This is where we archive details of previous events in the area.

 
     _{OLDER EVENTS:}

22nd April 2002.
Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent. 7pm.
Film Council roadshow. Presentation by the new Film Council, on funding and other schemes which can be applied for by film-makers and animators.

11th May 2002, onwards.
Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands.
Leek Arts Festival - Photography Competition Show opens at Rider Photographic Studios on Sat. 11th May, 7pm. The Show runs until 18th May.

13th May 2002.
Burslem, Stoke. Burslem School of Art, 7pm.
Burslem Arts Focus group meeting - all are welcome, more details from:

8th June 2002.
Day School from 10am - 4pm, on 20th Century Modern Painters (European Expressionists), at Wedgwood Memorial College, Barlaston, a residential Workers Educational Association college. £18. More information: / .

10th June 2002.
St. Leonard's School, Ipstones, Staffordshire Moorlands. 7pm.
Arts & Architecture Club talk - all are welcome. 'Metal Transformed', the metalcraft of John Creed.

11th June 2002.
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Museum and Art Gallery. Lunchtime. Free.
Cultural Strategy Consultation Document launch event. Further information from: Delyth Copp or Teresa Mason on .

21st June � 7th July 2002.
Peak District National Park.
Ashbourne Arts Festival - "17 days of music, drama, dance & visual arts at various locations in Ashbourne." Contact: .

May, June & July 2002.
Stoke & Keele.
Final-year graduate shows from the Art & Design depts. of the local Universities and some colleges. Always worth visiting, and free. They're often difficult to find out about & even more difficult to get a ticket for, though; so watch this space for listings!

The main Staffordshire University Final-Year Art & Design show will launch with the 'private view' (ticket-only; & impossible to get a ticket, in my experience - they obviously don't need the publicity) at Stoke on 14th June 2002. The postgraduate M.A. show is at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Hanley (was to have been at Burslem School of Art). Not sure what's happened to the final-year B.A. Photography show; apparently it's been cancelled?

Manchester Metropolitan at Alsager: End of May at Alsager Arts Centre.

Keele University: ??

2nd July 2002.
Stoke mainline rail station (The Railway Rehersal Room, 1st Floor, South end of Platform One, Stoke rail station, Stoke-on-Trent) 7pm for 7.30pm. Free.
Arts & Architecture Club talk - all are welcome. Cotterell & Vermeulen talking on the Cardboard School. (Note: this is a change to the details in the Spring 2002 printed flyer!)

1st - 5th July 2002.
Alsager Arts Centre, Stoke.
Contemporary Arts summer-school. Intended as a taster for mature students thinking of taking a creative arts degree at Manchester Metropolitan University's Alsager campus. Non-residential.

15th July 2002.
Burslem, Stoke. Burslem School of Art, 7pm.
Burslem Arts Focus group special meeting to greet the new Arts Development Officer - all are welcome, more details from:

16th & 17th July 2002.
Digital Photography Show on 16th & 17th July 2002 at the Britannia Stadium, Stoke. 10am - 5pm (and evenings for accredited professionals only). Stands & demo's from Adobe, a model studio from Fuji, a printer demo stand from Epson, + many other major manufacturers of scanners and accessories. Free, courtesy of Newcastle-under-Lyme's 1stcameras.com.

20th July 2002.
Biddulph Art Group show, at Biddulph Town Hall. Part of the £500,000 Biddulph Festival.

20th July 2002.
Documentary Photography workshop, with Paul O'Donnell 10am to 4pm, at the Potteries Art Gallery. Cost: £20. Includes a morning of taking pictures with Paul, and an afternoon working on your images in the Gallery's computer lab. More info: .

26th July 2002.
'Made in Biddulph' show & Leek Camera Club show, at Biddulph Town Hall. Part of the £500,000 Biddulph Festival.

27th July 2002.
North Staffordshire Urban Design Forum: 'Draw the Future' consultation event, Burslem. Burslem School of Art. Free. An open event inviting artists, community leaders and planners to sketch or otherwise imagine what the future of our townscapes could look like.

1st � 31st August 2002.
Various locations as part of Stoke-on-Trent Festival. Free.
'Art Of Gold' - promoting youth-arts summer-school projects in Stoke, "featuring local talent and community involvement". Contact: .

3rd - 9th August 2002.
Wedgwood Memorial College Painting Summer School.

1st August 2002, 11am.
Burslem, Stoke. Burslem School of Art.
Burslem Arts Focus group meeting - feedback from this year's Burslem Arts Festival, and ideas for the 2003 Festival. All are welcome, more details from:

31st August 2002.
Day School from 10am - 4pm, on 20th Century European Painters (Matisse & his contemporaries), at Wedgwood Memorial College, Barlaston, a residential Workers Educational Association college. £18. More information: / .

September 2002.
Cheshire
artists@work - Cheshire Open Studios 2002, an event where 32 artists open up their studios to the public, taking place during September 2002. More information from: or and ask for the excellent 28-page colour brochure.

2nd September 2002.
Burslem, Stoke. Burslem School of Art, 7pm.
Burslem Arts Focus group monthly meeting - all are welcome, more details from:

September 10th 2002.
Private view for Fresh, new work by artist Mark Wood, Jon Braley and Paul Brooks. Moorland Arts and Antique Centre, Leek. 7.30pm.

13th September 2002.
"Making Your Mark" from 10am - 12 noon, at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery. The first of an Autumn season of drawing classes for "late starters". £2 per person, book at the Gallery's visitor desk.

26th - 29th September 2002.
Trentham Gardens, Stoke. Cost:??
Max-Ex, claims to be.... "one of the largest Artist & Art Materials exhibitions in the Midlands".

26th September 2002.
Catholic Church Hall, Jasper Street, Hanley.
Stoke-on-Trent Camera Club - first meeting of the 2002-2003 season. 7.45pm.

28th September 2002.
Day School from 10am - 4pm, on 20th Century European Painters (Klee & his contemporaries), at Wedgwood Memorial College, Barlaston, a residential Workers Educational Association college. £18. More information: / .

3rd October 2002.
Burslem, Stoke. Burslem School of Art, 7pm.
Burslem Arts Focus group, a group supporting & promoting arts activities in Burslem. Monthly meeting - all are welcome, more details from: (Update: may have been re-scheduled to the 7th - e-mail to confirm!)

3rd October 2002.
The Art Gallery, Keele University. 6pm to 8pm
Private view for a new show of painting by Lucien Cooper, painter & the curator of Fine Art at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. More information from: .

9th October 2002.
Film Theatre, Staffordshire University, Stoke.
Earlier this year the new Film Council funded 8 new 'Digital Shorts' short-films. They are set to premiere to the public on the 9th October 2002 at Staffordshire University. The DV-shot commissions attracted names like Ray Winstone Sexy Beast, Nil by Mouth, Paddy Considine 24 Hour Party People, Shaune Parkes Human Traffic, Ronnie Fox Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and Colin Buchanan Dalziel & Pascoe.

23rd October 2002.
Staffordshire University, Stoke, 1pm -4.30pm. Free.
Adobe Digital Video: Education Seminar.

28th October 2002.
"Quick on the Draw" from 1.30pm - 3pm, at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. A talk and practical demonstration of different ways of drawing, for adults. Free?

2nd November 2002.
Day School from 10am - 4pm, on 20th Century European Painters (Bonnard & Vuillard), at Wedgwood Memorial College, Barlaston, a residential Workers Educational Association college. £18. More information: / .

4th November 2002.
Burslem, Stoke. Burslem School of Art, 7pm.
Burslem Arts Focus group, a group supporting & promoting arts activities in Burslem. Monthly meeting, all are welcome, more details from:

7th November 2002.
Traditional Narrowboat Painting. A Worker's Educational Association 6-week course in this traditional folk-art, starting 7th Nov in Hanley, Stoke. 10.30am - 12.30pm.

12th November 2002.
Arts & Architecture Club meeting: Gordon Cooke - Stoneware and Porcelain; a landscape designer's approach. The Arts Club Room, Stockwell St., Leek. 7pm.

13th November 2002.
Local artist Russell Morris gives a talk about his work, 'The Art Of Landscape' at Hanley Library, Stoke, at 2pm. Free.

23rd November 2002 - 2nd March 2003.
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Hanley, Stoke.
The 2002 Four Counties Open. Inviting artists and craft makers from Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shropshire to exhibit. Entry forms for works can be had from the Visitor Desk at the Gallery or the Burslem School of Art. There is a cost to enter; £3 and artwork has to be framed & saleable (thereby excluding new-media art, etc), but there are prizes. The official Opening event (Sat 23rd Nov - 2-4pm) should be a good networking event for local creatives.

27th November 2002.
The Film Theatre, Stoke.
The first of the monthly The Electronic Image spaces - for showing short films, animations, pop-videos, screen-based art, and - of course - providing networking opportunities among many creatives living and working in the area. Run by Dan of no.ground.processes and the Stoke Film Theatre, they are currently looking for work to show, and can be contacted at: The first event is Wednesday 27th November 2002.

28th November 2002.
The premiere of film-maker Richard Talbot's latest documentary film, Whatever Happened to Old Penkhull. A painstakingly made and unflinching two-hour film on the oral history of Penkull, Stoke, illustrated with unique cine film and photos. Thistley Hough High School, £3 or get the video by post for £13. Contact: .

28th November 2002.
The launch of the book containing the winners of the Stoke Story 2002 short-story competition. Hanley Library at 12.30pm.

2nd December 2002.
The Film Theatre, Stoke.
Screen West Midlands First Cut Roadshow visits Stoke, to explain their First Cut funding scheme for short-film production.
Free. 7pm start.

3rd December 2002.
Arts & Architecture Club meeting: 'Phototropic' - the work of Niall McLaughlin, architects. Cadman Rooms (D101), Cadman Buildings, Staffordshire University, College Rd. (Nr. Stoke train station), Stoke. 7 for 7.30pm.

14th December 2002.
The Film Theatre, Stoke. £35. ().
Spare Time: Documentary Film-Making: An all day seminar of screenings and talks, by some of the pioneers of British documentary film-making, focussing on films which recorded the leisure activities of ordinary people. Speakers include John Gray, 1930s film-maker who worked with Grierson on the lyrical GPO documentaries.

15th January 2003
Burslem School of Art. Free. 9.30am
Presentation by the new Burslem Regeneration Company on their plans for the town centre. Under consideration is a feasibility study on turning Burslem into Stoke's arts & crafts production quarter.

...until 2nd March 2003
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. Free.
Open 02 - a very impressive Open, featuring recent work by the artists from Staffordshire and its adjacent counties.

18th January 2003
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. £10.50.
Ceramics Sculpture Workshop with Royal Doulton Sculptor Allan Maslankowski. An all-day workshop - must be booked in advance.

