Interesting given that the arts sector is always being asked to produce evidence. This a way of taking qualitative assessment and turning it into measurable data as developed by Arts Council England, John Knell and a group of arts organisations

Dear friends and colleagues
​I hope that you all had a good Easter weekend and that you are appreciating the double bonus of the clocks springing forward this week so we have had lovely bright evening . Today, April 1st it is five years since I left my job at Norwich City Council and set up on my own under the name of Culture Shift Norwich, combing my skills of graphic design and communications and cultural development. Although I feared starvation at that point it has not happened, thankfully, and I have very much enjoyed the projects which I have been involved with. Thank you to all those who have supported and encouraged me, especially at the beginning and here's to the next five years.

I have quite a few news items today so I will crack on

Art in Norwich British Art Show special publication - highlights British Art Show 08 and Giacometti at SCVA
First is that the new edition of Art in Norwich is out and about. The pdf and Issuu publications are available for download from here. Issuu, if you haven't used it, let's you leaf though a booklet onscreen in the way that you would a hard copy - try it out, it is great and dead easy and you can access it here . The hard copies have been delayed at the printers but will be out and about soon.

If you don't know about the British Art Show 08, it is a contemporary visual art show which happens every 5 years and is produced by the Hayward Gallery on the Southbank. Curated this time by two women Anna Colin and Lydia Yee, it includes 42 artists and tours to four cities in the UK. It opened in Leeds in October 2015, is currently in Edinburgh and comes to Norwich 24 June after which it will open in Southampton in October 2016. In Norwich, the two main venues are Norwich Castle and Norwich University of the Arts (East Gallery and St George's Building) and there will also be a sculptural piece at The Forum. It is a great coup for Norwich as it has a following and Leeds recorded over 100,00 extra visitors - which is good for the prosperity of a city generally, and the idea of the Art in Norwich publication is to showcase the rest of the art on show in Norwich at the same time.

As well as the artists and work that will be at each city, there are also city specific events. On  Saturday 18 June 2016 in Norwich City Centre there will be a landmark event organised by Great Yarmouth based artist, Alan Kane. The exhibition will be delivered by six horse-drawn carts which will process through the city centre and deliver the exhibition to the three British Art Show venues. In much the same way as the circus would process through the town to announce its arrival, this procession will broadcast the arrival of the British Art Show to thousands of onlookers before its public opening on the Friday 24 June.  Artists Jessica Warboys will also be working with Norfolk audiences but details yet to be released. There will be a piece of print which will have more details out in June but keep an eye on www.artinnorwich.org.uk or follow @artinnorwich on Twitter for updates

At the same time as BAS8, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts is hosting two fab exhibitions at the same time which will also be a draw to visitors from the rest of the UK and Europe. Alberto Giacometti : A Line Through Time, opens on Saturday 23 April and runs through till 29 August 2016. This major new exhibition commemorates the 50th anniversary of Alberto Giacometti’s death in 1966. Giacometti is one of the twentieth century’s most significant artists, celebrated as a sculptor, painter and draughtsman. The exhibition will be the most extensive in the UK dedicated to the artist since 2007, focusing on his work and influence during the post-war period on both sides of the Channel. Giacometti was one of the friends and protogées of Robert and Lisa Sainsbury and there are several Giacometti pieces in the permanent collection. Details about the exhibition can be found on the Sainsbury Centre website www.scva.ac.uk

At the same time as Giacometti, (23 April-29 August) there is also an exhibition of photographs by Henri Cartier-Bresson, a French photographer who walked the streets of Paris, day and night, from one end  to the other, grabbing candid and opportunistic images. The exhibition collects his best photographs of Paris, ancient and recent, well known and never seen before. As always, there will be a series of supporting events, talks and workshops so keep an eye on the Sainsbury Centre site or follow the Art in Norwich blog for deliveries straight to your inbox.

As well as these blockbuster events, there are many, many shows and activities in Norwich. For this special edition, I have also included selected venues and events outside Norwich and around Norfolk such as Cley 16, GroundWorks, a new environmental gallery in Kings Lynn, Great Yarmouth, Salthouse and general guidance about where to find work and enjoy the county. The Waveney Sculpture Trail is a great way of getting out and about in the summer. We live in an amazing county and it is well worth exploring - and a good time to invite friends and relatives to visit too - Art in Norwich can help you to plan so keep a copy handy. And I would also like to say a big thank you to all of the organisations that supported me in achieving this mega-publication  it will hopefully be an asset to the city and county.

