This is our Newsletter of 22 October 2020. If you’d like to receive our semi-regular round-up into your inbox, sign up here.
Hello Mill friends and family. We’ve had time to digest our incredible funding news and it is a source of great hope for us to be able to look to the future at this time of limited contact and opportunity. In case you missed it, we were recently awarded £3.3 million from the European Regional Development Fund. This will be the last EU funding to come to Salford so a bittersweet moment in many ways. We mean to honour this grant by committing to our European connections and the sense of internationalism that has always driven us. Back at Islington Mill, our studios are open, artists are coming and going, work is being made and care is being taken around health and safety thanks to our brilliant staff team. Events are on and then off again. Things remain uncertain and emotions are high. Connection and creativity are our lifelines. Below are a few examples. Join us where you can.
Art With Heart
Art with Heart was founded by Sarah Emmott and Rachel Moorhouse as a performance / curatorial platform and not-for-profit CIC. They are now based at Islington Mill but have been creating high quality, accessible artistic experiences since 2010. As the Equality Act reaches its tenth birthday, Art With Heart commissioned 13 artists to produce provocations for a podcast series, Box Tickers, and they invite you to listen to their challenges. They’ve also produced a beautifully written and thoughtful blog post, Civic spaces of care, considering the unexpected ways theatre and the arts are trying survive in this vulnerable fractious moment and how we can remain focused on care and openness. It’s a stimulating and moving read.
New start for long-time Mill resident
Cheryl O’Meara is the founder and creative driver behind the Print Pattern Archive, an unrivalled archive of antique wallpaper and textiles. Cheryl works with many high profile clients, reimagining the possibilities of the vintage designs in her collection for interior designs, art and designer clothing. Her Archive has been a staple at the Mill for fifteen years, encapsulating many of our core values and interests: art, textiles, heritage, design. Cheryl is now embarking on a new adventure as she relocates the archive to The Monastery in Gorton where she will also take on the role of Creative Director. We are sorry to lose such a long-time Mill family member but so excited for the adventures ahead, and looking forward to building connections with this fantastic creative establishment.
Opportunities
Greater Manchester Artist Hub is offering two funds, REVIVE and REBOOT. A hardship bursary and a grant for new work. Read more and make your applications here.
The launch of the Salford Local Cultural Educational Partnership (Salford LCEP) takes place online on 12 November. Are you passionate about arts & culture? Do you have an interest in Salford’s cultural education landscape? Are you passionate about creating new opportunities for children & young people in Salford? This event is for you. Read more and register.
Broken Grey Wires is a contemporary art organisation responding to and exploring mental health. Across the Pond (AtP) is an off-shoot project that aims to support mental health communities through art-centred opportunities and the presentation of artists exploring mental health conditions. They are currently crowdfunding to secure and develop the project and you can read more about it and make a pledge here.
Masks For Life
Masks For Life sells handmade masks designed and stitched by Islington Mill artists. Each design is limited edition and helps support artists who have lost income due to the pandemic. The mask pictured is a design called ‘Queer Flower’ by Sarah-Joy Ford. Order one today or see other ways you can get involved.
Memories Of Living
The Memories Of Living project continues, capturing first-hand experiences of our community in lockdown, offering a creative space for reflection, and providing a time capsule for our future selves about the COVID-19 experience. We’ll close our newsletter with #7 in the series, a film from impaTV. The visually stunning piece looks back over some of the incredible creative projects carried out by impaTV, reflects on lessons learned in lockdown, and finds the duo of Jamie and Isadora on the cusp of leaving their home at the Mill for a new beginning. It’s also a love letter to their beloved pooch Kobi! This series is produced by Greg Thorpe and funded by Arts Council England, with huge thanks.