18th January 2003 (until 27th April)
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. Free.
Red White & Blue, Black & Yellow - exhibition of new ceramics by students at Staffordshire University.

27th January 2003. Medical Institute, Hartshill, Stoke. 8pm. Booking required.
Dr Chris Wakeling on 'Architects of North Staffordshire.' A joint meeting by the North Staffs. National Trust and the Historic Buildings Trust. Illustrated lecture on new work which uncovers previously little-known historic local architects.

28th January 2003. Nicholson Institute, Leek. 7.30pm. �2.
Leek & District Arts Club lecture: 'An Appreciation of the Southern Peak and the Staffordshire Moorlands' by Danny Wells.

30th January 2003.
Passport West Midlands: Workshop - introducing the 'Passport to Export' service. Stoke-on-Trent.

February 2003.
Manchester Metropolitan University, Alsager.
Open Days for prospective Contemporary Crafts students at MMU's Alsager campus in Stoke.

5th February 2003.
Business Innovation Centre at the Burslem School of Art.
£10 + VAT. 4pm - 8pm
New Product Development Workshop, offering... "practical and proven approach to new product development."

12th February 2003.
Passport West Midlands: Training - 'Finding and Managing Export Agents and Distributors'. Stoke-on-Trent.

12th February 2003.
The Film Theatre, Stoke. 7.45pm.
The second of the monthly The Electronic Image spaces - for showing short films, animations, pop-videos, screen-based art, and - of course - providing networking opportunities among many creatives living and working in the area. Run by Dan of no.ground.processes and the Stoke Film Theatre, they are currently looking for work to show, and can be contacted at:

14th February 2003.
Burslem School of Art. 9.30am-4pm. Chaired by Joan Walley, MP.
A full public consultation conference event on the future of Burslem town centre, discussing the four major consultancy reports. The new Burslem Regeneration Company hopes to have a final Master Plan and Action Plan by June. Why is this important to creatives? Because the Company are working to a vision that sees Burslem as the dedicated arts & crafts production base for Stoke, with live & work units for small craft makers and artists.

from 14th February 2003.
Burslem School of Art.
Photography exhibition by Newcastle-under-Lyme creative Fiona Heron, at the Burslem School of Art. (The launch party for Fiona Heron will be on Monday 17th February, 7-9pm. all welcome).

20th to 27th February 2003.
Pavilion Building, Staffordshire University (main Stoke campus).
The M.A. Ceramic Design end-of-course show

28th February to 2nd April 2003.
The Art Gallery, Keele University.
5th Three Counties Open Photography show. An Open, open to creative photographers in Staffordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire. The launch party (27th Feb, 6-8pm) is a good networking event for local creatives. More details from:

5th March 2003.
Business Innovation Centre at the Burslem School of Art.
£10 + VAT. 4pm - 8pm.
Marketing Your Innovation workshop, offering... "How to get your innovation to market, via the successful exploitation of your new idea."

12th March 2003.
Stoke-on-Trent. £50? - call to confirm. 9.30am - 5pm.
Ideas Generation workshop. Burslem's Business Innovation Centre offer a one-day workshop on brainstorming and ideas-filtering techniques.

12th March 2003.
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, 7pm - 9pm. Free.
Midwest information evening & a talk by BookWorks. Midwest is a new organisation which aims to... "enhance the visibility of artist-led networks" in the West Midlands.

15th March 2003.
The Art Gallery, Keele University. 10am to 4pm, cost £20.
One-day Photography Workshop, with Stoke photographers Alan Brown and Frank Simpson. More details from:

22nd March 2003.
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Hanley. 2-4pm. Free.
Launch event for the major British Landscapes exhibition.

22nd March 2003.
Newcastle-under-Lyme Museum & Art Gallery's 'Art of Music' exhibition (runs until 20th April 2003).
Artists & composers from Keele University have produced a new interactive exhibition, Interactive SoundWorlds which runs as part of the Art of Music show. A Concert by Keele researchers and staff will also take place at the Gallery on Saturday 22nd March 2003, at 3pm, featuring new sonic works composed for "solo computer generated stereo tape", "electronic multimedia", and "solo digital video tape".

26th March 2003.
New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme. 11am - 1pm. Free.
Grants for the arts roadshow. A team from the Arts Council of England are visiting to explain their new funding arrangements for individuals and groups, which will be introduced in April 2003.

27th March 2003.
Stoke-on-Trent. £70. More information:
English Historic Towns Forum - Building in Context all-day seminar. A one-day seminar on harmonising city-centre development, in order to "design excellence in contemporary buildings within sensitive environments". Keynote speaker from CABE or English Heritage; presentation on 'Building in Context' by the author Francis Golding; presentation of local and regional case-studies; panel discussions; tours of local case studies and projects.

27th March 2003
Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent.
Schools & the Ceramics Industries - a one-day workshop. "Three organisations, BETogether, the Association for Ceramic Training & Development and the Ceramic Industry Forum have designed a workshop to identify opportunities for networking and action. The workshop will be extremely valuable to educationalists, head teachers and vocational teachers." This is linked to the Ceramics Futures Schools project, which will involve professional local designers working with classes of 13-14 year olds to make ceramics.

28th to 30th March 2003.
2003 National Conference of the Little Theatres Guild of Great Britain. Stoke-on-Trent Repertory Theatre.

29th March 2003.
* CANCELLED * New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme. �10.
Full-day workshop for first time adult actors. More information: (during office hours).

29th March 2003 (until 18th May).
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. Free.
The Really Real: The art of David Gleeson. Exhibition of recent paintings and drawings by this Staffordshire artist. David Gleeson is a Royal Academy artist and a Stafford College lecturer. The opening launch event should be a good networking opportunity, and will be attended by the elected Mayor, Mike Wolfe.

30th March to 5th April 2003.
Mitchell Memorial Theatre, Hanley.
The 59th Festival of One-act Plays. Showcasing performances of over twenty one-act theatre plays.

5th April 2003.
The Workers Educational Association's Wedgwood Memorial College at Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent. 9am - 3.30pm. Cost?
How to set up a Workers' Co-operative day, offering three successful case studies, demonstrations, a keynote address on self-employment, and lunch. To book, phone Linda Weaver: (10am - 12pm, Monday to Friday)

7th - 8th April 2003.
Keele University, Staffordshire. Cost?
Annual Ceramic Convention 2003 - Raising the Standard.

12th April 2003 (until 1st June).
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. Free.
The Hothouse. Exhibition about the work of this Stoke-based ceramics workshops-cluster and technology centre, founded in 1995.

12th April 2003.
Churnet Valley Railway, near Leek. £45.
This lovely enthusiast-run steam railway is offering its first special Photographer's Day.

16th April 2003.
New Victoria Theatre, at 7.30pm.
Thinking in the Round: Peter Cheeseman. A public lecture on the work of groundbreaking theatre director Peter Cheeseman who, with Alan Ayckbourn at Scarborough, was a student of Stephen Joseph. Julie Sanders will investigate the range of Cheesman's longstanding work at our New Victoria Theatre, in which he put into practice the dictum that... "theatre should be there for its own particular region". Cheeseman was also closely involved with the English 'Folk Revival', and with documentary-maker Philip Donnellan.

23rd April 2003.
Stoke Film Theatre, 7.45pm. £2.
Stoke Cine & Video Society - a public screening of some of their latest films.

25th - 27th April 2003.
Yarnfield, near Stone, Staffordshire.
The British Sundial Society's Annual Conference 2003. May be of interest to artists and crafts producers who want their products to interact with sunlight & shadows.

27th April - 2nd May 2003.
Ever wanted to play the fiddle? Stewart Hardy is running a week-long Fiddle Playing Course at Barlaston, Stoke.

29th April 2003 onwards.
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, 2pm-4pm. �20 (no concessions) Art & Landscape from Turner to Nash.
A five-week Worker's Educational Association course. to co-incide with the major British Landscapes show at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. Deadline for applications: 11th April 2003. Application forms available from the Museum & Art Gallery foyer.

30th April 2003.
Venue tbc.
Ceramic Industry Forum annual meeting.

30th April 2003.
Venue tbc.
A one-day Exhibition Masterclass in Stoke-on-Trent on 30th April 2003. The event is is free of charge to small businesses based in Staffordshire. Offered by Passport West Midlands, the Government body devoted to helping small companies to export.

30th April 2003.
The Film Theatre, Stoke. 7.45pm. Free!
The third of the monthly The Electronic Image spaces - for showing short films, animations, pop-videos, screen-based art. Run by Dan of no.ground.processes and the Stoke Film Theatre, they are currently looking for work to show, and can be contacted at:

6th May 2003.
Conference Rooms above the Staffordshire University Library (entrance is directly opposite the Film Theatre). 7.30pm. Free. North Staffordshire Art & Architecture Club - speaker/networking event: Liz Lemon (stone carver and maker of metal architectural features) will be speaking on 'Public Sculpture & Regeneration in the Midlands'. More info: .

10th May 2003.
2-3pm. Free.
Revealing the Real (talk). Stafford artist David Gleeson talks about the pictures in his major solo show (on until 18th May) and how the real can become surreal. Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

w/c 12th May 2003.
Britannia Stadium, Stoke.
Ceramic Industry Forum - 'The Design Business: Why Design?' training seminar. To help companies analyse how design is currently used in their business.

14th - 15th May 2003.
Burslem, Stoke.
Making Cities Liveable - a conference by the Landscape Institute. May be of special interest to artists who make public art, as well as architects and urban designers.

14th - 15th May 2003.
Etruria Industrial Museum, Stoke-on-Trent.
A taster workshop in Canal-side Photography - sponsored by Jessops. More details on: .

15th May 2003.
Dudson Centre, Hope St., Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. 6pm
Stoke-on-Trent City Arts Forum meeting.
"This new forum will discuss the way forward for Stoke-on-Trent and its cultural strategy."

15th May 2003.
Burslem School of Art, 7pm onwards. Free.
b arts (aka Beavers Arts) is launching its new web-site, www.b-arts.org.uk. There will be music & visuals from many aspects of b arts' work + lots of fun, drinking and dancing with Friends of Ken and DJ Spencer.

17th May 2003.
Keele University. �20 (concessions �17.50). 10am - 4pm.
Calligraphy masterclass.
Calligraphy masterclass workshop to accompany 'The Art of Lettering' exhibition. World-renowned calligrapher Peter Halliday will lead, showing how to use letter forms to interpret language in a modern and inventive way. More information: .

28th May 2003.
The Film Theatre, Stoke. 7.45pm. Free!
The fourth of the monthly The Electronic Image spaces - for showing short films, animations, pop-videos, screen-based art. Run by Dan of no.ground.processes and the Stoke Film Theatre, they are currently looking for work to show, and can be contacted at:

June 2003 - details tba.
End-of-year graduate shows:

   Staffordshire University Final-year Student Video Films are to be show at a free premiere at the Film Theatre on 4th June at 7.30pm.

