10 Artists welcome you to their Open Studio event in May.

• 5 / 6 / 7 & 12 / 13 May 2012, 10.30am – 5.30pm.

ENJOY the art, TALK to the artists

1. LARRY ELLIOTT

2. EMILY FINN

3. HEATHER GRAY-NEWTON

4. DES KILFEATHER

5. FRANCES KNIGHT

6. JULIET LARKEN

7. DAVID PRATT

8. TIFFANY ROBINSON

9. JAYNE SANDYS-RENTON

10. MIKE WALKER

Find out more about TALKS, LECTURES and other events at:

• www.unityartstrust.org.uk
• www.facebook.com/unityartstudios
• www.facebook.com/ChichesterArt

Venue 14 of the ‘Chichester Open Studios Art Trail’: www.chichesterarttrail.org

DONATIONS GRATEFULLY RECEIVED: https://localgiving.com/charity/uat

UNITY STUDIOS - Units 15/16 St James Industrial Estate, Westhampnett Rd, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 7JU (on the right heading east from the city centre towards Sainsburys)

Ch-Art - “A place where creative people can have a voice, make new contacts and learn from each other.”

LIKE us on FACEBOOK:

www.facebook.com/ChichesterArt or  www.facebook.com/pages/PechaKucha-Chichester/

Ch-Art is an artist led programme supported by Pallant House Gallery, Unity Arts Trust and independent artists.

EVENTS PROGRAMME Spring 2012

Thursday May 10th: LECTURE by James Stewart on “THE ART WORLD” -

• James Stewart, founder of Zimmer Stewart Gallery in Arundel will talk about “The Art World” as he sees it, and the symbiotic relationship between artists, galleries and collectors. James is a former accountant who set up Zimmer Stewart Gallery in May 2003. They represent established and emerging artists and have clients from across the South East. They are looking forward to celebrating 10 years next year.          www.zimmerstewart.co.uk

Thursday June 14th: 3rd Pechakucha Night Chichester

• Would YOU like to present at the next PechaKucha Night Chichester on Thursday June 14th? 8 more artists or other creative people (perhaps including you?) will be doing speedy 6 minute presentations about their work, their studios, what inspires them, work-in-progress, how they work, funny anecdotes etc, showing 20 images, each for 20 seconds. If YOU would like the opportunity to present your work too, please email pkn.chichester@gmail.com with 3 sample images.

Unity Arts Trust has a mission. It wants to build a dynamic and thriving community of artists and craftspeople in Chichester, whose creativity, skill and ambition reach out into the wider community providing pleasure and inspiration – to learn and to practice.

In a recessionary climate we believe that Art and Craft can provide something more than the personal satisfaction the practitioner obtains or its financial worth. We believe:

• Creativity can enhance the way we experience the world by presenting new and exciting interpretations of reality.
• Art can encourage debate, inviting us to question what we see and whether our interpretation is valid. In this way we may be moved to explore the nature of the world that we, as individuals, experience.
• Above all, art and craft can bring joy and pleasure into our lives, and the Trust is keen to do all it can to broadcast its enthusiasms.

Unity Arts Trust and its artists resident in Unity Studios are already beginning to channel their creativity to the Chichester community through a variety of projects and ‘open days’. We hope you will share our vision. Come and join us. 

“create, inspire, educate”

Workshops, Artists in Schools and community.

• Mentoring Scheme: UAT is running 2 ‘community art’ projects any one time, run by 6 artists and overseen by 2 mentors, Rachel Johnston and Mandie Saw.
  This will be supplemented by 1½ days of professional development to be provided by Inroads, Continuing Professional Development Consultants for Creative Partnerships, Sussex and Surrey.
• Shadowing Scheme: UAT is currently partnering with West Sussex County Council’s Arts Service. Creative Partnerships, Sussex and Surrey. Westergate Community School, Specialists in Visual and Performing Arts to pilot a free ‘shadowing scheme’ whereby 5 emerging artists/craftspeople will each ‘shadow’ a more established artist educator for three half-days as they undertake Enquiry Projects at schools involved in the West Sussex Creative Partnerships programme, observing a creative practitioner at work with a school group. This will be supplemented by 1½ days of professional development to be provided by Inroads, Continuing Professional Development Consultants for Creative Partnerships, Sussex and Surrey.

