Community Post Type: Callouts

Merseyside Women of the Year (MWOTY) Awards is back for 2022 and looking for nominees from our region’s incredible and diverse communities that are making a difference, inspiring others and changing lives.

Nominate now at: merseysidewomenoftheyear.co.uk/nominate/

Closing date for nominations is Sunday 24th April 2022. 

Nominees must be from or working in Merseyside/Liverpool City Region and entries are open to anyone who identifies as a woman or non-binary. You can nominate someone you know or even yourself.

Full judging criteria can be found on the MWOTY website

Finalists will be celebrated at a private event on Monday 27th June and at the awards ceremony on Friday 1st July.

Brighter Sound is seeking musicians to get involved and create new music as part of their Surround Sound project.

Brighter Sound is a creative music charity rooted in supporting Northern artists by focusing their efforts to support historically and currently underrepresented groups.

About the project

• ‘Surround Sound’ is a 5-day project led by eco-friendly, afrofuturist punks Fulu Miziki Kolektiv, taking place in Liverpool 10-16 May.
• Selected artists will collaborate, create and record new music, exploring the sound and aesthetic of afrofuturism and DIY music.
• Aimed at emerging artists (18+) in the North of England. We’re looking for producers, singers, rappers or instrumentalists from any background, discipline or genre who have a strong track record of writing, producing and performing, and a growing online presence.
• The deadline to apply is Thursday 21 April and more info can be found on Brighter Sound’s website.
• Presented in partnership with Root Music and Africa Oyé.

Liverpool City Region Cultural Events are working with Imagineer and artistic director Orit Azaz to collaborate on an exciting project for the city region for 2022/23. Part of a national action research project, Bridge2Bamboo will inform the development and creation of a new piece of public artwork for the city region in 2023.

This creative development project includes the Birmingham Creative Bamboo Summit in July 2022, potentially linked with Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

We are seeking up to 12 artists/makers/engineers/facilitators/community architects / sculptors who live and / or work in the Liverpool City Region to take part in this exciting project. We are looking for x 2 artists / makers/ engineers / facilitators / community architects / sculptors from each Borough in the city region.
Who are Imagineer Productions?

Our Vision: “To create extraordinary outdoor and site – specific work at the intersection of art engineering and educational and social change transforming lives and living in the collective memory forever. To discover ‘Imagineers’ of the future and create the conditions and environment for them to flourish.”
Bridge2Bamboo – Imagineer Productions (imagineer-productions.co.uk)

Key tasks:
• Participate in a Bamboo Creative Exchange Lab, alongside bamboo specialists and artist-makers from Bali, Ghana, India and UK between Thursday 12 May and Thursday 26 May (3 days equivalent)
• Work with Bridge2Bamboo Creative Team to agree a focus for a follow-on community collaboration R&D project, inspired by the Creative Exchange Lab experience and informed by creative enquiry questions (see appendix)
• Lead a community collaborative R&D project/s between June and Sept (5 days equivalent)
• Attend the Birmingham Bamboo Creative Summit in person or virtually to represent and/or showcase work in progress
• Develop opportunity to feature work created in micro community R&D project at local showcase platform in the Borough eg Knowsley Flower Show
• Contribute to reflection and evaluation, which informs the ongoing development of Bridge2Bamboo for 2023 and beyond

Experience and qualities required:
• Excellent and inspiring animateur / facilitator / leader of practical making and collaborative activity with community participants.
• Confident, competent, experienced designer-maker working with sustainable materials or experienced in working with bamboo.
• Must be available to attend virtual Lab sessions on Zoom and in person on the specified dates/times (see timeline below;)
• Have access to internet and able to upload content to online platform.
• Experienced and reliable collaborator and communicator; comfortable to undertake creative research as part of a collaborative team.
• Self-motivated and self-organising.
• Excited by the project, the creative enquiry themes (see appendix) and the opportunity to learn more about and work with bamboo.
• Must live and / or work within the Liverpool City Region.

Fee
£3,300 including VAT and expenses
Materials will be supplied / separately budgeted for

Next steps:
If you are interested, please send your CV / biography together with a 1 page covering letter outlining your interest in the project and highlighting your relevant experience; and links to not more than 3 relevant projects / artworks to: sarah.vasey@liverpool.gov.uk by noon on 27 April 2022. You must also provide details of the Borough/s where you live and / or work within the Liverpool City Region.

Timeline:
Call out launched: 7 April 2022
Closing date: 27 April 2022 (noon)
Decisions will be made by: 4 May 2022

Lab Training Sessions:
The series of 5 Lab training sessions are broken down into the following:
o 4 x 2 hr zoom meeting (from 9 am to fit with international time zone)
o 1 x day in person workshop
o Online courses follow up work, minimum equivalent to 10 hrs / 1 day of artists/makers’ time.