   Staffordshire University annual final-year graduate show, titled bä.äd-X:03. Launching on Friday 20th June (6pm-8pm), and then running until 25th June 2003, the show will feature work from over 300 students graduating from B.A.(Hons.) degree courses in Fine Art, Photography, Ceramics, Surface Pattern, Glass & Crafts, Product Design, Design Management, Electronic & Multimedia Graphics, Interactive Multimedia, and Media Production. The show is to be held at the main College Road campus in Stoke-on-Trent.

   MMU at Alsager: awaiting details

   Newcastle-under-Lyme College: 21st - 29th June 2003, at the Trinity Building on Ashfields New Road. Then transfers to the Bourough Museum & Art Gallery in Newcastle-under-Lyme until the end of July. More details:

   Leek FE College and School of Art: 14th - 21st June at Stockewell Street, Leek.

   Stoke FE College: awaiting details

25th - 27th June 2003.
The Workers Education Association's Wedgwood Memorial College, at Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent. £80?
A residential course for poets, Working against the language: setting your poems free.

28th - 29th June 2003.
North Staffordshire Open Studios event. Six local studios open the doors to the public. Part three of the wider Staffordshire Open Studios event. Further details from: Stacey on . Free brochures from: Staffordshire Tourism, FREEPOST ST1417, Stafford, ST16 3BR.

30th June 2003.
The Sponsor Rooms, Victoria Hall, Hanley. 7.30pm. Free.
North Staffordshire Art & Architecture Club - speaker/networking event: Talk by Ian Standing (architect, Director of Associated Architects, and designer of numerous award-winning arts and cultural buildings) on the subject of Designing Arts & Cultural Buildings. More info: .

1st - 12th July 2003
Stoke's Regent Theatre is running an educational workshop for A-level Music students to extend their Gershwin repertoire. Details from: .

Opens 5th July 2003.
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent.
The Royal Photographic Society's 146th International Print Exhibition has its world premiere in Stoke-on-Trent.

9th July 2003.
Stoke-on-Trent. £30 + VAT.
New Product Development workshop. Burslem's Business Innovation Centre offer a half-day workshop about proven methods of new product development.

10th July 2003.
Dudson Centre, Hope St., Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. 6.30pm
Stoke-on-Trent City Arts Forum meeting.
The Forum is part of the Council's consultation forums.

16th July 2003.
Burslem School of Art, Stoke. 4-6pm. £10 + VAT.
Protect & Fund Your Innovative Ideas workshop. Burslem's Business Innovation Centre offer a workshop about 'intellectual property' (i.e.: your innovative and marketable new ideas) and how to protect it.

w/c 28th July 2003.
Venue tbc. Probably Stoke.
Ceramic Industry Forum - 'Research for Designers' training seminar. "What research tools are available to help designers design better? Examples will be given of designers using research, trend forecasting and market research to design products."

Late Summer 2003.
Various locations, south Cheshire.
artists@work - Cheshire Open Studios 2003, an event where scores of artists open up their studios to the public, probably taking place during September 2003 (exact dates tba). 2002's event featured an exemplary 28-page colour brochure and a professional web-site.

Autumn 2003.
Various North Staffordshire venues. Free.
North Staffordshire Art & Architecture Club - speaker/networking events: The Club have four more events lined up for the Autumn, bringing 'big name' creatives to our area. Dates and times to be announced. More info: .

5th September 2003.
Stoke-on-Trent - venue TBC. £35 + VAT.
'Permission Based E-mail Marketing' Workshop. by UK Web Seminars. Bookings & grants advice: .

10th September 2003.
Film Theatre, Stoke.
Ceramic Industry Forum - 'Making a Brand' training seminar. "Demonstrated using case studies from both companies that have used the concept of a brand to competitive advantage."

11th September 2003.
Stoke-on-Trent - venue TBC. £35 + VAT.
'Getting Found in the Search Engines' Workshop. by UK Web Seminars. Bookings & grants advice: .

13th September 2003.
Stoke-on-Trent - Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. 2 - 4pm. £Free.
Launch event for Richard Slee's major retrospective show at the Gallery. The show is a world premiere and has not been seen elsewhere.

19th September 2003.
Stoke-on-Trent - venue TBC. £35 + VAT.
'Developing E-commerce Sites' Workshop. by UK Web Seminars. Bookings & grants advice: .

19th September 2003.
Stoke-on-Trent - Victoria Hall in Hanley.
Launch of the new Staffordshire Urban Design Centre, Urban Vision NorthStaffordshire, to be located in the Burslem School of Art.

22nd September 2003.
Assembly Rooms (opp. Police Station), Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Evening Sentinel: talk on Photojournalism, Newcastle-under-Lyme Camera Club, 7.30pm. £2.

2nd October 2003.
Hanley Library, Stoke-on-Trent. 2pm. Free?
Poetry Slam - poetry workshop for adults, run by Gary Boswell. (To be followed at 7.30pm by a free evening Poetry Slam near the Library, at Churrasco's Bar.)

2nd October 2003.
Pavilions Restaurant, Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent. 4.30pm. Cost?
Enterprise Club - the Chamber of Trade's Enterprise Club meet to hear a talk, on brand-building by Mandy Mitten of Mitten Clarke Ltd.

7th & 8th October 2003.
Keele University, North Staffordshire
Open Art Surgery: Integrating Arts into Healthcare.
Update: POSTPONED until early 2004.
(78kb .gif flyer here).
An international conference which promises an innovative programme exploring how the arts can help to humanise healthcare & its environments. Creatives will meet people from a variety of healthcare-related fields, and hear national and international speakers. Places will be limited and some concessionary rates are available. To receive further details and request a booking/prices form, e-mail your contact details (name, organisation, address, telephone number, e-mail address) to:   The Conference will also see the re-launch of the Creative Remedies web-site, and the launch of an Arts & Health networking forum for Staffordshire.

8th October 2003.
Burslem School of Art, Stoke. 4pm - 8pm. £10 + VAT.
New Product Development workshop. Burslem's Business Innovation Centre offer a workshop about proven solutions to new product design & development.

10th October 2003.
Stoke-on-Trent - venue TBC. £35 + VAT.
'Using the Web to Develop Customer Relationships' Workshop. by UK Web Seminars. Bookings & grants advice: .

15th October 2003.
Hanley Library, Stoke-on-Trent. 5.30pm. £3.
Hunt Emerson - talk by this world famous underground comic artist from Birmingham, creator of Firkin the Cat, Thunderdogs and more. Over-16s only: raunchy content!

24th October 2003.
Stoke-on-Trent - venue TBC. £35 + VAT.
'Developing E-Business Web Sites' Workshop. by UK Web Seminars. Bookings & grants advice: .

26th October 2003.
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. 2.00-3.30pm. £2.
'Innovation in Ceramic Culture' - a talk by the Head of Museums, Ian Lawley, to co-incide with the Gallery's 'Ceramic Culture Innovations' show.

28th October 2003.
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. 2.00-3.30pm. £2.
Richard Slee talks about his work, as part of the premiere of his major retrospective show at the Gallery.

31st October 2003.
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. 2.00-3.30pm. £2.
'Craft Now' - a talk by the head of the Crafts Council, Loise Taylor. Part of Show5 at the Gallery.

15th November 2003.
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. 2.30pm. £ Free.
Reginald Haggar Memorial Lecture. "Whose Heritage?".

19th November 2003.
Film Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent. £ Free.
The Film Theatre, Stoke. 7.45pm. Free!
The fifth of the monthly The Electronic Image spaces - for showing short films, animations, pop-videos, screen-based art. Run by Dan of no.ground.processes and the Stoke Film Theatre, they are currently looking for work to show, and can be contacted at:

19th November 2003.
Staffordshire University, Stafford Campus. £ ?
IEE talk: by Michele Romaine, director of production modernisation at the BBC, focussing on new opportunities for digital/globalised workflows in media production.

 22nd November 2003 (then runs until 1st Feb 2004).
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. 2pm-4pm. £free.

Launch event for Open 03 - the major 'open' show for new art & craft from Staffordshire and three other adjacent counties. The launch event is sure to be a good networking opportunity.

 26th November 2003.
Staffordshire University, College Road, Stoke-on-Trent.
2pm. £ Free.

A free IdeasFactory workshop - to give aspiring film & TV composers the chance to find out how established composers got into the industry, and how they succeeded. More info & booking:

 2nd December 2003.
Cadman Conference Room, D101 (ie: the University Library) Staffordshire University, College Road, Stoke-on-Trent.
Refreshments from 7:00pm. £ Free.

Louise Taylor - Director of the Crafts Council - public talk to North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture. "Louise Taylor is a passionate and persuasive advocate for Contemporary Craft. Through key regional, national and international initiatives, she has involved curators, makers, designers and architects in the production of programmes credited with broadening the scope of what is perceived as craft."

 w/c 8th December 2003.
Venue tbc.

'What is the Future?' training seminar - Ceramic Industry Forum event. "What are the trends and drivers for consumers and businesses in the future? What social and lifestyle changes we can expect and how will they will affect the future of the ceramic industry?"

 10th December 2003.
B. Building, Staffordshire University. Contact:

Macromedia Seminar - key speakers from Macromedia examine a variety of topics, including the demands of accessibility on web-designers and the role of Macromedia tools in education.

 29th January � 1st February 2004.
Wedgwood visitor centre, Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent. RSVP to:

Launch of the Advantage Creative Fund. The Fund will make commercial investments in 50 to 60 creative-industries businesses, at the rate of approx. 10 per year.

 30th January � 1st February 2004.
Buxton, Derbyshire. £Cost?

Association of Festival Organisers Conference - annual gathering that brings together the expertise, skills and stories of over 150 festival Organisers. More info from:

 4th February 2004
Film Theatre, Stoke. 7.45pm. £ Free, open to all. 65mins.

CODEC/X. Featuring the screening of new experimental digital films by 26 'sonic investigators, artists and composers' from the north-west of England. Run by Dan of no.ground.processes and the Stoke Film Theatre.

 7th February 2004
Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands. 10am-4pm. £30.

Staffordshire Moorlands Artists' Training Day - 1) 'The Bigger Picture'. For people thinking of setting up a new arts business. More information & booking from:

 14th February 2004
Wedgwood Memorial College at Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent. 9.30am-4.30pm. £20.

An all-day Song Writing Workshop, with a focus on being inspired to write your own folk song, based either on local industrial songs, folk songs of Staffordshire nature & landscape, or traditional love songs. Led by tutor Dave Joynson. More information from:

 18th February 2004
Rose Price Room, The Dudson Centre, in Hanley. From 6pm. Free.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council's Arts Forum. One of the city-wide Community Forums, this one represents the Arts in Stoke-on-Trent on the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP). Anyone with an interest in the Arts is invited to attend.

