Opportunities for artists

Posted on 01/08/2016 by admin

We are delighted to announce two opportunities for artists/makers.

Living Rooms project

We have paid opportunities for three Mytholmroyd artists/makers to work on an exciting project for MAF2016. Following the Boxing Day floods, we all experienced the distressing sight of people’s destroyed belongings out on the street. We want to turn that bad memory into something positive by creating a beautiful outdoor display of ‘living rooms’ in the village, using art and gardening to make temporary installations which might in include a bedroom, sitting room, bathroom or kitchen.

We are looking for artists to work with experienced curator and public art commissioner Geoff Wood to develop and execute these installations, which will be in place during the Arts Festival 14th-16th October.

Payment for the project will be £500 including fees and all materials costs. There may also be the opportunity to work with people skilled in working with plants and flowers.

If you would like to be considered for this opportunity, please send an email with no more than four images of your work and no more than 200 words about why you would like to take part to:

arts@mytholmroydartsfestival.org.uk and geoff@working-parts.com

by 12 noon, Sunday 14th August.

Shortlisted artists will then be invited to a meeting with Geoff to discuss their ideas, and successful artists will be informed by 28th August.

Open Studios

We are also delighted to announce an exciting opportunity for Mytholmroyd artists/makers to showcase and sell their work during the Arts Festival 14th-16th October.

Are you interested in opening your house or studio, or partnering with a local business in the village to show your work in their premises?

Please send an email with your contact details, no more than three images of your work and a brief description of what you will be showing to:

openstudios@mytholmroydartsfestival.org.uk

by Monday 22nd August.

We look forward to hearing from you.

2016 Festival dates announced

Posted on 16/04/2016 by admin

We are pleased to announce the main Festival dates for 2016. Please mark Friday 14th to Sunday 16th October very firmly in your diary.

MAF16 diary

Our theme this year is the four elements, one of which has been rather too prominent in our thoughts in recent months. We’ll do our best to restore harmony and balance with a celebratory exploration of fire, air and earth (and maybe just a dash of water).

A full house for ‘Calder’

Posted on 15/04/2016 by admin

We were delighted to see such a great turnout for our film premiere at the Dusty Miller yesterday evening. Poet Winston Plowes’ thoughtful contributions on the theme of flooding were also very warmly received and we look forward to welcoming him back to Mytholmroyd in the future.

The next screening of ‘Calder’ will take place at Hebden Bridge Picture House on Saturday 23rd April. This event, with Hebden Bridge Arts Festival, begins at 4.30pm.

We are now pushing ahead with plans to screen ‘Calder’ at other venues in Calderdale towns and villages; watch this space for news of the film tour.

Premiere of short film ‘Calder’

Posted on 30/03/2016 by admin

When the Festival commissioned a short film about our village in 2015, little did we or filmmakers Geoff Brokate and Paula Sutherland know that our plans would be overtaken by the dramatic events of Boxing Day.

Unearthing surprising stories of a community coming together in adversity, ‘Calder’ documents the transformative impact of the flood and the personal challenges faced by individuals attempting to make positive changes in is aftermath.

Tim and his dog Jack, from ‘Calder’ (image courtesy of Geoff Brokate, 2016)

The premiere of ‘Calder’ will take place at 7.30pm on Thursday 14th April at The Dusty Miller in Mytholmroyd. This first screening will be followed by poetry from Winston Plowes and a panel discussion with representatives from the Festival, the filmmakers and local residents who appear in the film. Entry to this special event is free, with donations to the Calderdale Flood Relief Appeal and the Festival.

Dates for the main Festival weekend in October will be announced at this event, which marks a poignant start to 2016 for our team. We hope that you will join us here in the heart of Mytholmroyd to hear the personal stories through which ‘Calder’ draws out the special character of our community.

Mytholmroyd Open Exhibition and School Art Exhibition winners announced!

Posted on 18/10/2015 by admin

Roger Hitchen. ‘Chris’

The first Mytholmroyd Open Exhibition was a huge success, with nearly 400 people attending.

A huge congratulations to Roger Hitchen, the first ever winner of the Mytholmroyd Open Exhibition’s Thompson Reuters Prize of £500, for his picture ‘Chris’. The prize was presented by Miles Hutchinson, Editorial Director of Thompson Reuters Mytholmroyd office.

I think everyone will agree that it is a stunning piece of work.

The following artists were highly commended by the judges for their work.

Lucy Atherton. ‘Ocean Roar’

Katie Hampson. ‘Ram Study’

Janet Adams. ‘Fleshy’

Sarah McDade. ‘Seed Column’

Heidi Vilkman. ‘Girl and a Unicorn’

Clare Pearl. ‘With Red’

Sue Smith. ‘My Best Side’

The Mytholmroyd Open Exhibition Peoples Vote proved very popular with visitors, with 282 votes cast. It was won by Sue Smith for her picture ‘My Best Side’ which received 50 votes, and a prize of £100. Congratulations Sue.

The runner up was Katherine Mytton for her painting View from Pollit Avenue which received 38 votes.

Katherine Mytton. ‘View from Pollit Avenue’

There was also a People’s Vote for the winner of the Schools Art Competition. We are delighted to announce that the Mytholmroyd Schools Artist of the Year is Rebecca Sowden, Key Stage 2 from Burnley Road Academy.