Unity Studio Artists are also independently engaged with community activities in the following ways, often supported by the mentoring schemes run by UAT:

• Sophie Adams – part time Project Assistant  working for ‘Flying Books’ http://flyingbooks.net/ , a ‘shared sketchbook’ community project connected to ‘The Big Draw’. http://www.campaignfordrawing.org/home/index.aspx
• Jayne Sandys-Renton – having set up and run the Chichester Art School for Young People for 3 years http://www.jstudio.co.uk/chichester-art-school-for-young-people/ , and numerous other freelance teaching roles in schools and for the West Sussex ‘very able pupil scheme’, Jayne is now teaching A-level Art as a part-time tutor at Southdowns College, Waterlooville, Hants.
• Laurence Elliott – Laurence Elliott has planned & designed various drawing & painting workshops, as well as delivering a stencil/poster workshop at 2010’s I AM JOY festival which had participants aged from 6 to their sixties.  In 2006 he was the artist in residence for ‘Studio Project 6’ at Glasgow’s Market gallery, on Duke Street. There was much discussion with the public, in particular with drugged drunk youth gangs (NonEducatedDelinquents).

OPEN STUDIOS: Enabling members of the public to engage with artists, visit artists’ studios and learn about their practices.

Future Open Studio weekends planned on 7/8 and 14/15 May 2011.

Previous Open Studios:

• 30/31 October and 6/7 & 13 November 2010, 10am – 5pm, coinciding with the National Open Art Exhibition http://www.thenationalopenartcompetition.com/ at the Minerva Theatre. Chichester.
• 7/8 and 15/16 May 2010 – coinciding with Chichester Open Studio Art Trail. http://www.chichesterarttrail.org/.

EXHIBITIONS:

• July 2010 – Exhibition by 9 studio artists at the Oxmarket Centre of Arts, attended by 670 people. Artists present 100% of the time to answer questions and talk to visitors.

THE FUTURE: Intended community-access facilities at Graylingwell in 2014 (approx) – to be confirmed:

• Large flexible ‘education space’, a perfect place for you or your group to experience new art activities, particularly those that are messy and require lots of space
• Workshops for print & 3D equipment; an ideal place to learn new skills on the sort of equipment that’s hard to find elsewhere.
• Mural wall outside – a great place for young people to express themselves publicly, and to develop their art skills and passions in an informal environment.
• Gallery - UAT’s aim for the gallery would be that it be ‘curated’, a place for professional artists from the region to present works to enhance their careers, as well as presenting exhibitions and outcomes from artist-in-residence schemes with a strong educational element.

We are seeking benefactors keen to commit to supporting UAT’s aims:

• to provide mentoring and training aimed at enabling artists and craftspeople at the beginning of their careers to develop their skills and channel back their creativity to the local community, i.e. through educational work with the young and disadvantaged. 
• to ensure access to training and/or facilities by offering bursaries to artists and craftspeople who are themselves in need, or on low incomes.

Become a Friend of Unity Arts Trust (£50+) or a Founder Member (£500 – £1000). If you would like to hear more or to pledge support, please email Tim at info@unityartstrust.org uk or call 01243-530179. All donations, large and small, appreciated! Use our online donate button now!

SUPPORT FOR ARTISTS & CRAFTSPEOPLE:

Community Education Mentoring schemes:

Home-grown pilot MENTORING SCHEME – at any one time, 2 mentors, 2 projects, 6  artists. Through informal teaching each ‘community education’ mentor will take the lead in guiding a group of 3 selected artists/craftspeople, working together as a team, as they deliver one successful community art/craft education project. Over the course of the project the Mentor will nurture the skills and confidence of these artists/craftspeople to the extent that subsequently they will be able to continue providing education to the community in art/craft, unaided, as professionals.