 21st February 2004
Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands. 10am-4pm. £30.

Staffordshire Moorlands Artists' Training Day - 2) 'Briefs & Commissions'. Practical guidelines for help artists secure commissions from business, councils and other agencies. More information & booking from:

 26th February 2004
Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands. 10am-4pm. £30.

Staffordshire Moorlands Artists' Training Day - 3) 'Creative Business Planning'. How to write a business plan that helps you reach your arts business aims. More information & booking from:

 26th February 2004
The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Hanley, 2pm-3pm. £1.

Positives from negatives: the Blake Photographic Collection. Talk by photographer Guy Evens, and researcher Andy Mackay.

 26th February 2004
The Moat House, Acton Trussell, near Stafford/Cannock. Free, but ticket only. Contact:

Creative Network launch - join the thinking on how to develop a creative network in Staffordshire.

 3rd March (runs to 31st March 2004)
The Art Gallery, Keele University.

6th Three Counties Open Photography show. An Open, open to creative photographers in Staffordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire. The launch event should be a good networking event for local creatives. More details from:

 3rd March 2004.
The Film Theatre, Stoke. £ Free, open to all. 7.30 for 7.45pm.

The sixth of the regular The Electronic Image spaces - for showing short films, animations, pop-videos, screen-based art. Run by Dan of no.ground.processes and the Stoke Film Theatre, they are currently looking for work to show, and can be contacted at: (new e-mail address).

 4th March 2004
Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands. 10am-4pm. £30.

Staffordshire Moorlands Artists' Training Day - 4) 'Using the web for your business'. Exploration of the potential of online marketing techniques. More information & booking from:

 11th March 2004
Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands. 10am-4pm. £30.

Staffordshire Moorlands Artists' Training Day - 'Briefs & Commissions'. A repeat of the 21st Feb day, offering practical guidelines for help artists secure commissions from business, councils and other agencies. More information & booking from:

 11th March 2004
Room CBA 1.100, at the Chancellor's Building of Keele University. Free, open to the public. 5.30pm for 6pm - 7pm.

The Royal Institute of Philosophy & Keele University's Philosophy Dept. are holding a free public lecture on Prof. Rob Hopkins will talk on Painting, Sculpture, Sight & Touch. The talk is part of a programme of lectures by internationally acclaimed philosophers, all of whom will present their work in a readily accessible style.

 19th March 2004
Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands. 10am-4pm. £30.

Staffordshire Moorlands Artists' Training Day - 5) 'Selling'. Maximise your potential to sell your work. More information & booking from:

 19th March 2004
Moorland Arts & Antique Centre, Leek, near Stoke-on-Trent. 7pm-10pm. £Free.

James Cullen - drawings & paintings - launch event / private-view for James Cullen's solo show. More information from: .

 22nd March 2004
7pm-10pm. £Free.
Council Offices, Codsall. 6.30-9pm. Free.

South Staffordshire Creative Network networking event. More details from Vicky Truby:

 23rd March 2004
Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent.

The annual Peter Cheeseman Lecture - given this year by film-director Ken Loach.

 25th March 2004
Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands. 10am-4pm. £30.

Staffordshire Moorlands Artists' Training Day - 6) 'Marketing'. Introduction to marketing, equipping you to attract and maintain an audience or client-base for your work. More information & booking from:

 25th March 2004
Burslem School of Art, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. 7pm-9pm. Free.

'Words' - launch meeting for a new Stoke-on-Trent group for writers Writers of all types are welcome; scriptwriters, fiction writers, local historians, webloggers, storytellers, etc. Interested? E-mail: or phone Tim on .

 26th - 27th March 2004.
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. Cost: �50 for both days.

Artworks - Victorian Corset Making - with Ian Chipperfield. An adults-only creative workshop. Limited numbers, please book in advance for this two-day workshop at the Visitor Desk.

  29th March 2004.
Victoria Hall, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. 7pm for 7.30pm. Free.

North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture lecture - all are welcome. Observing Nature 1 :: seabirds & ecological architecture - Download the flyer (PDF, 50kb).

 29th March - 3rd April 2004

Mitchell Memorial Theatre, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

The 60th National Festival of One-act Plays.

 30th March 2004
Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands. 10am-4pm. £30.

Staffordshire Moorlands Artists' Training Day - 7) 'Finance for artists'. Jargon-free workshop for artists and others in the creative industries. Set up your own book-keeping systems, measure performance, and face tax-returns head-on. More information & booking from:

 30th March 2004
The King's Hall, Stoke Town Hall (entrance next to the Civic Centre), Stoke old town, Stoke-on-Trent.  All day, 10.30am - 6.00pm. Free.

Profiling & developing local issues through the creative arts - ten community groups in the city are working with artists to express their local concerns, with the aid of the city's Community Facilitation Service & The Public arts organisation. This event is a free one-day exhibition featuring documentary photography of the projects, videos, interactive media, & creative work-in-progress. Come and meet the artists & groups, and also participate in workshops running throughout the day.

 31st March 2004.
Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent. Cost: Free.

HE Full Circle - Enterprise Day - featuring entrepreneur guest-speakers and the chance to find out what the 5-year 'HE Full Circle' project can offer to graduates looking to start new businesses. Bursaries of up to £1,000 are available to 10 graduates each year. More information from HE Full Circle Enterprise Co-ordinator, Chris Garner on:

 31st March 2004.
Film Theatre, nr. Stoke rail station, Stoke-on-Trent. 5.30pm. Cost: Free.

Public premiere of Andrew Davidson's new short film Quondam - this privately-financed film was made in Staffordshire and stars many local actors. The launch event is open to the public and admittance is free. The launch should also be a good networking opportunity for local film-makers, writers and actors, as well as raising awareness of the growing amount of film-making talent available in North Staffordshire.

 1st April 2004
Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands. 10am-4pm. £30.

Staffordshire Moorlands Artists' Training Day - 8) 'Funding & support'. Opportunity to find out about how and where to get project & business sponsorship, funding and support. More information & booking from:

 5th April 2004.
The Assembly Rooms (opposite the town's Police Station), Newcastle-under-Lyme. 7.30pm. £2.

'So You Want To Freelance?' - a talk by Alan Towse to Newcastle-under-Lyme Camera Club.

 16th - 18th April 2004.
Alsager MMU campus, Stoke-on-Trent. £Cost?

The 2004 FWWCP Festival of Writing - for further information about the Conference and the Federation of Worker Writers and Community Publishers contact Tim Diggles at FFWCPP on . The FFWCPP is based at the School of Art, Burslem.

 28th April 2004.
The Moat House hotel in Acton Trussell (near Stafford), 5.30pm.

Staffordshire Creative Network will be holding their second meeting. For tickets, please book by 9th April 2004.

 28th - 29th April 2004.
Keele University, near Stoke-on-Trent.

Annual Ceramic Industry Convention.

  4th May 2004.
The HotHouse, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. 7pm for 7.30pm. Free.

North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture lecture - all are welcome. Observing Nature 2 :: swans, life and creative stoke - Download the flyer (PDF, 50kb).

  4th May 2004.
Keele University Art Gallery. 6pm - 8pm. Free.

Launch event for two new shows at the Keele Art Gallery - Jenny Hulse : Recent Paintings, & Alan Brown & Frank Simpson : Contemporary History - The Evolution of Photography. Music by C.A.T.  Shows opened by Prof. Alex Danchev.

 5th May 2004.
University of Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent.

The Academy of Marketing - meeting of the new International Marketing Special Interest Group. This event may be of interest to high-level practitioners involved in the international marketing & advertising of brands and innovative new products. More details from Ian Wilson at:

 8th May 2004.
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. Cost: �10.50. Adults only.

Urban Landscapes - digital photography - photographer Guy Evans. Limited numbers, please book in advance for this all-day workshop at the Visitor Desk.

 11th May 2004.
Biddulph Grange Gardens, 10am-3pm. £20 inc. lunch.

Painters' Day - spend a day painting in the National Trust's fabulous ornamental gardens at Biddulph Grange, while the garden is closed to the public. Just bring your equipment & materials + waterproof clothing. More details: .

 19th May 2004.
The Film Theatre, Stoke. 7.45pm. Free!

The Electronic Image space - for showing short films, animations, pop-videos, screen-based art. Run by Dan of no.ground.processes and the Stoke Film Theatre, they are currently looking for work to show, and can be contacted at:

 22nd May 2004.
Keele Art Gallery, Keele University, Nr. Stoke-on-Trent.

A photography workshop, Building a Montage Picture. More information from Julie Kershaw:

 25th May 2004.
Ipstones Memorial Hall, Ipstones, near Stoke-on-Trent.

Workshop - Preparing your Business Plan for The England Rural Development Programme. If you are considering changing or improving your rural business, and thinking of applying to Defra for grant assistance, then you may benefit from attending. More information from the DEFRA Rural Development Service: .

 25th May 2004.

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare are hosting Open Art Surgery; a one-day arts & health conference.

 2nd June 2004.
The Film Theatre, Stoke. 7.45pm. Free!

The Electronic Image space - for showing short films, animations, pop-videos, screen-based art. Run by Dan of no.ground.processes and the Stoke Film Theatre, they are currently looking for work to show, and can be contacted at:

 12th June 2004.
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. Cost: �10.50. Adults only.

Watercolour Landscapes - an all-day workshop being run by artist Ivan Taylor. Limited numbers, please book in advance for this workshop at the Visitor Desk.

 12th June 2004.
Newcastle-under-Lyme Library. All-day. £6.

Short Prose & Snappy Poetry - an all-day workshop & writers cabaret. Book in advance - £6. More information from: .

 June 2004.
End-of-year graduate shows in North Staffordshire:

   Staffordshire University annual final-year Art & Design graduate show. Launching on Friday 18th June (6pm-8pm), and then running until 23rd June 2004, the show will feature work from over 300 students graduating from B.A.(Hons.) degree courses in Fine Art, Photography, Ceramics, Surface Pattern, Glass & Crafts, Product Design, Electronic & Multimedia Graphics, Interactive Multimedia, and Media Production. The show is to be held at the main College Road campus in Stoke-on-Trent.

   MMU at Alsager: Contemporary Crafts show from 11th - 14th June 2004.

   Newcastle-under-Lyme College: Friday 18th June until 4pm, 27th June 2004. (HND work will also be on display at the Brampton Art Gallery, Newcastle-under-Lyme, from 10th July to 1st August 2004.)

   Stoke-on-Trent F.E. College: Moorland Road Campus, Burslem. Opened by Mike Wolfe on the evening of Thursday 1st July 2004, at 7pm. The show will feature work by students in Art & Design, Photography, Media, and Multimedia, and will run until 6th July. More information on opening-times from: .

