Creative Opportunities: August 2023
Your monthly round up of news, events, opportunities, call-outs and funding
Hi friends,
August is nearly upon us, which means the return of the York River Art Market! Make sure to head down to Dame Judi Dench walk on a weekend and support the local traders.
How many of you caught Bomb Squad’s Educated Vandals exhibition on Low Ousegate over the last two weekends? You have just one more weekend to check it out.
We’ll be at Creative Drinks at SPARK next Friday, as ever, chatting about a multitude of creative projects taking place across the city. Fancy meeting your next collaborator, mentor or friendly competitor? Grab a ticket and join us between 6pm and 10pm.
Keep your eye out for an extra special event, which will be announced shortly!
Until then…
Stay curious, keep creating.
Team YC xx
Support York Creatives and get a £25 gift card when you buy business insurance through Simply Business.
Are you a freelancer, independent trader or small business owner currently operating without business insurance?
Protect yourself from third party financial claims by taking out public liability insurance and cover your equipment in case of accidental damage or theft. We’ve just renewed ours for under £100 for the year.
If you take out a policy with Simply Business you will receive a £25 gift card, and we will receive a £50 gift card. This helps to support us in our work, developing an inclusive free to join community for all creatives in York.
Creative Drinks: Our Regular Monthly Social
Friday 4th August 18:00 - 22:00pm // SPARK:York // £4.00
Whether you're a student, a young professional, a seasoned pro, or a retiree - all are welcome! (Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult)
Complete Joke Open Mic Night
Sunday 6th August 20:00pm
Micklegate Social
Free to attend
Head to Micklegate Social on the first Sunday of the month for a night of stand-up comedy.
The event is free to attend, though donations are welcome and will be distributed amongst the evening’s performers.
York Howlers Poetry Nights
2nd and 4th Thursday of the month
The Blue Boar, Castlegate
Free to attend
York’s regular open mic night for spoken word, poetry, and prose takes place on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month.
Anyone is welcome to attend, as an audience member or a speaker. The event kicks off from 7.30pm, but if you’re hoping to share something on the night, sign up begins at 7pm.
Freelance Artist Opportunity: Explore York Creative Cafés
Closing date: Friday 11th August
Tang Hall Explore Library
Free to apply
Explore York are recruiting two professional artists with experience working in participatory arts practice and with people living with mental ill health to run eight two-hour Creative Cafés at Tang Hall Explore Library.
The Cafes will take place between October and December 2023. Each Café will welcome ten participants from the Tang Hall community to engage with a variety of creative activities which will culminate in an end-of-project exhibition.
Artists can apply independently or as a pair. Full details can be found at the link below.
Quiet Pride!
Monday 14th August 10:00am - 18:00pm
York St John Creative Centre
Free admission
Quiet Pride offers a space in York for allies and members of the LGBTQIA+ community to celebrate and come together without the noise and crowds of York Pride.
With a quiet room, an open art and craft space, and scheduled activities including yoga sessions, creative writing workshops, and games, there is something for everyone.
The venue is wheelchair accessible. Two sessions will take place, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. To manage capacity, attendees are asked to book their places in advance through the link below.
Support for Early-Career Artists: Art School Plus
Application deadline: Monday 14th August 9:00am
Open to UK-based artists
No application fee
Art School Plus is a place for early career artists to learn, develop, and thrive. Through this support programme, artists are given access to commissioning opportunities, a peer network, free training from world-leading professionals, and ongoing support and guidance.
In 2023, up to ten artists will be selected to attend a week-long bespoke training programme led by renowned artists, architects, environmental experts, developers, and public realm leaders. The artists’ work will also be displayed in a month-long exhibition at KOKO London.
The scheme is open to artists across the UK who are in the early stages of their career. Candidates must be available to attend a week long training programme in London in October 2023. Full eligibility and details on how to apply can be found at the link below.
York River Art Market
Weekends throughout August 10:00am - 17:30pm
Dame Judi Dench Walk, YO30 7DY
No admission fee
York’s award winning, open air Arts market returns this Summer for the first three weekends of August. The popular event is free to attend and takes place along the river bank just minutes from the train station.
The Market brings together a wide range of Yorkshire based artists with work available to browse and buy. At this year’s market, you can expect to find quality ceramics, jewellery, paintings, prints, photographs, clothing, candles, and more.
XR Stories Culture and Heritage Event
Monday 21st August 12:00pm - 16:30pm
York Guildhall, St Martin’s Courtyard, York
Free admission
The XR Stories Culture and Heritage event will address the relationship between the cultural and heritage sectors and eXtended Reality (XR), thinking about how the two sectors can work together to address current and future challenges.
The event will include talks and demonstrations from artists, technologists, researchers, academics, and museums working in the XR space. This is also an excellent opportunity to network with other creatives specialising in XR.
Poppleton Artists Exhibition and Sale
Saturday 26th to Monday 28th August 10:00am-17:00pm
Tithe Barn, Nether Poppleton
Free to attend
Set in the beautiful location of Tithe Barn over the August Bank holiday weekend, Poppleton Artists Exhibition will host original works from more than 25 local artists. With around 250 pieces available to view across the event and a wide selection of art works and refreshments available to purchase, this is sure to be an exciting exhibition.
The event is free to attend and booking is not required.
Funding opportunity: Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants
Open deadline
Applicants must be based in England
No application fee
National Lottery Project Grants is Arts Council England’s open access programme for arts, libraries, and museums projects. Thousands of individual artists and organisations have received support through the programme.
The programme is always open, so applications can be made at any time. Grants typically range from £1,000 to £100,000 and can be used to support projects that focus on combined arts, dance, libraries, literature, museums, music, theatre, or visual arts.
For full details, eligibility criteria, and details on how to apply, follow the link below.