Music in Norwich is following soon but sign up to follow the blog here. And follow the Art in Norwich blog for notifications of new exhibitions starting - there are too many to list here

Talking about music, there is a mini tour of the Hermitage Ensemble, a choir from St Petersburg
St Petersburg’s finest vocal ensemble will perform a magical, musical evening of Russian sacred and folk music. Don’t miss these two special opportunities to hear a world-class choir singing in a unique style – one in North Norfolk and the other in central Norwich. Details on www.musicinnorwich.org.uk

Salthouse Wednesday 6 April, 7.30pm
Tickets £10 from Holt Computer Services Shop 01263711795 or on the door
Christ Church, Eaton (off Mile End Road Norwich) Friday 8 April 7.30pm
Tickets £13 available from either Prelude Records (01603 628319) or the Eaton Parishes Office (01603 473646) or on the door
Norfolk and Norwich Festival 13-29 May
As you all know, I am a great fan of Norfolk & Norwich Festival and that is coming up fast. There are lots of brilliant events so I am not going to pick any of them out (especially until I have got my own tickets!) so suffice it that I point you in the direction of the Festival website www.nnfestivall.org.uk to have a browse and you can pick up a Festival programme at many, many places

Get Creative!
Tomorrow, April 2nd is BBC Get Creative day. Get Creative is an initiative to encourage people to do things - creative in whatever way that floats their boat but just getting active, out there and doing things - digital, dance, pottery, painting knitting, making poms pom, whatever it is - it all counts and the Get Creative campaign champions (people in the East who are offering things to do) are listed here. It is encouraging people to be everyday artists and celebrate the creativity, skills and talents of people across the UK. Getting creative and doing things generally makes people feel happier and that life is worth living so if you are feeling a bit listless and bored, go and find something creative to do, and if you are already being creative and want to let  people know what you are doing, check out the Get Creative website for what is happening locally. This is the first year of Get Creative which is going to be an annual day and hopefully next year, more people will have got on board. NORCA are running a free Carnival Inspiration Day - details below and OPEN Youth Trust in Norwich are holding comic drawing workshops and a drawing and doodling workshop

CARNIVAL INSPIRATION DAY Saturday 2 April
A day of talks and presentations to inspire anyone interested in taking part in the Norwich Lord Mayor's Procession or other carnivals.
Saturday 2nd April 10.30am to 4.30pm
Norwich Arts Centre, St Benedicts Street, Norwich
FREE EVENT
(£3 for lunch-optional)

And Brazil Meet Cuba gig at Norwich Arts Centre
Saturday 2nd April 2016
Doors open 7.30pm
Music starts 8pm
Tickets £8 advance / £10 on door
Rabo de Foguete  supported by Jesús Cutiño & Son de Cuba, with DJ Pax Nindi (aka Harare Dread and Dubvision) in the bar
NORCA presents a fantastic night of Brazilian and Cuban music to celebrate all things carnival. Rabo de Foguete bring horns, drums and a bag of vibes born of Brazilian and Brazilian-inspired songs. Jesús Cutiño & Son de Cuba are one of the most exciting Cuban bands in the UK at the moment.

Sistema Supper Club and Sistema Gala Night
As you probably know, Sistema in Norwich has been the Lord Mayor's Civic Charity this year and that is coming to an end in May.There are a couple more events though - one is a Supper Club - two themed evenings 23/24 April at the home of Dawn and David Rees. Dawn is chair of the Sistema steering group and well-known for her cooking prowess. She has offered to cook Spanish and North African style to help raise fiunds. Each evening is limited to 12 guests who will dine in style for a donation to Sistema funds - check the website www.sistemanorwich.org.uk for details

On Friday 29 April, Norwich Playhouse is the venue for a Gala Night of local stars including Karl Minns and many others again, check the website for booking details

61% and Smiling: Bridging the Gap – Norfolk Arts & Wellbeing conference Wednesday 27 April at Open Norwich
61% and Smiling is a conference aimed at arts and health professionals and practitioners, bringing both sectors together to learn more about how they can work together to improve people's health and wellbeing through diverse activities as well as medical interventions. It is about prevention and keeping well as much as it is about offering alternatives to prescription drugs and procedures. This is a rare space to enable people to discuss constraints, barriers and opportunities, hearing from people who are making arts and health work in other areas of the country and locally and gaining insights into some of the issues faced by GPs, commissioners, local authorities and social care when they want to prescribe activity rather than medication.