 22nd June 2004.
Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent. 6pm.

Staffordshire Creative Network will be holding their third meeting. There will be a guided-tour of the art & design graduation shows, followed by a meeting about how local creative professionals and the University can work together. For tickets, please book by 3rd June 2004.

  6th July 2004.
Victoria Hall, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. 7pm for 7.30pm. Free.

North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture lecture - all are welcome. Observing Nature 3 :: architecture, folklore and mythology - Download the flyer (PDF, 50kb).

  8th July 2004.
New Victoria Theatre, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, on 8th July 2004 from 10.30am.

The newly-formed Audiences Central (formerly Birmingham Arts Marketing) will be bringing us their roadshow. This is billed as... "an opportunity for organisations considering becoming subscribers to meet Audiences Central staff and hear more about its activities and services."

  10th - 11th July 2004.
Wedgwood Memorial College, at Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent. Residential. Cost? Details from Paul Hamner on .

A residential weekend workshop for writers, part of a series of workshops run at libraries in Stoke-on-Trent in Spring 2004.

  13th July 2004.
Mainwaring Arms, Whitmore, Nr. Newcastle-under-Lyme. Free to WIRE members, £25 non-members. Booking: .

How To Research Your Market. A practical workshop by WIRE Staffordshire (Women in Rural Enterprise).

 3rd - 6th August 2004.
Alsager MMU Campus, near Stoke-on-Trent.

Region, nation, belonging:- 10th International Conference on the Literature of Region & Nation.

 6th August 2004.
Stoke-on-Trent area. 12 noon - 4pm

Face Painting Training Workshop for Beginners by Funtastic Entertainments. for futher details and bookings. Places are limited, other workshops can be arranged to suit you.

  7th August 2004.
Newcastle-under-Lyme Art Gallery & Museum, Brampton Park. Free. 2pm - 4pm.

Doodle Bugs - animation from Staffordshire University - the launch event. Animation workshops every Saturday 2pm, during the show (7th Aug - 19th Sept).

  18th August 2004.
The White Hart, Uttoxeter. Free to WIRE members, £25 non-members. Booking: .

Marketing on a budget. A practical workshop by WIRE Staffordshire (Women in Rural Enterprise).

  20th August 2004.
Moorland Gallery, Moorlands Arts, Cross Street, Leek. Free. 7pm - 9pm.

Staffordshire Open Studios launch event.

 September 2004.

2004 Staffordshire Open Studios weekends
10th-12th, 17th-19th, & 24th-26th September. To order a paper copy of the brochure, contact Jenny Whiston on: .

 September 2004 - date tbc.
The Film Theatre, Stoke. 7.45pm. Free!

The Electronic Image space - for showing short films, animations, pop-videos, screen-based art. Run by Dan of no.ground.processes and the Stoke Film Theatre, they are currently looking for work to show, and can be contacted at:

 4th September 2004
The Churrasco bar, Hanley. 7.45pm onwards. Free!

Open Poetry & Music Evening, with Birmingham's 'Poet Laureate' Roz Goddard. Anybody who would like to attend & present their work is most welcome. Some poetry will be accompanied with music.

  7th September 2004.
Victoria Hall, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. 7pm for 7.30pm. Free.

North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture lecture - all are welcome. Richard Collis of renowned architects Fielden Clegg Bradley will talk on "Old Buildings, New Uses", with specific insight into FCB's plans for the imaginative re-use & re-modelling of buildings at Chatterley Whitfield. (A4 printable flyer here - PDF, 180kb)

  10th - 12th September 2004
Stone, Staffordshire.

The Beauty of Play: a conference on play & creative activies with young children. Details from: Perry Else on or

  15th September 2004.
Rudyard Hotel, Rudyard, Nr. Leek. Free to WIRE members, £25 non-members. Booking: .

Dealing with Customers. A practical workshop by WIRE Staffordshire (Women in Rural Enterprise).

 22nd September 2004.

Workshop - Protect & Fund Your Innovation
£10 + VAT. Call: .
Business-support workshop from the Burslem-based Business Innovation Centre, to learn about intellectual property and the funding available for it in North Staffordshire. [Intellectual property is intimately connected to the creative industries because it consists of both industrial property (which includes patents, designs, and trademarks) and copyrighted property (which cover areas such as music, art, and literature).]

  25th September 2004.
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. £10.50.

Figure Drawing Workshop. A one-day workshop from 10.30am to 4pm, with artist David Gleeson.

  30th September 2004.
Innovation Centre, Chasewater Country Park. Free to WIRE members, £25 non-members. Booking: .

Confident selling. A practical workshop by WIRE Staffordshire (Women in Rural Enterprise).

  30th September 2004.
The Moat House Hotel, Acton Trussell, near Stafford. Free, but ticket only; book by 7th Sept. Contact:

Creative Network meeting - speakers from two local solicitors on subjects such as Internet Crime & Copyright.

  5th October 2004.
Victoria Hall, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. 7pm for 7.30pm. Free.

North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture lecture - all are welcome. Gordon Cooke on a "Landscape Designer's Approach to Stoneware & Porcelain". Creative Stoke has a flyer for download & printing (PDF, 220kb).

  14th October 2004.
JCB Headquarters, Rocester. 9.30am - 1pm. £47/£58.75.

Staffordshire Creative Network are hosting two talks - speakers will be Jonathan Sands & Gavin Thompson.

  16th October 2004.
Keele University, near Stoke-on-Trent. £20.

All-day painting workshop (Pastels & Chalks), open to all. There will be a further painting workshop on 22nd Jan 2005 (Still life with oil pastels). More details & application form from Marion Gidman, Curator of Keele Art Gallery, at:

  19th October 2004.
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. £2. 1.30pm - 3pm.

Out of Clay 1 : 'Knick Knacks or High Unseriousness'. A talk by Visiting Professor at the Royal College of Art, Tanya Harrod.

  20th October 2004.
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. £2. 1.30pm - 3pm.

Out of Clay 2 : 'Hand Craft to Digital Art'. A talk by Paul Thirkell & David Hudson on the development of the photo-relief tile.

  20th October 2004.
Leek College, Staffordshire Moorlands. 1.45pm. Tickets are £2.

One of the world's top comic artists, Hunt Emerson, is giving a talk at Leek College, titled 'My Life in Comics'.

  22nd October 2004.
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. £2. 1.30pm - 3pm.

Out of Clay 3 : 'Out of the Workshop and into The Studio'. A talk by Josie Walter, on studio ceramics of the 60s & 70s.

  23rd October 2004.
New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme. 10.00am-4.30pm Fees, including lunch are £35/£30/£24 (for non-members, members, and full-time students/unwaged.)

Making Music West Midlands is holding 'A Day for Violinists: featuring Tasmin Little'. World-renowned Tasmin Little will be joined by Alexander Technique specialist Margaret Heaton, early music specialist Kate Fawcett, and folk fiddler Aidan Broadbridge for a fun, participatory day for violinists of grade 6 and upwards. This is NOT a masterclass. All sheet music will be provided on the day, as well as lunch; just bring a violin & a music stand. For more informantion & bookings, contact Micaela Schmitz or download the booking form.

 26th October 2004.
Dudson Centre - Hope Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. 6.30pm. Free!

The Stoke-on-Trent City Arts Forum is a group of arts practitioners & promoters who meet to bring together big ideas for the city's arts community, and feed them into the Council's Local Strategic Planning (LSP) process. The Arts Forum is now beginning to gather momentum, and is on the point of raising project funding. The Forum is open to new people in all fields; galleries, DJ-ing, film, ceramics, crafts, music, venues, architecture, owners of gathering-places, etc. You can also just get on the mailing-list to receive the minutes, so you know what's happening. More information from:

 27th October 2004.
The Film Theatre, Stoke. 7.45pm. Free!

The Electronic Image space - for showing short films, animations, pop-videos, screen-based art. Run by Dan of no.ground.processes and the Stoke Film Theatre, they are currently looking for work to show on the full-size cinema screen, and can be contacted at:

 31st October 2004.
Newcastle-under-Lyme. Costs from �10 to �20 according to what people wish to contribute. Please also bring a plate of food to share. To book your place, contact b arts on .

Loudmouth Women host an all-day (10.30am-4pm) singing workshop for women & girls. The workshop will be with Dessislava Stefanova - a specialist in traditional Bulgarian singing styles.

 1st November 2004.
The Film Theatre, Stoke. Stoke Film Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent. 3 to 6pm. Free!

Screen West Midlands' "meet the funders" roadshow. Screen West Midlands supports film & video production in the West Midlands. For more information e-mail:

  6th November 2004.
Potteries Museum And Art Gallery. 2.30pm. Free, but ticket-only.

Stephen Deuchar, Director of Tate Britain, will be giving a free lecture, on 'The Turner Prize & Contemporary Art Today'. Tickets will be available from September.

 12th-14th November 2004.
The Telford Moat House, Telford, just 20 miles from Stoke.

Association of Festival Organisers conference.
Organised by FolkArts England, the conference provides solid advice and support to professional and voluntary festival organisers. More details from:

 15th November 2004.
The Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent. Attendance is free - but booking is essential!

The Foundation for Community Dance is to hold the first in a series of Training & Networking Days for disabled dance artists led by disabled artists. For bookings & more information contact: Rosie Frances on  or 

 17th November 2004.
University of Keele, Staffordshire.

Enterprise Fest 04 - "The event promises to inspire and inform staff, students, alumni and business start-ups on how to set up an enterprise, where to find sources of finance, how to market yourself and your business and how to protect your business product and ideas. You will hear and share the experiences of entrepreneurs who have been there and done it and are now running very successful businesses. In addition to this there will be an entertaining bazaar with stalls from a range of new and exciting companies."

 23rd November 2004.
Dudson Centre - Hope Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. 6.30pm. Free!

The Stoke-on-Trent City Arts Forum is a group of arts practitioners & promoters who meet to bring together big ideas for the city's arts community, and feed them into the Council's Local Strategic Planning (LSP) process. The Arts Forum is now beginning to gather momentum, and is on the point of raising project funding. The Forum is open to new people in all fields; galleries, DJ-ing, film, ceramics, crafts, music, venues, architecture, owners of gathering-places, etc. You can also just get on the mailing-list to receive the minutes, so you know what's happening. More information from:

  1st December 2004.
The Swan Hotel, Leek. 9am - 3pm. Free, but booking is essential. Contact for a booking form, that must be returned by 24th Nov.

Moorlands 'Creatives Connect' Event - of value to those working in the creative industries & based in the Staffordshire Moorlands. Free buffet lunch.

  2nd December 2004.
The Moat House Hotel, Acton Trussell, near Stafford. 6pm. Free, but booking is required.

Staffordshire Creative Network networking & speaker event. The speaker will be Viv Sliwka.

