Festival 31…
Festival 31 is well underway, celebrating refugee art and culture. We invite you to step this way to view this year’s 10 commissions and look at the world through the eyes of others.
Age is just a number…
The International Federation on Ageing has begun collating a series of stories and images showcasing the strength and resilience of older people during the coronavirus. The campaign aims to counter ageist and negative stereotypes of older people and encourage more people to share their stories online using the hashtag #Agequality. Read the stories and find out how to get involved here.
Acts of kindness…
Liverpool charitable organisation Mandela8 is marking Mandela Day this year by encouraging the public to take part in a whole week of activities aimed at promoting community cohesion and highlighting those who have been affected by the ongoing pandemic. Taking place from 13 to 21 July there’s lots to get involved in, so head over to the Mandela8 website to find out more.
In the window…
The Bluecoat Display Centre is excited to welcome Jacob Chan and his ceramic works, which incorporates a blend of his traditional Chinese heritage and Liverpudlian upbringing. Jacob graduated from the Carmarthen School of Art, Wales in 2017 and has recently taken part in Channel 4’s TV show The Great Pottery Throwdown where he reached the final 3. Head this way to find out more.
The display centre is now open every Thursday to Saturday from 11am to 4.30pm, via the College Lane entrance. Viewing is still possible by appointment or if you are passing simply knock on the main window during the opening hours to gain access. For your safety they are observing government advice including 2 metre social distancing, regular cleaning, asking all visitors to use hand sanitiser on entry, accepting card payment only, using face masks and limiting numbers to 3 in the gallery at any time. For further exhibition information, please email on [email protected] or call 0151 709 4014.
Home work…
Heart of Glass have been supporting 51 artists, collectives, producers and community workers through their Home Work projects over the past two months. Now those projects are ready to share! From performance, sound and video, to dance, poetry and critical writing all the pieces have one thing in common and that is the theme care. What does it look like? How do we recognise it, how do we value it? Find out here in Care Compendium Chapter One.
The future of music…
Stars from the UK’s live music sector, alongside thousands of venues, crew and industry figures, are today issuing an urgent plea for support from the UK Government during what would have been the UK’s world-famous festival season. The appeal, made in a letter to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden, is signed by 1,500 artists, many of whom were due to perform at festivals this summer, including Glastonbury, Leeds, Reading, Kendal Calling, Green Man, Latitude, All Points East, Parklife, TRNSMT, and hundreds more across the country. 560 venues and nearly 4,000 production crew vital to the success of the industry have also added their names. Read the full article here.
Get ready for LAAF…
The longest running Arab arts and culture festival in the UK is going digital for the first time in its 22 year history. From Thursday 9 until Saturday 18 July, Liverpool Arab Arts Festival will broadcast Arab artists and performers into people’s homes and onto their screens. Make sure you don’t miss out. Head over to the LAAF website to find out what’s happening and when.
Can you see the wood from the trees?…
One of Liverpool’s oldest public parks has been growing a forest during the pandemic. Princes Park in Toxteth, one of the first in the country to have open access public spaces when it was built in 1842, was chosen by Mersey Forest for a project creating woodland areas across the north of England. The last trees laid were planted on the day before lockdown by Friends of Princes Park. Take a look here to see how they have flourished.
Lockdown lights…
The Irish Embassy have funded Liverpool Irish Festival to run a crowdsourcing project to get you thinking. Have the kids been making lots of great art that you think other people should see? Who have been your lockdown heroes? What memories have kept you going? If this sounds up your street then follow the link.
Calling all Irish artists & makers…
Are you an Irish artist or maker? Fancy getting involved in a project? For five years the Bluecoat Display Centre has partnered the Liverpool Irish Festival, selecting a contemporary Irish craft maker to exhibit at the Display Centre, In the Window, for the month of October. This year, they would like the In the Window maker to link in to #LIF2020’s theme of ‘exchange’. Interested? Then find out more here. But hurry, expressions of interest need to be in by Monday 6 July.
Job opportunities…
Irish Community Care are delighted to announce three exciting new job opportunities to take forward work in Cheshire, engaging Irish Traveller and Gypsy Traveller Communities. Click here to view the opportunities and email [email protected] for an application pack.
Doors are opening…
Two of the city’s most loved cultural spaces have announced plans to re-open. FACT Picturehouse will reopen from Friday 31 July and FACT Galleries on Wednesday 12 August. To make the most of your visit, plan ahead and check out their latest advice on keeping you safe.
Following suit, Tate Liverpool have also announced their plans to re-open, with doors opening to the public from 27 July. Find out all you need to know ahead of your visit here.
In pursuit of excellence…
The team over at Milap are working alongside Sahapedia to present In Pursuit of Excellence, an interview series with classical dance maestros of India, curated by Madhur Gupta, Sangeet Vidya Niketan, and hosted by Sahapedia.In this series, the maestros will reflect on their journeys and talk about their influences, their innovations to the dance form, and the challenges they faced. More information this way.
