This opportunity allows up to 5 Fine Art students (UG and PG) to engage in a 12-day intensive stone and wood carving workshop, led by architectural and artistic master carver Paul Lewis. The workshop will take place in Galicia (North-West Spain) during the summer period (28 August- 9 September 2023). The students have the opportunity to join a professional stone carving workshop in a taller / apprenticeship setting developing their skills set by start working on individual projects.

Costs for travel, accommodation, and transport within Spain will be covered.

The place of the workshop is significant: the region has a long tradition of ornamental and prehistoric stone carvings (petroglyphs), going back  4,000 years. Paul Lewis set up his workshop in the Pontevedra region 15 Years ago. Students will experience prehistoric stone art and the opportunity to source local stone  (granite) from a local quarry. Lewis has experiences of working in stone through artistic and architectural carving in cathedrals, historic properties, private houses and public buildings. 

In the first briefing session we had a strong response of over 20 students joining us which indicates a a demand.

Focus of Workshop:

Students would be selected through an open selection process by submitting an expression of interest form (see details below);

The workshop will cover opportunities to:

• Introduce students to the stone carving workshop: tools (including handmade tool making), materials of wood and stone carving practice;
• Familiarise to the carving process from initial ideas, design, choice of materials, discussion/agreement with (potential) clients, execution, the finished piece
• Awareness of the physicality of working – ergonomics of movement/ body and mind in harmony with the materials difference word/stone carving;
• Raise awareness of the long tradition of carved stone in Galicia and prehistoric stone carvings (petroglyphs); source regionally stone in local quarry; 
• Working on site with Master stone and wood carver alongside ‘live’ projects in the workshop;
• Start a practice that could then be continued in Newcastle (e.g. cage working area/ woodworkshop);

Time Plan:

2 Feb 2023                 First briefing session with students;

16 Feb 2023               Deadline of Expression of Interest.

2 March 2023            Interviews of shortlisted students (on Zoom) with Paul Lewis;

Mid-March 2023            successful candidates will be contacted ; 

28 Aug -9 Sept 2023: Workshops Dates: Galicia, Spain.

How to take part in the workshop?

Send an Expression of Interest by answering three questions (max 200 words total):

• Why would you like to take part in the workshop?
• How would the workshop benefit your work?
• Are you available during the weeks during the summer period (28 August – 9 Sept 2023)?
• Add 1-2 images of your related work.

Deadline of Expression of interest: 16 Feb 2023

E-mail: Christian.Mieves@newcastle.ac.uk

Use Subject Heading: Stone Carving

Interviews of shortlisted candidates will take place on 
Thursday 2 March 2023. 

‘Into the Unknown’ is a research seminar taking place on February 17^th at 2pm in the Fine Art Seminar Room aimed at those already doing or thinking about undertaking a practice based PhD in Art by current Leverhulme Early Career Fellow Dr Lyn Hagan.  

Imposter syndrome is common during the PhD process when a shift towards theory and writing can overshadow practice.  Relying heavily on reflections about my own PhD experience, I hope to offer some useful guidance on how to take on and navigate the research, writing and examination process so that it feels authentic to your ethos as an artist.  Unlearning and allowing yourself to get lost in the research is a fundamental part of the journey.  What can you uniquely offer as researchers that those in other disciplines may not be able to?  Should you be creative with the format of your submission or is it more productive to keep the format within set examination guidelines?  There is a debate around whether a thesis is even necessary in practice-based research but how do you balance freedom to experiment, with the requirements of the examination process and the necessary publication of original knowledge?  By showing examples of successful PhD’s that interrogated these seemingly set conventions, this seminar wants to open up the debate so that you can chose the path that is right for you with your research and defend your arguments before a panel. 

About Practice is a series of practice workshops led by international artists. Each workshop focuses on particular skill sets. Workshops are optional and extra-curricular activities in addition to regular studio teaching in Fine Art.
Check the Fine Art Community Board how to sign up. 

Click here to book a workshop

Writing Practice Forum Thursday 8 December: ARCHIVE SPECIAL 📖

Writing Practice Forum 

10:00-12:30 

8 December, Philip Robinson Library Special Collections – Meet at main library reception 

In this session we’ll be looking at materials from the archive of the poetry publisher Bloodaxe Books, which was acquired by the university a few years ago. Northumbria based and international in focus, Bloodaxe publish modernists, Nobel Laureates, works in translation and contemporary poet-artists, like Heather Phillipson and Ahren Warner. 

We’ll discuss an excerpt from Susan Howe’s essay on the ‘telepathy’ of archival research and the strange energy that physical manuscripts, notebooks and letters emit in the reverential setting of a library. Through exercises we’ll explore the ways we might ‘activate’ some of the historical material of the archive through our own writing.  

Material has been selected from the holdings of individual poets as well as Bloodaxe itself, including Rosemary Tonks and Selima Hill, and archivist Rachel Hawkes will generously be on hand to answer questions. 