  2nd December 2004.
The Film Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, at 5pm. Free.

@5, Staffordshire University's new photography lecture series, presents a talk by documentary photographer Lesley McIntyre. Lesley will also be signing copies of her new book (nominated for the Kobal Portrait Book Award 2004).

  3rd & 4th December 2004.
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. £50 for both days. Adults only.

Two-day Victorian Corset Making Workshop with Ian Chipperfield.

  7th December 2004.
Burslem School of Art, Stoke-on-Trent. 7pm for 7.30pm. Free.

North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture illustrated lecture - all are welcome. Artist Terry Shave will be the speaker. (Download the flyer, 60kb).

  8th December 2004.
Film Theatre in Stoke-On-Trent. 7.45pm. Free.

The Electronic Image is North Staffordshire's regular free big-screen showcase for new moving-image work.

 11th January 2005.
Dudson Centre - Hope Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. 6.30pm. Free!

The Stoke-on-Trent City Arts Forum is a group of arts practitioners & promoters who meet to bring together big ideas for the city's arts community, and feed them into the Council's Local Strategic Planning (LSP) process. The Arts Forum is now beginning to gather momentum, and is on the point of raising project funding. The Forum is open to new people in all fields; galleries, DJ-ing, film, ceramics, crafts, music, venues, architecture, owners of gathering-places, etc. You can also just get on the mailing-list to receive the minutes, so you know what's happening. More information from:

  Christmas & New Year.

 19th January 2005.

Workshop - Get your innovation to market
£10 + VAT. Call: .

Business-support workshop from the Burslem-based Business Innovation Centre, to learn about the successful exploitation of new ideas.

  February to April 2005
Staffordshire Moorlands.

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council is running fourteen workshops for professional creatives, during the spring. Numbers are limited, and preference will be given to those who live in the Staffordshire Moorlands area (there is also a reduced per-workshop fee, for those people). Workshops titles include, among others: Funding and Support for the Arts; Marketing & Market Research; and The Music Business. For full information and a booking form, phone: .

  2nd February 2005.
Moat House, Festival Park, Stoke-on-Trent.

Launch of the Business Brokers' Entrepreneurs Network which aims to find mentors for suitable start-up businesses. More details from:

  5th, 12th & 19th February 2005.
Keele University, near Stoke-on-Trent. £20.

Three Calligraphy Workshops (Roman lettering, 5th Feb '05; Celtic & Saxon lettering, 12th Feb; & Victorian Copperplate, 19th Feb). More details & application form from Marion Gidman, Curator of Keele Art Gallery, at:

  14-18th February 2005.
Stoke-on-Trent.

Planet Sound are offering a one-week training course, 14th-18th February, for experienced artists who wish to undertake community-arts work in the region. There are ten places available. For further details and an application form, contact: .

  16th February 2005.
E2, Stoke rail station, Stoke-on-Trent. 2-4pm. Free.

North Staffordshire Risk Capital Fund are holding a Local Funding for the Next Generation of Local Enterprise open information session at E2-The Station (next to Stoke rail station). for details.

  26th February 2005.
Keele University, near Stoke-on-Trent. £20.

All-day Photography Workshop, open to all, with Mark Wood. More details & application form from Marion Gidman, Curator of Keele Art Gallery, at:

  Spring 2005 - dates vary.

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council is running fourteen workshops for professional creatives, during the spring. The number of places at each workshop is limited, and preference will be given to those who live in the Staffordshire Moorlands area (there is also a reduced per-workshop fee, for such people). Workshops titles include, among others: Funding and Support for the Arts; Marketing & Market Research; and The Music Business. For full information and a booking form, phone: or e-mail

 March 2005 - dates t.b.c.

One Act Play Festival.
Week-long event, to be held in Stoke-on-Trent. focussing on practical production of short plays. A chance to meet and mingle with people from all over the UK who are passionate about plays.

 1st March 2005

Stoke Approach are organising a Business Plan Seminar, in conjunction with Mitten Clarke accountants and Business Brokers, on 1st March 2005 (4.15pm-6pm). It'll be at the Spode Conference Centre in Stoke, and will be of interest to those who are some way into running a start-up, as well as those planning one. More information & a booking-form from Sue Davis, Enterprise Development Officer: or e-mail  

 10th March 2005.
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent.

Staffordshire Creative Network will be holding a networking meeting, featuring success stories from the city's Different By Design project. For details, see their web-site.

 10th March 2005.
Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent

Make Some Noise all-day workshop, on Community Music. It's aimed at being... "a day of inspiration and adventure for music leaders and people who want to become music leaders". There will be a variety of exercises, pieces, games and discussions - and participants will also be given a newly published handbook. Interested? Phone: or e-mail:

 12th March 2005
Leek, near Stoke-on-Trent.

Leek & District Textiles Guild', open to all contemporary textile practitioners, is having its inaugural meeting on 12th March 2005. Those interested in attending future meetings contact Janet Barn on .

 19th - 20th March 2005
Frink School of Figurative Sculpture, Leek, near Stoke-on-Trent. £90.

Wood Carving weekend, Contact the School for more details.

 19th March 2005
The Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent. 11am to 3pm.

Playwriting Workshop.
From 11am to 3pm. Led by Rony Robinson. Cost: £10.

 19th March 2005
Keele University, nr. Stoke-on-Trent.

Keele University's Art Gallery is offering an all-day photography workshop in its arboretum, photographing the plants there. Led by Mark Wood, this will be on 19th March 2005. Contact Mark Wood for booking information.

 21st March 2005.
E2-The Station, next to Stoke train station, Stoke-on-Trent. 10am-4pm. Free.

IP: Inventors' drop-in sessions � "Can your ideas make you money?" More details from: Helen Davis

  23rd March 2005
Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands. 7pm.

Arts in the Peak AGM meeting. This will also be a networking event for Moorlands artists.

 26th - 27th March 2005
Frink School of Figurative Sculpture, Leek, Near Stoke-on-Trent. £90.

Life Modelling weekend, Contact the School for more details.

 April 2005 - date tbc.
Location tbc.

Staffordshire Creative Network will be holding a University Workshop meeting. For details, see their web-site.

 9th - 10th April 2005
Frink School of Figurative Sculpture, Leek, Near Stoke-on-Trent. £90.

Painting from the model - 'Sickert' weekend, Contact the School for more details.

 13th April 2005.
E2-The Station, next to Stoke train station, Stoke-on-Trent. 2-4pm. Free.

The Prince's Trust � Help for young entrepreneurs. More details from: Helen Davis

 16th - 17th April 2005
Frink School of Figurative Sculpture, Leek, Near Stoke-on-Trent. £90.

Portrait Modelling weekend, contact the School for more details.

 19th April 2005

Victoria Hall, Hanley. Free. 7pm for 7.30pm; all are welcome.

North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture are holding illustrated talk by Andrew Watts, on Ceramics in the Cityscape - a lesson from China.

 23rd - 24th April 2005

Frink School of Figurative Sculpture, Leek, Near Stoke-on-Trent. £90.

Stone Carving weekend, contact the School for more details.

 27th April 2005.
E2-The Station, next to Stoke train station, Stoke-on-Trent. 2-4pm. Free.

Michelin Enterprise � funding, training and support for small enterprises More details from: Helen Davis

 30th April - 1st May 2005
Frink School of Figurative Sculpture, Leek, Near Stoke-on-Trent. £90.

Casting weekend, Contact the School for more details.

 Friday 6th May until Sunday 8th May 2005
Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

Hanley's 1st Cultural Quarter Festival! All offers of support and help will be most welcome, in order to make this first Festival a success. See their web site for more details.

  14th May 2005 - date tbc
Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands.

Leek Arts Festival - a day of practical arts & craft workshops. Followed on the Sunday by a networking meeeting for local creatives.

  17th May 2005

Moorlands Arts Centre, Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands. 7pm. Free.
North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture: free talk. Illustrated talk by Steve Carr.

 18th May 2005.
E2-The Station, next to Stoke train station, Stoke-on-Trent. 2-4pm. Free.

North Staffordshire Risk Capital Fund: - Inland revenue: All your business tax questions answered. More details from: Helen Davis

 19th May 2005.
Acton Trussell, near Stafford.

Staffordshire Creative Network will be holding a network meeting. For details, see their web-site.

 24th May 2005.
Staffordshire University.

Open Arts Surgery Conference.

 1st - 2nd June 2005.
Staffordshire County Showground.

Creative Village @ Staffordshire County Show. Workshops and showcase event. Details t.b.a.

 7th June 2005.
At Staffordshire University - to co-incide with the degree show - exact location tbc.

Staffordshire Creative Network will be holding a network meeting. For details, see their web-site.

 8th June 2005.
E2-The Station, next to Stoke train station, Stoke-on-Trent. 2-4pm. Free.

North Staffordshire Risk Capital Fund: - Inland revenue: All your business tax questions answered. More details from: Helen Davis

  9th June 2005.
Staffordshire Business Innovation Centre, based at the Burslem School of Art.
£50 + VAT. 9.30am-12.30pm
'How Innovative Is Your Business' Workshop.

  15th June 2005.
Staffordshire Business Innovation Centre, based at the Burslem School of Art.
£75 + VAT. 10am - 4pm
'Funding For Innovation' Workshop.

 June/July 2005.
End-of-year arts & design graduate shows in North Staffordshire:

   Staffordshire University annual final-year Art & Design graduate show: launch evening on 3rd June 2005, Stoke-on-Trent.

   MMU at Alsager: 10th - 13th June 2005. The B.A. (Hons.) Contemporary Crafts degree final exhibition.

   Newcastle-under-Lyme College: 25th June - 3rd July 2005 at the College. (HND work will also be on display at the Brampton Art Gallery, Newcastle-under-Lyme, from 9th July - 24th July 2005.)

   Stoke-on-Trent F.E. College: Moorland Road Campus, Burslem. Thurs 7th & Fri 8th July at the college's Burslem campus, between 10am and 4pm. Official opening: Thurs 6pm, opened by Mike Wolfe, the city's former elected mayor.

   Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College: 6th July 2005, 'Open Art Day' from 5.30pm.

  Summer/Autumn 2005.

Rita Banks is offering a variety of watercolour workshops at her studios in Stone.

  6th July 2005.
Staffordshire Business Innovation Centre, based at the Burslem School of Art.
£50 + VAT. 4pm - 8pm
'New Product Development' Workshop.

  9th July - 2nd October 2005 - opening/launch event t.b.c
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

Open 05. Large Open show of new work by creatives from Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Cheshire and Shropshire. The opening night should be a good networking opportunity. More details to follow.

  13th July 2005.
Staffordshire Business Innovation Centre, based at the Burslem School of Art.
£10 + VAT. 4pm - 6pm
'Protect & Fund Your Innovation' Workshop.

