Please come along to our first Art Response Evening on Thursday 26 May from 7.30pm at the Hole in the Wall pub in Hebden Bridge.

The idea is for participants to bring an image or a piece of work (not too large!!) and invite the rest of the group to respond to it.

As this is the initial session, we’ll start with 10 artworks – one piece per person, giving a 5-minute presentation.

It’s first come, first served – so the first 10 people to reply to this invitation will be the ones selected to show their work!

The evening will also be a chance for us to explain what UCAN is all about and to discover the hopes & aspirations people have from this new organisation.

Finally we intend to unveil UCAN’s new name… and of course to have a drink together!!

If you’re interested in coming along and showing your work (or even if you’d just like to see the work of other local artists) please email  ucan@live.co.uk or leave a comment below.

The UCAN consultants, Claire and Charlotte, have now completed the business plan in consultation with the Steering Group.  You can download all the documents below:

UCAN Business Plan

UCAN Business Plan – APPENDICES

Claire and Charlotte have also written a draft implementation plan.  This will be taken on and developed by the Steering Group.

UCAN Section 5 Implementation Plan (PDF format)

Section 5 Implementation Plan (Word document)

How can you help?

If you are interested in helping to develop UCAN! into a thriving network for local artists, but aren’t sure what that might involve, then do have a look at the list of roles and responsibilities to see if there is anything you might be able to do.    These are:-

1. Web pages – managing/improving
2. Email – responding/ sending updates
3. Newsletters/Updates
4. Exhibition info – collecting and disseminating
5. Sourcing exhibition opportunities for members
6. Developing marketing opportunities & profiling artist members
7. Press
8. Events Coordinator
9. Training/ CPD Coordinator
10. Skills/training audit
11. Ongoing research/data collection
12. Business Plan development and funding research
13. Other network research and follow up e.g. WYVAN

If you think you could help with any of these roles, the steering team would love to hear from you.  You can leave a comment under this post or contact us.

We have now set up a UCAN! steering group.  We currently have 11 members, who held their first meeting recently and have another meeting scheduled for mid November.  If you have any suggestions for them, you can leave a comment on this post.

There are now over 100 of you on our email list.  We will keep you posted with news from UCAN! and with any other information about arts related events or news that people ask us to pass on.  If you have anything you wish to share, you can leave a comment on our Local Events/News page. 

The two UCAN! consultants, Charlotte and Claire, will be sharing a draft business plan with the Steering Group at the next meeting.  Also at that meeting, the Steering Group will begin developing and working on priorities for the network.  The final business plan with funding options will be completed in January 2011.

UCAN! has support and backing of Calderdale Council, and is to be part of the Cultural Partnership meeting group, so we will be networked into opportunities and developments in the region.

We have now finished our tea and consultation events. Many thanks to all of you who have spoken to us, emailed us, left a message on the website, or returned a questionnaire. We are now looking at all the things that you have told us you would like to see from an artists’ network and are writing a report, looking at potential sources of funding, and at ways of running the network. We will need to set up a steering group of people who will make decisions about how UCAN! is managed. If you would like to be on that steering group, please let us know. We will contact you again in August to update you and let you know what the next stage is.

A big THANK YOU to everyone who came to our tea-and-consultation events.   Claire and Charlotte are now writing up a report of artists’ requirements – i.e. making a big list of what we all want from an artists’ network.  Watch this space!

Scones and stationery

Consultation at Sowerby Bridge

This year’s summer Hebden Bridge Open Studios is this coming weekend – Friday 2nd July to Sunday 4th July, 11am – 5pm each day.   Our UCAN consultants will be around and about, so you will have another opportunity to speak to them then.

Hebden Bridge Open Studios

Gabriel's Coffee

We are now planning our final consultation event in Sowerby Bridge on Friday 25th June.   Send us an email or phone 07713 255747 and we can arrange to come and visit you or we can meet. OR come and see us at Gabriel’s Cafe at The Wharf between 2pm – 4pm for tea and cake!

Please feel free to bring along details or images of your work for our records and archive.

 If you have any contacts or creative friends or colleagues based in the Sowerby or Ripponden area, please do tell them about UCAN. We have been promoting the network by visiting the area and leaving flyers and posters, but we would benefit from any further support and connections that others may have. Any support much appreciated.

Following this event, we will be in touch with the findings of the consultation and let you know what the next stage is.
 
It would be great if you could download and print the Tea and Consultation event flyer for Sowerby Bridge and put it up anywhere that you think might be useful.  Thank you!

Thank you to all of you who have attended the consultation events in Todmorden and Hebden Bridge. A 3nd event in Sowerby Bridge is now being planned.

Charlotte and Claire had hoped to be able to run this event on Friday 28th of May in Sowerby Bridge, but this event is now postponed, and will be re-arranged for early to mid June. Please look out for details here, or subscribe to our email list via ucan@live.co.uk, and we will keep you updated via our email notifications.

You can also participate in our consultation by completing the questionnaire on this website. You can find a copy here http://uppercalderartists.wordpress.com/questionnaire/

Many thanks to those of you who came to the consultation event at Todmorden on Saturday.  I enjoyed seeing some familiar faces and as well as new ones, and particularly enjoyed the scones!

The next artists’ consultation event will be on Thursday 19th May in Hebden Bridge, from 2.30 – 5.00 pm. Please come along and join us for a drink, some free nibbles and a chat  at The Hole In The Wall, Hebden Bridge. There will be an opportunity for you to find out more about the Network, and to share your thoughts and requirements with us. 

For more details, please see the flyer – Consultation event flyer Hebden at Hole in Wall.  If you know anyone else who would be interested in coming along, please forward this to them.

Gusto Cafe Todmorden

The Upper Calder Valley Artist Network is a new initiative being set up to meet the needs of artists living or working in the Upper Calder Valley.

Before it is set up, Charlotte and Claire (the consultants developing the Network) now need to hear your views about what you might need from UCAN and are running consultation events throughout the Calder Valley this Spring.

The 1st of three events is now being run: Please come along and join us for a cake, cuppa and a chat  at Gusto Café in Todmorden, where the cake of the day will be Libbys’ home-made scones…..(free to all artist participants!)  There will be an opportunity for you to find out more about the Network, and to share your thoughts and requirements with us.

 
When: Saturday May 1st 2010

Time: 2.00-4.30 p.m.

Address: Gusto Café, Water Street, Todmorden, T: 01706 817231
Please feel free to bring along details or images of your work for our records and archive.  Many Thanks! From Charlotte and Claire, Consultants on the UCAN project

This is the first of 3 events running in the Upper Calder Valley. There will be further opportunities to meet with the consultants and discuss your ideas on Wednesday May 19th in Hebden Bridge 2-5 p.m. and on Friday  28th of May in Sowerby Bridge 2-5 p.m. (Venues are still to be confirmed). We will post venues here as soon as we have confirmation.

Edit: The event in Sowerby Bridge has been postponed – we will confirm a new date as soon as we can.

Download leaflet: Tea and Consultation event flyer Todmorden

This project is being funded by the Arts Council during 2010.