Member Article

Workshops to transform a passion for the arts into business

Northern Print, the Newcastle-based centre for contemporary art, is celebrating the successful launch of its new series of workshops, which aim to equip local artists with knowledge and opportunities to help transform their passion into a lucrative business.

The workshops form part of the European funded CSDI (Cultural Sector Development Initiative), and came about following a funding allocation from Arts Council England North East, with the remit to develop and support creative industries in the region.

The programme itself consists of nine five-day courses, which will be delivered over two years. The total value of the scheme is £62,000, with Northern Print also investing heavily in this educational aspect of their work.

The themes of the workshops are wide-ranging and include mono printing, illustration and textiles. Offering a valuable insight into contemporary printmaking as a career, speakers have been discussing their own professional development and first-hand experience of building relationships with writers, publishers and other artists and organisations, in order to maximise business opportunities.

Peer to peer sharing of ideas and experience between artists has already proved to be a highly beneficial experience for those involved, as one participant, Bridget Jones, comments: “Taking time out of my practice to learn the techniques and possibilities of artist books has been very inspirational. It has been a bonus to be sharing this week with other artists from the region who have a wide and diverse creative background.”

The workshop series has already attracted great interest and Northern Print anticipate an even bigger take-up on 12 November, when the next talks are due to take place at their Ouseburn-based studios.

To find out more, visit www.northerprint.org.uk or call 0191 261 7000.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .