light in our Cotton Court Studios earlier this week! Let`s hope we see more of it over the weekend 🌞 ☀️ 🌤
Jun 28
Last week I was very lucky to get to attend this year’s Hubs Meet Up Bautopia 4 Metamorphosis organised by the European Creative Hubs Network with the support of STPLN , the hosting hub in Malmö, Sweden.
This year’s Hubs Meetup was exclusively for European Creative Hubs Network members and was a three day event focusing on creative hubs and their current topics of interest and challenges. This year, it was all about delving into the transformations of our communities, the built environment around us and the impact of creators on designing how we live where we live. As well as the amazing opportunities for peer learning from and connecting with other creative hubs here are a few of the things I found interesting from the meetup talks:
Collaboration - is key, but people need to learn how to collaborate as it`s not a skill that’s traditionally taught in schools, colleges or universities.
Unlearning - we need to unlearn old ways of working to relearn new ways of working.
Cross-sector collaboration - will have a role to play in green and social transformation and future innovation, bringing together artists, creatives and industry. Creatives have different ways of thinking, methods and processes and are capable of shaping something new in lots of different ways.
CITY ECOLOGY WALK
We also got to take part in a city walk organised by Feral a creative studio and research platform for ecology in urban spaces which was a lovely way to get some fresh air, find out a bit more about the city, it’s heritage and ecology.
Some of the places we visited on the walk:
1. Traditional Herring Shacks
2. Traditional Herring Fishing Boats
3. Turning Torso
4. Redeveloped Industrial Seafront Area
SOCIAL IMPACT WORKSHOP
I also took part in an amazing social impact workshop, which I will share more on in coming days. Giving me lots of new tools and methods for measuring our impact here at Blick. I especially loved the advice that it`s ok to include anecdotal evidence including stories and observations, to build a broader picture of the real human experience and impact of your organisation. I`m looking forward to going through the process properly for Blick in coming months!
Jun 27
Thanks again to everyone who came to our last Blick Academy talk last Wednesday evening. We have our Womenfolk JUNIOR.SENIOR event this Saturday then will be taking a little break from events over the summer while we get ourselves organised for Autumn/ Winter when we are hoping to also introduce some more practical workshops. Let us know if there is anything you would like us to cover!
Jun 14
Some pics from our latest Blick Academy creative talk with Saul Duffin founder of @yeomagazine Thanks so much to Saul for a brilliant talk and to everyone who came along. Full event write up to come shortly!
Jun 10
Just over a week to go until our Womenfolk JUNIOR.SENIOR event on Saturday 15th June with two amazing creative women sharing their stories!
SENIOR SPEAKER: ESTABLISHED CREATIVE - NUALA CONVERY - @wee.nuls
Wee Nuls (Nuala) is a multi-disciplinary artist and creative director based in Belfast. She works in a number of mediums including spray paint, hand drawn and digital illustration, and printmaking. Wee Nuls street art murals can be seen across Belfast and have become a part of the visual identity of the city over the past few years. She is inspired by challenging gender inequalities, beauty ideals, sexism, and raising awareness for feminist issues in a playful way.
JUNIOR SPEAKER: EMERGING CREATIVE - MAJA SZOTKIEWICZ - OWNER OF MAJUKOOO - @majukooo
Maja Szotkiewicz is the founder of Majukooo (selling her illustrated stationery, prints and jewellery online) , and is currently in her final year of her Graphic Design and Illustration undergraduate degree at Ulster University. Maja`s work is inspired by everyday, imperfect moments, as she believes finding beauty in the mundane is the key to true happiness. Maja has been featured in Belfast Telegraph`s 30 under 30 list in 2024, was a finalist at the NI Social Media Awards in the `Entrepreneurial Student of the Year` category in 2023 and has her products stocked in 49 stockists in the UK, Ireland, US and Canada.
EVENT DETAILS
Event Date(s): June 15, 2024
Event Time: 11.30am
Location: Blick Shared Studios, Hill Street, Belfast BT1 2LB
Book through website (link in profile) 🌼 🌸 ♥️ ✨️
Jun 7
"I made a magazine directed at my 16-year-old self, who felt like there wasn’t anything cool happening in the city."
"Like most creative people, my work is a reflection of who I am and what my interests are. I love music, comedy, art and design so I have always loved to fuse those things together."