The conference will also report back on a three-year Norfolk Arts & Wellbeing Programme funded by Norfolk County Council -  5 action research projects around Norfolk which have been evaluated by Arts & Health researcher Anni Raw of Durham University. This evaluation has shown some stirring results with young people, older people and those suffering with dementia and offers some insight into how this kind of work may be developed. There is a lot of interest at the moment about how arts and health/wellbeing can work better together and this conference is another step on the way to bridging the gap that exists between the two sectors.

The conference is £35 for the day and you can book a place via eventbrite here. And more info on the website www.61percent.uk . There are bursaries available if money is a barrier please email [email protected]

Crowdfunding for ASYLUM exhibition
Artist and curator Gennadiy Ivanov is pulling together a new exhibition titled "ASYLUM" that has started to be prepared by around 20 artists to go on show from 12th August to 10th September in the Undercroft. This follows the success of last summer's  exhibition "War and Peace" which was a very good and successful exhibition in the same space and involving many artists working to a theme.

The subject of the new exhibition will hopefully reach similar reactions from people as the last one, when many visitors said it makes them think....

These exhibitions are not selling exhibitions and all artists make their contributions in form of materials, works, time, invigilation etc. But there is no financial support from official institutions and we all know such exhibitions are not possible without at least the money to cover basic expenses.

Gennadiy Ivanov is running a crowd funding action with the following link: 
http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/asylum-art-exhibition/?utm_source=crowdfunder&utm_medium=dashboardmodel&utm_content=emailtofriends&utm_campaign=marketing

Please support this exhibition if you can, every little helps and they have a target of £1500 - I have already donated, if that is any encouragement at all.

The Story Machine
This year's City of Literature programme at Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2016 features a brand new style of event for the literature sector - The Story Machine. Powered by literature and oiled by theatre, this is a unique interactive and immersive experience where stories from world-renowned writers seduce participants at every turn.

As a brand new event with a lot of surprises planned for the day, what can we expect in advance? Sam Ruddock, WCN Programme Manager and the driving force behind The Story Machine, will present a series of blogs over the coming weeks that helps to shed light on how he will bring The Story Machine to life and why it's such a ground breaking literary event.

The Story Machine is the literary festival you have been waiting for: a funhouse jam-packed with interactive, immersive, and brilliant short stories. There will be no lecterns, no audience sat quietly in ordered rows, no discussion about the author’s childhood or where – and on what – they write. Nothing but brilliant stories given the space and time to shine as brightly as they do on the page.

For more about the Story Machine  follow Sam Ruddock's blog here - tickets are on sale on the NNFestival website and details are in their programme

Writers' Centre Norwich  job opportunities
The Writers' Centre is recruiting so there are some lovely jobs up for grabs and they are also looking for comments on their website as they are planning an update. Take part here

WCN currently have three vacancies, please see their website for more details: http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/AboutUs/jobvacancies.aspx
Or see below for more details on the roles and the application packs:
 
Digital Marketing Manager
.80fte (4 days / week)
Fixed Term contract to December 2017
£25,000 - £28,000 (pro rata)
 We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic Digital Marketing Manager to become an integral part of the Communications Team and to work across the organisation to develop and implement a range of digital platforms to improve communications with our audiences and stakeholders, to build a diverse audience base for our programmes, to improve brand awareness and raise the profile of Writers’ Centre Norwich. There will be a particular focus, during the period, on the delivery of the International Literature Showcase. 
Closing deadline:  9am Monday 18 April
Further Information |  Job Pack |  Application Form       
 
Programme Officer
.60fte (3 days / week) Fixed Term contract to December 2017

£21,868 - £23,770 (pro rata)
We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic Programme Officer to become an integral part of the Programme Team to contribute to the development and delivery of our programme of activity. There will be a particular focus, during the period, on the delivery of the International Literature Showcase. The ILS is a partnership between WCN and the British Council to carry out a programme of work which aims to support and develop the export of UK literary talent to international markets. 
Closing deadline: 9am Monday 18 April 2016
Further Information |  Job Pack |  Application Form                       
 
Programme Assistant
Full time. Permanent £15,525 - £17,428

The role of Programme Assistant will provide high level administrative and organisational support to the Programme Team as it grows and develops its artistic and learning programmes. This role provides an ideal opportunity for someone who is interested in pursuing a career in the arts and literature sector. The adaptability, experience and team working that will be necessary to fulfil this role will enable the post holder to develop valuable skills and work with an exciting range of writers, educationalists, performers and partners.
Closing deadline:  9am Monday 18 April 2016    
Further Information |  Job Pack |  Application Form       

​I am sorry if you have sent me info and I haven't included it, there is a lot to remember and only so much space to include but leet me know and I will send it out next time. Cheerio till then
Marion