Lab session 1: Tuesday 12 May 09:00 am (by zoom)
Lab session 2: Tuesday 17 May 09:00 am (by zoom)
Lab session 3: Thursday 19 May (in person – venue in LCR tbc)
Lab session 4: Tuesday 24 May (by zoom)
Lab session 5: Thursday 26 May (by zoom)

Community Micro projects:
Artist/makers must be available to deliver the R&D community micro projects: June – July/August (equivalent to 5 days)
Birmingham Summit presentations: July 2022 (in person or/ online) date tbc
Local showcase presentation: August – September venues tbc

Please note where indicated the dates are non-negotiable.

For more information:
More information giving the background to the project can be found in these links:

Bridge2Bamboo – Imagineer Productions (imagineer-productions.co.uk)

Bridge2Bamboo Research and development – a film by Rachel Bunce – YouTube

BarrowFull is Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places (CPP) National Portfolio Organisation in Barrow-in-Furness.

Creative People and Places is about more people taking the lead in choosing, creating, and taking part in arts and culture experiences in the places where they live.

There are 39 projects, each located in a place where people are least likely to engage with arts and culture. (Creative People and Places | Arts Council England)

In collaboration with pupils from Greengate Junior School in Barrow-in-Furness they are looking for an artist for a 3D project.

Children from Greengate Junior School have been making artwork from materials that were found on Earnse Bay, Walney Island in Barrow.

They’re now looking to commission an artist to make a 3D piece/pieces that will be exhibited alongside their work at an exhibition in Barrow-in-Furness, in July 2022.

The class are looking for an artist who can make work that brings together some of their personal interests including video games, animals, football/sports, the beach, the ocean and sea life with concerns for the environment, endangered animals and recycling.

They would like to see work from artists who use mixed media, recycled materials and materials found on the beach or in nature, and are interested in different textures, fabrics and bright colours. Where possible they’d like items found by themselves or the artist from Earnse Bay incorporated.

Ideas suggested by the class include sculptures of animals, lettering with messages about recycling and the environment, a village made from recycled cardboard and props for video game characters and footballers. They are also open to creative responses to these ideas and the brief.

The artist will be selected by a panel of the young people in the class and would need to be available to give regular updates about the work to the class between May and July.

The successful candidate must be able to provide evidence of Right to Work in the UK, an up-to-date enhanced DBS, and complete a monitoring and data form.

For more information/how to apply: http://barrowfull.org.uk/job/artist/

Could you help create a visual story that will document the challenging connections between Calderstones and the transatlantic slave trade?

Thanks to players of the National Lottery, The Reader is embarking on a mission to make Calderstones Park a place of meaning making for the whole community. Working with community volunteers and Laurence Westgaph, an expert on Liverpool’s connections to the slave trade, they’ll be digging deep into the maritime history of the Grade II listed Mansion House in South Liverpool.

The Reader is looking for an artist facilitator to work with a group of volunteers to bring their research findings to life in a new, permanent display in the Mansion House.

They are looking to commission an artist-facilitator with lived experience as a person of colour and/or professional experience of working on projects related to racism or slavery and colonialism.

For further details please visit https://www.thereader.org.uk/job/artist-facilitator-brief-uncovering-transatlantic-slavery-connections-at-calderstones/ to download an application pack.

Deadline: 2nd May 2022

Enjoy singing?  Do you like making friends? Prelude School of Music is setting up a choir.

A chior might sound a bit old fashioned but the concept is the same – stick a bunch of people in a room, get them singing together and see what happens.

Aiming for Thursday evenings, for all ages (adults) and abilities, doing mostly pop and maybe the odd musical theatre cover – the idea is for it to be a fun, social event with the odd opportunity to perform, all whilst honing a new (or maybe not-so-new) skill!

Please email Jess to get more information – preludemusicliverpool@gmail.com

Homotopia are looking for creative talent with lived experience of LGBTQIA relationships who currently live in the North West for a rehearsed reading of the Homotopia Writer’s Award winning play ‘A Billion Times I Love You’ by Patrick MaGuire, presented by Homotopia.

Deadline: 13th April, 5pm

Performers: We are casting for two performers to play a queer couple.

Jesse and Taylor explore the rocky terrain of honesty in a relationship; pushing each other to see how far they’ll venture out. When the volume is up but there’s no communication, will they ever reach their destination?

Criteria: We welcome applications from performers of all genders who have a playing range within the ages of 18 – 35, and who have lived experience of LGBTQIA relationships.

No formal training is required, and we encourage new, early career and emerging performers. We strongly encourage those who are underrepresented in the LGBTQIA arts, such as D/deaf, disabled and QTIPOC individuals to apply.

Dates: Rehearsal dates 5th-6th May, with a performance evening of the 6th May at the Playhouse Studio, Liverpool.

