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A new website for the arts community in the South East of England has been launched, providing news about venues, organisations, artists and events in the region.The site currently includes a directory of contacts, arts news, in depth coverage of special topics, links to other arts websites and a bulletin board. t: 01273 720267 e: cath@artsoutheast.co.uk w: http://www.artsoutheast.co.uk

Award-winning community organisation Arts Factory is publishing its social audit, evaluating the achievement of its non-financial objectives in the eyes of its stakeholders. For more information contact Elwyn James e: elwyn@artsfactory.co.uk The web-based writing community, trAce, has announced its new Online Writing School, which aims to help people write for the web, as well as for print. Alan Sondheim, former Virtual Writer-in-Residence at trAce, will offer sessions on Cyberculture and Literature, and Factual Writing for New Media will be hosted by Bill Thompson. w: http://tracewritingschool.com

Secondments recently announced under the ?Sharing Museum Skills Millennium Awards? include Geoffrey Swinney, Curator at National Museums of Scotland, who has been seconded to the National Gallery, London, to research how technology is allowing museums and galleries to be more socially inclusive.

A viral marketing campaign has been launched by The Audience Business in Edinburgh, featuring light-hearted video clips about the theatre. Developed to raise awareness of the range of experiences available in theatres across Edinburgh, the email campaign includes special offers for events at participating theatres.The video clips can be viewed at w: http://www.edinburghtheatres.com

?Art on Site Week? is taking place from May 9-15, aimed at anyone interested in commissioning site-specific art.The programme includes a series of free events and lectures by leading artists and architects on planning and executing major site-specific commissions in a wide range of media and artists? experiences of working in-residence in the workplace. Contact Art for Offices t: 020 7481 1337 e: artonsite@afo.co.uk w: http://www.afo.co.uk/artonsite

A second series of half day Masterclass events to help young people get started on a career in theatre is being launched at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.The themes for the June events, known as ?Opening Doors?, are playwriting, technical and design work, musical theatre and acting. For tickets, t: 020 7389 9660 e: masterclass@trh.co.uk w: http://www.masterclass.trh.co.uk

Troubled retailer Marks & Spencer is stepping up its long-standing commitment to involvement with local communities by touring ?Portrait of the Nation?, a work of art created by David Mach RA, around Britain.The work commissioned for the new millennium, is a 30m long collage made from 250,000 photographs submitted by people from across the country. M&S is taking the Portrait on a year-long nationwide 15-venue tour to shopping centres and other public spaces, after which it will be given to the country and placed on permanent display. w: http://www2.marksandspencer.com/portrait t: 0870 3330102

An economic impact assessment of the Belfast Festival at Queen?s has revealed that over £4.5m spend arises as a result of the Festival, with 252 full-time annual equivalent jobs generated, including 32 jobs created by the Festival itself. 40% of the audience has been attending for Festival for more than 16 years. Awareness of the Festival?s Guinness sponsorship is very high, and is regarded by most attenders as a mutually beneficial partnership. Contact Margaret McKee t: 02890 667687 e: m.mckee@qub.ac.uk

The East of England Observatory, a new information and intelligence network managed and updated by the East of England Development Agency has been launched.The site provides free access to more than 400 resources relating to social, economic and environmental issues in the region. New reports and statistics about the region are being added regularly, and it is expected that 1,000 resources will be on-line in the next 12 months. Much of the information comes from the Observatory?s 75 partner organisations, including local authorities, government departments and learning and skills councils. w: http://www.eastofenglandobsrvatory.org.uk

Labour MP, Austin Mitchell, has announced the launch of a Parliamentary arts initiative in the form of a National Arts Day on June 24, 2001. He has called for community arts organisations to plan a grass roots festival for the day, ?quite unlike the metropolitan dominated, top down, bureaucratised, elitist tradition which is so dominant in Britain.?