• Community Education Mentor -  Mandie Saw has been working as a community artist and practicing artist for the last 20 years, predominantly with vulnerable and disabled adults, but also with all sectors of the community from young able and severally disabled children, ex offenders and users, elderly and also primary schools. Her personnal creativity is fundamental to who she is, and she is passionate about sharing this with all members of the comminity, using art as a catalyst to enable healing. She has undertaken community arts projects for Creative Landscapes, Creative Response, Creative Futures, Light Box, Pallant House Gallery, Metal Monkeys, and many more. Along side this she has set up Artscape in Petersfield,  and run drop in workshops at many other venues and for the general public. http://www.mandiesaw.org/
• Community Education Mentor – Rachel Johnston has worked with a wide range of individuals and community groups in different settings in London and the South East over the last 16 years, and is familiar with the challenges of finding work as an artist and all the practical considerations of working in the community. She believes passionately in the importance of socially inclusive art, in widening access and offering participation in cultural events to socially excluded groups. Rachel is a part-time tutor at the University of Chichester where she has begun to develop an extensive programme of external projects and opportunities for students. This has encompassed working in schools, healthcare environments and other community organisations. The projects have given students an invaluable opportunity to gain vocational experience of working to commission as well as broadening the context of their studio practice. http://www.chi.ac.uk/fineart/RachelJohnston.cfm

SHADOWING SCHEME – UAT is currently partnering with West Sussex County Council’s Arts Service. Creative Partnerships, Sussex and Surrey. Westergate Community School, Specialists in Visual and Performing Arts to pilot a free ‘shadowing scheme’ whereby 5 emerging artists/craftspeople will each ‘shadow’ a more established artist educator for three half-days as they undertake Enquiry Projects at schools involved in the West Sussex Creative Partnerships programme, observing a creative practitioner at work with a school group. This will be supplemented by 1½ days of professional development to be provided by Inroads, Continuing Professional Development Consultants for Creative Partnerships, Sussex and Surrey.

Professional Mentoring schemes  … tba

• Professional mentors, inc. developing career plans.– tba
• Professional Development Training – tba

EVENTS for Artists & Craftspepople.

• Professional network: PALLANT HOUSE GALLERY and UNITY ARTS TRUST are collaborating and hosting regular events for Artists and Craftspeople, art students and recent arts graduates, on regular Thursday evenings at Pallant House Gallery. The first meeting on Thursday 9th December 2010 was a chance for the 100 or so people who attended to meet and chat, but more specifically discuss what this event should be for! There were all sorts of suggestions, ranging from simple networking and talks to formal debates and critical feedback sessions about each others work. The organisers will be feeding back the results at the next event  in February 2011. Contact UAT for more information.
• Crits and Talks … tba

Unity Studios – Pilot project  – 11 studio spaces.

Selection Criteria for studio space:

• ‘Art/Craft Research/Practice,
• Skill and/or innovation, ambition, aspiration to excellence and to national/international standards of art and/or craftsmanship,
• demonstration of commitment to artistic development and helping to provide public benefit,
• ‘need’.
• Note: There is no waiting list, applications are judged on merit.

Intended facilities for Artists & Craftspeople at Graylingwell in 2014 (approx):

 ‘studio space for artists’ @ 1500 sq meters.

• 40% space (600 sq meters) for established artists in large market-rent studios around large open courtyard, with shop windows, good for potential sales
• 60% space (900 sq meters) for emerging artists working in shared ‘incubator’ studio spaces. 
• Large flexible ‘education space’, ideal for teaching messy activities. 
• Workshops for print & 3D equipment, available to rent on timed basis, and to teach classes.
• Mural wall outside, ideal for engaging youth groups.
• Gallery. UAT’s aim for the gallery would be that it be ‘curated’, a place for professional artists from the region to present work, as well as presenting exhibitions and outcomes from artist-in-residence schemes. There would be a strong educational element.