 Mid July 2005 - date tbc.
Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

The Big Draw day event - workshops and more on drawing and mark-making.

 September 2005.
The New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme. £100 (£50 conc.). To book call the New Vic Box Office on .

A four-day Introduction to Screenwriting course in September 2005. The course will follow the format pioneered by leading screenwriting expert Phil Parker, on the art of writing a short screenplay. Sessions will cover:  1) Developing Ideas - sources of inspiration; 2) The Premise - assessing the viability of an idea as a screenplay; 3) Outlines - first development stages; 4) Stories, Plots and Narrative - exploring dramatic form; and 5) Characters and Characterisation - who's who?  Each day will be a Saturday from 10.30am until 5pm - dates are the 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th September 2005.

  10th Sept - 23rd Oct 2005
Brampton Art Gallery, Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Open Art Exhibition. Details of how to enter will be available on their web-site in Summer 2005. The opening event should be a good networking opportunity.

  10th - 12th Sept 2005
Various locations in the the town of Leek.

'Make It Contemporary' crafts walking-trail around Leek.

  13th Sept 2005
At the Victoria Hall, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, 6.30pm-9pm.

'Exciting Minds': a Creative Partnerships introductory event, for the creative and cultural sector of Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire. Hosted by Creative Partnerships Stoke-on-Trent. By invitation only: contact
Creative Stoke has the flyer for this event. (PDF, 280kb).

  17th & 18th Sept 2005
At the Gladstone Museum, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. 10am - 5pm.
Stoke-on-Trent Ceramics Festival 05 Potters Market. An opportunity for local makers to sell their work alongside some of the best studio potters from all over the UK. Further details from: .

 20th September 2005.
Dudson Centre - Hope Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. 6pm for 6.30pm. Free!

The Stoke-on-Trent City Arts Forum is a group of arts practitioners & promoters who meet to bring together big ideas for the city's arts community, and feed them into the Council's Strategic Planning process.

 22nd Sept 2005.
The Moat House, Acton Trussell, near Stafford/Cannock. Free, but ticket only.

Staffordshire Creative Network with speaker Chris Sanderson from The Future Laboratory. For details, see their web-site.

 22nd Sept 2005.
Dove Valley Centre, Longnor, Staffordshire.

Creeping Toad are running a one-day workshop for adults: Telling Tales - storytelling for beginners. More information from: .

  24th/25th September & 1st/2nd October 2005

Staffordshire Open Studios, North Staffordshire section. A copy of the Staffordshire Open Studios Guide 2005 is available form Liz Dand on (weekdays) or Deb Walker at Ridware Arts on (weekends).

  4th October 2005
Victoria Hall (top floor), Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Free. 7pm for 7.30pm.

North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture are launching their Winter 05 series of illustrated talks in October. with furniture designer & crafts maker Garry Olson. Garry has been national touring his onetree arts project, showing the unique range of what can be made from British woodlands. The event should also be a good networking opportunity.

 19th October 2005.
The Quality Hotel, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Admission £5.

Starving Artists Exhibition. An initiative of the local Rotary Club, bringing local artists together for a large pre-Christmas selling exhibition. Opened by the Lord Mayor at 6pm, with previews from 3pm to 5.30pm. The evening should be a good networking opportunity for the region's artists.

 November 2005 onwards - dates tbc.
Location tbc. Public contemporary arts workshops in Leek and the Staffordshire Moorlands, from Nov 2005 until Nov 2006. For more details see: 'Make It Contemporary'. Includes the "Make It Contemporary" Crafts Fair on Friday 11th to Saturday 12th November 2005.

 2nd November 2005.
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery from 6.30pm.

Different By Design launch Revealing, their second show of inspirational product design from Staffordshire. This should also be a good networking event. To request tickets for this evening event, which should be good for networking, contact: .

 3rd November 2005.
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent. Free.

Ceramics Network 'Knowledge Cafe' on 3rd November 2005 - an opportunity to share information & experience with other colleagues. Interested? e-mail Sarah McHugh at:  

 30th November 2005.
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. 2pm - 3pm. For further details please contact the Museum on . Cost: £1.50

Talking Shop: The Changing Face of the Potteries - looking at recent developments in Stoke-on-Trent with Arts Officer Peta Murphy-Burke and local historian Alan Taylor.

 1st December 2005.
Location tbc.

Staffordshire Creative Network will be holding a talk & networking meeting. For details, see their web-site.

 2nd - 4th December 2005.
WEA's Wedgwood Memorial College, Stoke-on-Trent. £99, with concessions available

'So you've always wanted to play the violin' - you are welcome whether or not you read music. You just need a violin and a bow in good working order, and lots of enthusiasm! Led by Rae Strong - Rae Strong, Violin and Recorder teacher at Ackworth School and also a performer.

 6th December 2005.
At "The West End, Stoke". From 6.30pm. Free.

The City Arts Forum (CAF) has been running in the Stoke-on-Trent for nearly three years. A constitution has now been agreed, and there's to be a re-launch on 6th December 2005.

  13th December 2005
Burslem School of Art, Stoke-on-Trent. Free. 7pm for 7.30pm.

North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture are holding the final event in their Winter 05 series of illustrated talks. CABE's Sustainable Communities Officer, Emma Appleton, will give an illustrated lecture on Old Land: New Uses. Emma has recently been on a Winston Churchill Fellowship trip trip to examine creative examples of post-industrial regeneration in Germany. The event should also be a good networking opportunity.

~~ Christmas & New Year ~~

 1st February 2006.
Sutherland Institute, Longton, Stoke on Trent. 10am to 4pm. £75 plus VAT

Focus on Intellectual Property. Business support seminar, offering a broad introduction to the issues, by Knight & Sons Solicitors and Birmingham Central Library's Patent Dept. Bookings via: Sandra Butterworth, 0845 8458020.

 11th February 2006.
Keele University Art Gallery, near Stoke-on-Trent. Book via Julie Kershaw on:  .

David Gleeson will be running an artists' workshop on 11th February 2006, at Keele University Art Gallery. "Colour as Tone" will encourage participants to develop images similar to the post-impressionists, working with acrylic, gouache or oil paint.

 15th February 2006.
Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent. 1.00pm - 9pm. £30 inc VAT per delegate, if booked before 31 January 2006; £45 inc VAT thereafter.

Profiting from International Trade workshop. Includes a keynote address by Michael Portillo, followed by question and answer session. More details and bookings via Louise Barth on or

 10th March 2006.
Stoke-on-Trent, 3.00pm to 5.00pm.

Pianist Martin Roscoe will be holding a Piano Masterclass in Stoke. Pricing and booking details are here.

 18th - 21st April 2006.
Staffordshire Performing Arts Centre. £Free, but booking is essential.

Make Some Noise: a free 6-week evening class, for community musicians interested in working with music & play for babies and infants. The classes will run from 1st March - 12th April 2006. between 6.30pm & 8.30pm. Bookings can be made on: .

 18th - 21st April 2006.
WEA's Wedgwood Memorial College, Stoke-on-Trent. £173.

Drawing and Painting the Urban Environment - a four-day course with Martin Eldridge, portraying the distinctive cityscape of the Potteries, with our canals, pot banks, reclaimed industrial heaps, and industrial buildings.

 25th April 2006

Burslem School of Art, Stoke-on-Trent. Free. 7pm for 7.30pm; all are welcome.

North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture are holding illustrated talk by Fiona Heron of Wolfgang and Heron (Flash-only link), recent winner of the Architecture Foundation award.

 May 2006

Burslem Arts & Crafts Festival is to run a series of ten creative workshops from 13th-27th May 2006, in the run-up to the Festival itself on Monday 29th May. Among the workshops will be: Photographing The Burslem Townscape (13th); Balloon Modelling (20th); Costume Creation & Carnival Headwear (25th); Flag-Making with Cultural Sisters (26th); Tudor Recreations (27th); and others. More details and a booking-form from:   Artists and crafts makers are also invited to take market stalls for just £10 per stall, please contact or e-mail    if you're interested. Denise is also looking for artists to take part in the event.

 17th May 2006

Sutherland Institute, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent.

How Innovative Is Your Business? Part of the Staffordshire & Black Country Business Innovation Centre seminar series.

 19th - 21st May 2006.
Trnetham Gardens, Stoke-on-Trent. Details tbc.

Art of England Art Show 2006. Promises masterclasses and seminars in art techniques, details tbc.

 19th May 2006.
AiR Space, Falcon Works, Old Town Road, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Free. 6.30pm onwards.

An evening of performances & DJs, to launch the Conjunction gallery space in Hanley, although the art won't be in the gallery until July 06. Could be a good networking opportunity.

 23rd May 2006

Burslem School of Art, Stoke-on-Trent. Free. 7pm for 7.30pm; all are welcome.

North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture are holding illustrated talk by Sarah Bonham and Annie Kinnaird of arts group Letting in The Light.

 30th May 2006
The Sugden Room, The Central Club, Market Street, Leek. 7.30pm start. £3.00 (payable at the door, but early booking is advised).

Arts and Crafts Architecture of Leek. A lecture by Ted Cullinan CBE, one of Britain's most eminent architects. Ted knows Leek and the Moorlands well. To book, please ring or e-mail . The lecture is organised by the Leek WEA William Morris Study Circle, and is part of the Leek Arts Festival.

 1st - 3rd June 2006.
Stoke-on-Trent. Details tbc.

International GreenFilm Festival 2006. Details of seminars and workshops tbc.

 June/July 2006.
End-of-year arts & design graduate shows in North Staffordshire:

   Staffordshire University annual final-year Art & Design graduate show: 9th � 15th June 2006. Private view is the 9th June, 6pm-8pm. (Animation Bites 2006 is on May 3rd at the Film Theatre).

   Keele University: Visual Arts department on campus at Keele University. Show opens: 23rd May at 7.30pm. Continues until 9th June 2006.

   MMU at Alsager: 2006 Fine Art Degree Show is from 17th - 21st June.

   Newcastle-under-Lyme College: tbc.

   Stoke-on-Trent F.E. College: tbc.

   Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College: tbc.

 13th June 2006

6pm, at The Pavilion, Staffordshire University, College Road, Stoke-on-Trent.

Staffordshire Creative Network evening, coinciding with the annual Arts, Media & Design degree shows at the University. There will be short presentations as well as a guided tour of the shows.

 17th & 18th June 2006

Rudyard Lake Activity Centre, Staffordshire.

Interested in making silver jewellery? There's to be a weekend workshop retreat ("ideal for beginners and improvers") with Elizabeth Marron at on 17th & 18th June 2006. (12 places, £70 per person + £20 for the silver). More details from:

 27th June 2006

Burslem School of Art, Stoke-on-Trent. Free. 7pm for 7.30pm; all are welcome.