Fees: £200 for two days

This is a paid opportunity with the fees dependant on roles and dates. All fees will be within Equity minimum rates.

To apply: Please send a Spotlight/CV and a show reel if you have one to creative@homotopia.net with the title ‘A Billion Times I Love You Application’. We also accept audio or video submissions for the above roles that outline the key information asked for.

If you would like to talk about this opportunity to a member of our team before applying, please contact alex@homotopia.net

Photo Credit: @mbm_photo

RISE UP is Paperwork Theatre’s 5 day programme of drama, creative writing and practical skills within the arts for women aged 25+ in Liverpool who are currently unemployed, to help build confidence and self-esteem.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve done any creative writing or theatre before, this course is still for you.

WHEN? Over five days in May
WHERE? Liverpool city centre (venue tbc)
WHY? To have fun, remember how brilliant you are, and build your self-esteem in a safe environment, led by industry professionals.
Contact Danielle at danielle@paperworktheatre.co.uk or call 07510 656013.

Apply to pitch your work at the Outdoor Dance Showcase as part of Birmingham International Dance Festival 2022.

Hosted online and in Birmingham from 22-25 June 2022, the Outdoor Dance Showcase provides a platform for national and international promoters to connect and build meaningful relationships with a curated selection of outdoor dance artists looking to tour their work beyond borders.

Live performances, pitching sessions, informal networking opportunities and panel discussions: the Outdoor Dance Showcase creates spaces to foster fruitful international collaboration.

Pitch Your Work is an event that allows selected dance artists who are based and create work in England the opportunity to promote their current outdoor touring production as part of the Outdoor Dance Showcase.

If you have a finished or in-progress outdoor touring production, apply now to pitch your dance work to a group of international festival programmers and bookers at the Outdoor Dance Showcase 2022 this June.

Find the full application process and more information on the pitching opportunity: Apply to Pitch Your Work

Closing date for applications to pitch is 6 April, 2022

Liverpool-based fundraising group for children’s hospital in Yemen launches unique fashion sale

Habibti Liverpool are becoming well known in the city for their inclusive events, sales and fundraising which raise vital funds and resources which go directly to the Al-Sabeen Children’s Hospital in Sana’a in Yemen.

Habibti was first launched when Dr. Najla Al-Sonboli returned to Yemen after some time at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. As war broke out there, Dr. Najla decided to remain, and with the help of Professor Sally Theobald and her colleagues and alumni at LSTM, this groundbreaking fundraising effort based around one major medical facility was born. Al-Sabeen Hospital is the only centre in Yemen with a functioning Paediatric Intensive Care Unit aiming to provide accessible adequate medical care.  

Habibti as a solidarity fundraising group supports Al-Sabeen on many levels. It is able to provide key resources to help health workers do their jobs, PPE, purchase vital life saving machines, basic medical equipment and pay for tests and investigations that families cannot afford for their child. International aid to support Al-Sabeen and other hospitals in need has been cut by up to 80% since 2021.

The team behind Habibti are well aware of the challenges facing the health care workers they are helping to fund, and the children desperately in need of their assistance. However, as a fundraising group they aim to keep their efforts at home as uplifting, joyous and fun as possible.

Their regular pop-up shops at Granby Market in Liverpool 8, on the first Saturday of every month, are real community affairs – they give everyone in the family a chance to pick up a bargain, from toys to books to clothing. Their ‘pocket money toys’ start at just 10p, and they set a cap of £10 for any item, to ensure their pop-up is accessible and affordable.

During lockdown periods the Habibti team had to get creative with fundraising, and turned to their online Facebook community. As Habibti started attracting national attention, as well as local support, plus some international input, the team decided to launch their first online fashion sale. This was to sell specially curated vintage fashion items, designer pieces, and donated silks from India and China.

As some of these items were valuable, the online fashion sales were able to raise increasing funds, as the market for vintage and rare pieces has really grown as a fashion marketplace.

For their next Facebook fashion sale on Saturday April 9th on the Habibti Facebook page, the team are proud to present amongst their ticket items a stunning lace cape shawl. Made of antique Irish lace, it has been rejuvenated painstakingly to restore it to its former glory, with some tiny fuschia pink detailing added to complete its glow up.

The team behind Habibti Liverpool, who are all volunteers who give of their time and efforts freely, appreciate the support they receive through all of their fundraising initiatives, and their next fashion sale will give style hunters a chance to pick up some covetable pieces, knowing their purchases will really help a community which requires ongoing and sustained support.

To donate directly to raise funds for the Habibti Liverpool group go to:

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/habibtiliverpool?utm_term=MPx4p9m7g

The Habibti Ramadan fashion sale is live on their Facebook page at 7 pm on Saturday 9th April 2022:

https://www.facebook.com/HabibtiLiverpool/

https://www.instagram.com/habibti_liverpool/