January 2014 update from Paula

I may go a bit over the top with exclamation marks, I am so excited!!! :D OK, I'll take a breath and start with the big one...

£54,000 confirmed from Arts Council Wales to deliver Tu Fewn (that's Inside in Welsh, or close to it, I'm informed) in partnership with Disability Arts Cymru.

AND

At the start of December we had £2,000 from Shropshire's Local Joint Committee, then just before Christmas £3,000 from Tesco Charity Trust Community Awards Scheme.

These smaller amounts are towards Art Express, a project where we take visual arts workshops around the county. I'm just waiting for an answer from Awards for All. Next week hopefully - keeping everything crossed for that one as £10,000 from them would really make a difference to the scale and scope of the project. Make sure we have your details if you are interested in the workshops.

SO THEN

Our Kickstarter film project got funded on 29th December

A compelling short film 'Firing the can(n)on of Disability Arts' - mixing animation, live-art, spoken word and an original soundworld to challenge the absence of disability art in mainstream art timelines. The film will be shown at our symposium 'Awkward Bastards' at mac birmingham in 2015.

We may start another Kickstarter project to fund a book about the IN project so if you didn't get chance to pledge your money for the film, you can for the book.

Talking about the IN project, we have two exhibitions starting within days of each other in February, in Shrewsbury and Coventry.

Walls with Wounds is Dale Vn Marshall's stunning, evocative solo exhibition at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum 15th February until 18th May 2014.

With three whole months you should have plenty of time to get over to see it. I can't wait!

AND

Sound Canvas at The Hive, Shrewsbury 17th February until 9th April 2014

Opening just after Dale, we welcome Zoe Partington's Sound Canvas to Shropshire. Originally commissioned by DASH and The Public as a permanent installation, sadly the The Public closed, but it means that we get to play with Sound Canvas for two months.

Sound Canvas was created to change over time, so we have put a call out for Sounds of Shropshire so send us in your sounds, images and poetry to be displayed alongside Zoe's wonderful, interactive artwork. Better still come and play with it too! Did I mention it won a Jodi Award?

Phew! Feels like a whole year of work just there. Anyhoo, I better go and work on some budgets for the next round of Arts Council England funding.

I really do hope to be seeing you very soon.

Bye for now

Paula