North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture are holding illustrated talk by Anna Rose of Space Syntax.

 30th June - 2nd July 2006.
Telford.

The National Association of Flower Arrangers National Show. Workshops and seminars are on offer, as well as excellent networking opportunities.

 8th July 2006.
Biddulph Grange, Staffordshire.

Fancy making fantastic eccentric fabric sculptures? There's to be a one-day workshop with artist Serena Partridge (15 places, £35). More details from:

 13th - 14th July 2006.
Shrewsbury Music Hall.

Unnatural Selection, a two-day conference offering 'a journey into genetics through art & science'. Alongside the conference, there is to be an Open Art Exhibition on the same theme, and a £3,000 first prize.

 11th July to 14th July 2006
Staffordshire University. Free.

H.E. Full Circle 'Summer School in Enterprise'. The event is aimed at those who have already running a start-up, or who are in the planning stages. Sessions include, among others: "Pricing For Profit"; "Using the web for business"; "Accounting for profit"; "Financing your business" and "Business networking". To book your place contact Chris Garner at:  

 15th July 2006.
AiR Space, Falcon Works, Old Town Road, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Time 5pm.

Artists' seminar and panel discussion about the Conjunction 06 art show, which launches on the same day.

 end July 2006.
Buxton, nr. Stoke-on-Trent.

The Buxton Puppet Festival 2006 is offering masterclass training workshops from the likes of Nori Sawa of Japan & Prague.

 September 2006.
Across the county.

Staffordshire Open Studios. Over 40 artists and crafts makers will be opening their studios on 9 and 10th / 16 and 17th September 2006. Launch exhibition at Lichfield Cathedral from the end of July.

 September 2006.
Stoke-on-Trent. Details tbc.

Arts Council Funding Surgery visits Stoke-on-Trent, for the first time since 2002.

 9th September 2006.
Thorswood Nature Reserve Barn, Staffs.

Raku Pottery Making Masterclass (12 places, £20 per person), details from Arts East Staffordshire on: .

 21st Sept 2006.
The Moat House, Acton Trussell, near Stafford/Cannock. Free, but ticket only.

Staffordshire Creative Network with speakers David Culshaw, Barbara Meek and Jackie Hartley, talking about their recent bursary trips. For details, see their web-site.

 28th September 2006.
Stoke-on-Trent.

Media Trust seminar: New-media made cheap and easy.

 October 2006.
Stoke-on-Trent Film Theatre, Stoke.

A series of six in-depth talks on the craft of film editing.

 4th Dec 2006

New Vic Theatre Studio, Etruria Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, from 6.00pm � 8.00pm. Free, but booking required.

Are you a creative industries practitioner interested in working on creative programmes in Stoke-on-Trent schools, or perhaps you are already working with schools? Creative Partnerships is running a free networking event, to help you make connections with professionals from a range of creative backgrounds, and find out more about the work going on in schools nationally and locally. Book via Iain Perry at Creative Partnerships Stoke-on-Trent at  by 1st December 06.

 Winter 2006.
Keele, North Staffordshire.

Keele University Art Gallery has a programme of creative masterclasses and workshops during 2006 and into 2007. The Workshops leaflet, with booking form, is here (PDF, 290kb).

 5th Dec 2006

Burslem School of Art, Stoke-on-Trent. Free. 7pm for 7.30pm; all are welcome.

North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture are holding an illustrated talk by Denis O'Connor & Bernie Rutter (Sculpture Works) on "Art in Regeneration".

     ~~ Christmas & New Year ~~

 15th January 2007

The North Staffordshire branch of the British Computing Society has a talk that may be of interest to those in the creative industries, by the WM Wireless Consortium on RFID (which has all kinds of innovative retail and ticketing uses). Details are on their events page.

 12th February 2007

The North Staffordshire branch of the British Computing Society has a talk that may be of interest to those in the creative industries. The talk on 12th Feb 07 is pencilled in to be about 'new media'. Details are on their events page.

 Spring 2007

The WEA Wedgwood Memorial College, Stoke-on-Trent.

A variety of practical short-courses (residential) in art techniques are on offer.

 21st March 2007

There will be a free "Pensions for Artists" seminar in Stoke-on-Trent, on 21st March 07. The venue is the Regent Theatre in Hanley. The organisers say... "this half day seminar will examine the likely needs and the various options for artists/creative practitioners pension provision, which will provide delegates with simple, basic and useful information to assist them in this area." To book a place at this seminar, e-mail: with your name, job title and organisation, e-mail address, and indicate whether you would like to attend the morning or afternoon session. The seminars are limited to two delegates from the same organisation.

 24th March 2007

The UK-wide Networking Artists Network is brings its roadshow to Staffordshire University in Stoke-on-Trent, on 24th March 07. Speakers include: Birmingham artist Ruth Claxton; Tom Godfrey, curator of Nottingham's Moot gallery, Susan McNally, co-producer of New Art Birmingham; and Ian Vines, programme co-ordinator at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery. Places are strictly limited, and the deadline for applications to attend is March 10th. To apply for a ticket, send your up-to-date C.V., along with a short statement on why you would like to attend "Roadshow West Midlands: Ecosystem" to

 28th March 2007

100% inspiration is a free event to be held at Staffordshire University on 28th March 07. It aims to help business to become creative, and to develop new and profitable products and services. Creative Stoke has the full flyer (PDF, 260kb) with further information.

 from April - June 2007

Staffordshire University.

Making It Happen in Community Arts is a short three-day course at Staffordshire University, spread over April-June 07. Creative Stoke has the flyer here (PDF, 20kb).

 20th - 22nd April 2007

Various locations around Shrewsbury.

Shrewsbury International Cartoon Festival. Workshops and talks by leading cartoonists.

 24th April 2007

Burslem School of Art, Stoke-on-Trent. Free. 7pm for 7.30pm; all are welcome.

North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture are holding an illustrated talk by Ann Todd on heritage open days, �Connecting Heritage with Education: Engaging Young People and places�.

 30th April 2007

Sponsor Room, Victoria Hall Theatre, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. 6pm - 8pm. Free.

Exciting Minds 2 is a networking and professional development opportunity for creative practitioners who are interested in working in creative programmes in Stoke-on-Trent schools. Special guest: Richard Hayhow, Artistic Director of Shysters Theatre Company; you'll hear about the cutting-edge work that Shysters have undertaken through Creative Partnerships. Numbers are limited, so to book your place at this free event, please contact Iain Perry at Creative Partnerships Stoke (   or   ) by 27th April 07.

 29th May 2007

Burslem School of Art, Stoke-on-Trent. Free. 7pm for 7.30pm; all are welcome.

North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture are holding an illustrated talk on "The Sustainable School" by Craig White of White Design Architects and Catriona Stewart of Kingsmead primary school.

 16th June 2007

Staffordshire University.

Pushing Boundaries is a one-day event for crafts makers interested in developing their practice and finding markets for their work. It will take place at Staffordshire University on 16th June 07. You'll hear crafts makers talk about their own experiences of: developing their practice through new ideas and practice; disseminating their ideas; collaborating and exchanging with other creatives; working internationally, through residencies and developing international markets for their work. In the afternoon there will be breakout discussion groups. The fee for the day is �30, and includes lunch and a delegate pack. There is a subsidised fee of �15 for 50 makers based in the West Midlands (subject to eligibility). For a booking form please contact Lennie Ashwell on:   or e-mail:     For more information please e-mail  

 26th June 2007

Burslem School of Art, Stoke-on-Trent. Free. 7pm for 7.30pm; all are welcome.

North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture are holding an illustrated talk on "Liverpool City of Culture: The role of Arts and Cultural Organisations in Liverpool European Capital of Culture 2008" by Kim Graham of the Liverpool Culture Company.

 26th June & 14th June 2007

Stoke-on-Trent.

Scottish Opera public workshop, Madame Butterfly... "Each hour-long free event is open to the general public and gives a flavour of the operatic experience as well as sharing some theatrical secrets with the audience."

 6th-11th July 2007

MMU Campus, Alsager, nr. Stoke-on-Trent. Attendance by selection.

National Youth Dance Festival - the six-day national youth dance festival.

 17th July 2007

Burslem School of Art, Stoke-on-Trent. Free. 7pm for 7.30pm; all are welcome.

North Staffordshire Arts & Architecture are holding an illustrated talk on "Cultural Regeneration through Communities" by Alan Simpson.

 20th July 2007

Airspace, Stoke on Trent's new contemporary art galley, will celebrate its grand opening at No. 4 Broad Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Press release (PDF, 24kb)

 late August - September 2007

Staffordshire Open Studios - visit artists' studios in and around the county of Staffordshire.

 5th - 7th October 2007

Stoke-on-Trent. Details tba.

The Stoke-on-Trent Ceramics Festival - sure to have masterclasses, talks and events of interest to professional makers.

  Tuesday 23rd October, 6:30-8:30pm

Stoke-on-Trent. At the New Vic Theatre (until 17th Nov 07).

Dishinit ceramic arts project launch. Pamela is also interested in hearing from "any writers who'd be interested" in helping to "get some critical dialogue going", with the possibility of publication. Interested? Pamela Wells can be contacted on or via the Dishinit website.

 28th February 2008

Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent.

Let's Do Networking. "More than 300 businesspeople are expected to attend when North Staffordshire's biggest-ever networking event takes place in the New Year".

"We are hoping to establish a self-managing group for writers who want genuine feedback on their work. This will be a forum for writers who hope to take their work to a higher level, perhaps with a view to publication and performance. If you are interested in prose fiction, poetry or writing for the stage or screen, please do come along."

"will provide major networking and future business opportunities for companies in the Creative industry."

"Are you a musician who wants to develop your music leading career? Then this is your chance for a half hour, one-to-one session, to ask those burning questions about kick starting your career, or to find out a little more about what MusicLeader West Midlands has to offer you. To book your half-hour slot contact us on: "

Event 1: Saturday, 16th October 2010:

1pm � 2.30pm — Anna Francis: Walking in the City.

3pm � 4.00pm — The first episode of Talking City Live.

Anna will give a talk about her practice to date which explores the impact of art and culture on regeneration. Anna will discuss the varying activities that she finds herself undertaking in order to operate as an artist in the City.

Event 2: Saturday 23rd October 2010:

1pm � 2pm — Talking City: On Location in Stoke Town Tour

2pm � 5pm — Regenerating Stoke Town with Anna Francis

Anna will lead a tour of Stoke Town, which will attempt to point out the parts of the town that are working very well, as well as picking up on the areas which require the most interventions. This is a session for artists, encouraging new ways of looking and seeing. The afternoon will culminate in a re-visioning activity � to explore how artists could be involved in the regeneration process underway in the town.

"You can expect to see a number of events and workshops centred around digital art, digital and social media."

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Current events are listed here.