Rebecca Sowden, Key Stage 2, Burnley Road Academy.

Thank you to all the artists, the volunteers who helped to staff and invigilate the exhibition, and to everyone who came to see the exhibition.

Pink and Grey performance schedule released

Posted on 05/10/2015 by admin

Our Mytholmroyd Residency performance artists Pink and Grey have announced their schedule of performance for Saturday 24th October. They will also be showing work at the Old Firestation Gallery workshop room alongside the other Residency Artists Lucy Atherton and Lucy Harvey and participating in an Artist’s Q&A at 3pm at the exhibition venue.

Pink and Grey can be seen at the following places and times:

H2O Return – Footbridge over the Calder River near St Michaels – 10.30 – 11.00am

Measured Walk – Centre of Mytholmroyd, starting at the Health Centre – 11.30 – 12.15pm

Book Ends – Seating outside St Michaels – 1.15 – 1.30pm

Two Legends at the Beauty Parlour – Northern Roots Hairdressing Salon, 13 New Road – 2.00 – 2.30pm

Schools Art Competition Winners

Posted on 03/10/2015 by admin

Thanks to everyone from Burnley Road Academy, Scout Road Academy and Calder High School who helped make last Wednesday’s Schools Art Exhibition such a great night. We had over 180 people there, and I think everyone would agree that the standard of work was fantastic. Here are the 15 winning entries in no particular order, which will go forward to the Mytholmroyd Open exhibition on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th October. Come and vote for your favourite in a People’s Vote. The winner will be named Mytholmroyd Schools Artist of the Year.

Reception and Key Stage 1

Coco Beaumont (SR)

Esme Howard (BR)

Finlay Okulus (SR)

Imogen Bamford (BR)

Lola-Rose Denneny-Sleigh (BR)

Key Stage 2

Brooke Jones (SR)

Ethan Marsden (SR)

Freya Lord (BR)

Kai Fenton (SR)

Rebecca Sowden (BR)

Key Stage 3

Beau Well (CH)

Esme Stott Leach (CH)

Hope Well (CH)

Pavendeep Hare (CH)

Sinead McCall (CH)

All photos by Jade Smith

Ceramics Workshops

Posted on 23/09/2015 by admin

Last Friday, 10 people attended the ceramics workshops for older people at Elphaborogh Close in Mytholmroyd. The participants made ceramic tiles illustrating local shops. Artist Sarah McDade, who ran the workshop, will fire them in her kiln, and next Friday participants will be able to glaze and decorate their tiles in the second of the workshops.

The tiles will get their final firing, and will be on show at the Mytholmroyd Arts Festival in the exhibition ‘A Short History of Mytholmroyd Shops’ which will take place at the Church of the Good Shepherd on Friday 16th October 10-4 and Saturday 17th October 10-3.

Photos by Sarah McDade

Free ceramic tile-making workshops

Posted on 15/09/2015 by admin

As part of Mytholmroyd Arts Festival, local ceramic artist Sarah McDade will be running two sets of free workshops for older people and people with disabilities, making ceramic tiles on the theme of ‘Shops’.

Sarah has lots of experience of teaching ceramics and says ‘You don’t need any experience of working with clay or be “artistic” to participate in these workshops. I will show you all the skills you need to make these beautiful decorative tiles. The first workshop will be spent making the tiles and the second, decorating and glazing. Come to both if you can, but if you can only attend one, that’s fine too. Come along and have a go!’

The tiles made during the workshops will be displayed during the Mytholmroyd Arts Festival.

(If you know anyone else who might be interested in these workshops, let them know as soon as possible as the first workshops start this week.)

Workshops for older people:

Venue: Community Room, Elphaborough Close, Mytholmroyd

Friday 18^th September from 2-4, and
Friday 2^nd October from 2-4pm.

To book a place, phone Annie on 01422 886685

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Workshops for people with disabilities

Venue: Scope Centre, Halifax

Thurday 17^th September from 10-12 noon, and
Thursday 1st October from 10-12 noon.

To book a place, phone Peter Wardhaugh at Scope on 01422 361880. Peter can also discuss your support and transport needs. There will be personal assistants available to support you, and there is some money available to cover transport costs to Scope’s centre in Halifax – ask Peter for details.

Thompson Reuters funding increases the Open prize to £500 with new extended deadline

Posted on 23/07/2015 by admin

We are delighted to announce that we have received funding for a first prize for the Mytholmroyd Open from Thomson Reuters, the international news and information company and one of the largest employers in the Calder Valley. The fund will be one of the largest in this kind of exhibition in the North

Miles Hutchinson, Director of the Mytholmroyd office of Thomson Reuters who made the announcement at the launch of the Mytholmroyd arts festival said; “This is an exciting event and a great opportunity for us to support a local and ambitious initiative from the beginning. We wish the artists good luck in the competition and look forward to seeing lots of excellent artwork in the exhibition”.

This funding means that we can increase the original prize of £200 to £500 making it one of the biggest prizes offered at an Open event in the north of England. In recognition of the increased prize we have extended our deadline to the 30th August. Work can be submitted via the website http://mytholmroydartsfestival.org.uk/whats-on/open-exhibition/