Places for workshop limited – please add you name to the spreadsheet here. Any issues accessing this, email me: sam.buchan-watts@newcastle.ac.uk 

About the Writing Practice Forum

The day is finally upon us, the annual NCL Fine Art Postcard auction ! 
First, thank you so much to everyone who donated art works and contributed to the amazing collection of work up for auction this evening! All work is now on display in the long and xl gallery, with the live auction work in the atrium. 
We can’t wait to see you all later on! As planned, the silent auction will take place at 5- this is an opportunity to bid for your favourite postcards in the long gallery and XL. 
At 6, everyone will be invited to go to the Lindisfarne room to attend our infamous live auction. Don’t forget to purchase your paddles in the department if you wish to bid! 
LASTLY, if you wish to join us for the after party at the lubberfiend please buy tickets in advance using the link below: 
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/postcard-auction-afterparty-tickets-472110644647

It should be, as always, a spectacular night! If you have any requirements or questions please contact me b8026314@newcastle.ac.uk. 
Thank you ! 
Postcard auction team 

Hi everyone, 
This weekend I am running two more performance workshops in Whitely Bay with ArtHouses Home Actions. We will look at links between performance-making and domestic rituals. Starting with everyday objects and table-tops, the workshop will guide participants though the process of writing their own performance score (a term borrowed from music to refer to a predetermined series of actions conceived by an artist and meant to be reinterpreted). Together we will find new ways to activate the home with our own significant yet small-scale actions.
To find out more and join in with the workshops on either Friday 2nd December 6 -9pm, or Saturday 3rd December 2 -5pm, please go to: 
http://arthouses.net/ah22/teauniverse/index.html
Best wishes,
Giles.

Hello everyone in our amazing Fine Art Community 

Its almost that time of year again ….

OPEN STUDIOS takes place on Tuesday 13 December 2022 (6-8pm) in the Fine Art studios!

If you have not been involved in OPEN STUDIOS before this is when we tidy up ALL of the studios and you present work in progress in your studio space.  Everyone is involved.  Open Studios coincides with the BA Year 4 Interim shows that take place in the bookable spaces – so lots of exciting stuff happening everywhere in the main building.  This year, In addition to the BA studios & MFA & PhD’s will also open up studios in Windsor terrace so this is a great opportunity for our whole Fine Art community to come together, to share what’s going on in ALL  the Fine Art Studios & locations  (King Edward &  Windsor terrace), and celebrate some of the incredible work taking place in our department. 

We then have a wonderful night of going around the department, looking at everyone’s work and talking to one another.  You can even invite people from outside of the department to come in and join us if you want to. There will be a bar, and as Open Studios this year is the last Tuesday before Christmas break we can also combine the evening with a bit of a Winter celebration. So..hang up some twinkly lights in the FA café and bring a bit of tinsel too! (Contact 4th years if you  can help with the bar).

Open studios is a social event – not an assessment event – it is entirely up to you what you present in your space. This might include sketchbooks, documentation, work in progress or completed pieces .  As we have BA assessments taking place in the 1st week back after Christmas break  it will also mean we have lovely tidy spaces to return to ready to present work for assessment. 

Health & Safety and Security: You need to have your space ready by 3.30pm on Tues 13th for a Health and Safety walk around by Joe – so think carefully about any equipment you may need and any health & safety checks and risk assessments you may need to organise. If you are not sure then speak to your tutor or module leader.  Be especially careful of running electric cables across walkways and blocking fire corridors and exits. 

You are responsible individually for your own work, so you need to consider ethics, & check any electrical equipment you are using and – very importantly – turn it off at the end of the event. You may want to discuss Open Studios (health & safety, signage, security etc) with other members of your studio and work collaboratively. If you want a refresher on the practicalities of exhibiting artwork you can sign up for a Workshop with Joe on installing artwork/drilling holes, using ladders etc. (see sign-up” noticeboard in the foyer)

STUDIOS HAVE TO BE VACATED AND EVERYTHING SWITCHED OFF BY 8PM!

If you have any questions, please contact nick.fox@ncl.ac.uk

Hi everyone,

Your opinion needed – win a £25 eldon square voucher!

Have you got 2 minutes to complete a survey to give us your views on your school office/reception?

Why? A lot has changed in the last few years and rather than just go back to the way it was before, we want to try to better understand your needs and adapt to meet them.

Complete this super quick survey (average completion time is 1 minute 47 seconds) and be entered into a prize draw to win a £25 Eldon Square Voucher (in time for some Christmas shopping!); bit.ly/3Amwmgm

Survey closes on Friday 2^nd December, prize awarded the following week.

Helen Elliott 

Student Experience Manager

She/Her

Please join us to think about how we as individuals, artists and a community can respond to the climate crisis through our artwork and actions

Click here for link to a podcast we will be spend part of the session discussing

Climate Crisis and Climate Conscious Creating

FORUM

Second meeting: 10.30 on Wednesday 23^rd November, Venue: 3.27 (between Ray’s shop and the seminar room)

If you can please RSVP to katie.cuddon@ncl.ac.uk

Vegan snacks will be available