��"I don’t think I’d change much as the failures and mistakes were probably the most valuable part of the experience."
Looking forward to hearing Saul`s story at tonight`s sold out Blick Academy Creative Talk!
If you can`t make tonight`s event and want to find our more about Saul, we did an interview with him that you can read on our website ✨️(link in profile)
Jun 5
A quick summary of the month of May at Blick! you can find details on everything on our website! Link in profile 🌟 🌟 🌟
Jun 4
Happy Monday! Start the week by checking out our latest roundup of funding, support, opportunities, events, exhibitions and festivals for NI creatives.
Read the full listings including links on our blog on our website (link in profile)
Jun 3
Another chance to find out a bit more about Saul Duffin founder of YEO magazine who is speaking at our next Blick Academy event next Wednesday evening at 7pm in our Hill St studios!
You can read the full interview on our blog or get your free tickets on our website!
May 31
Less that a week to go until our next Blick Academy Creative Talk with Saul Duffin, founder of YEO Magazine, sharing his creative story and only a couple of tickets left!
EVENT DETAILS:
Event Date(s): June 5, 2024
Event Time: 7pm
Location: Blick Shared Studios, 46 Hill Street, Belfast, BT1 2LB
Cost: Free
Book on our website ✨️ (link in profile)
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May 30
Our latest roundup of funding, support, opportunities, events, exhibitions and festivals for NI creatives.
FUNDING AND SUPPORT
- Design Academy Adapt Fashion Industry Program Collaboration Between VORN - The Berlin Fashion Hub and Zalando
- Invest NI Ambition to Grow Programme - Up to £45000 Funding
- Design Competition Ukraine
- Student Invent - £2500 Prize Pot
- Artist Residency Frac Grand Large/ Hauts-de-France Dunkirk
- Northern Ireland Screen New Writer Focus
- Northern Ireland Screen Short Film Call - £6000 - £22000 Funding for Individuals and Companies
- Applications Open: August Craft Month 2024
- Craft NI Gallery Maker Call Out 2024
- Áras Éanna Residency
- 143rd RUA Annual Exhibition
- Sailortown Festival Smartphone Photography Exhibition
- Digital Arts Studios STARTS4WATERII Residencies – Open call for artists
- Belfast Potters market Applications Open
- The National Lottery Support for Individual Artists Programme – Travel Awards
EVENTS
Northern Ireland Screen Writing for Readers - Screenwriting with Steve Brooks via Zoom
Wed 29 May
12 - 2pm
Goal Planning with Groove: Get The Damn Thing Done!
Thu 30 May
11:00 AM – 12:15 PM EDT
Online
Social Media Safety for Creatives and Professionals
Mon 3 Jun
3:30 – 4:30 PM EDT
Online
Blick Academy Creative Talk: Saul Duffin Founder of YEO Magazine
Wed 5 Jun
7pm
Blick Studios, Hill St
Digital Horizon Masterclass: “Integrating Captioning into Creative Work”
6 June 2024
10.30am – 4.30pm
Ledger Studio, University of Atypical
The Circle: Let`s Talk About Imposter Syndrome
Wed 12th June
6 - 8pm
Oh Yeah Centre
The Power of Podcasting
Thu 13 Jun
9:30 - 11:30 am
Innovation Factory
Digital Horizon Masterclass: “Build your own Online Platform”
Thu 13 Jun
10.30am – 4.30pm
Ledger Studio, University of Atypical
Womenfolk JUNIOR.SENIOR
Sat 15 June
11.30am
Blick Studios, 46 Hill Street
An evening with Brendan Mooney MBE
Wed 19 June
Ulster University, York Street
5:30pm - 7:00pm
EXHIBITIONS
Usfolk 6
23rd May to 2nd June
The Naughton Gallery
Belfast School of Art 175 Degree Shows
Dates: 7th June Opening Night
8th - 22nd June
Read the full listings including links on our website ✨️
May 28
Off for the bank holiday and wanting to work on your creative business idea? The next exercise on our resources for creatives section on our website is now available to view and download
Exercise 4 - Understanding Your "Why" or Your purpose
Your “Why” or purpose is the reason you have formed your creative practice boiled down to a single sentence (or two). This exercise will help you to understand your purpose and communicate it to the world.
Downloadable PDF and Word Versions available on our website ✨️ (link in profile)
May 27