Newsreel

Shape, the disability arts organisation, is calling for submissions for its 2009 Science-Art exhibition. There will be an opportunity to showcase work across all artforms, and work can be critical, complementary, experimental or collaborative. The deadline is 30 January, and any UK-based disabled or deaf artist or disabled-led company with a portfolio of previous work can apply.
e: [email protected]; w: http://www.shapearts.org.uk

John Cale (pictured) will represent Wales at the Venice Biennale of Art 2009 with a new, specially commissioned installation. The Venice Biennale, inaugurated in 1895, is an international showcase for contemporary art, and 2009 will see Wales’ fourth presentation.
w: http://www.walesvenicebiennale.org
Culture Northwest has ceased to trade. The Northwest Culture Observatory has moved to the University of Liverpool, as a result of a decision by the DCMS to align regional delivery. Cross-sector work will now be the responsibility of the Arts Council England, North West, Sport England, English Heritage and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, working together with Northwest Vision and Media.
Liverpool Biennial is inviting proposals for a three-month residency as part of the European Biennial Network’s inaugural Residency Programme. It offers the opportunity to conduct original research on contemporary art in a major city, supported by the organisers of a biennial exhibition. The outcomes will be presented as part of Urbanism 2009, a project initiated by Liverpool Biennial along the Leeds-Liverpool canal for September 2009. The deadline is 25 January.
e: [email protected]
The Mission, Models, Money programme (MMM) has taken up residence at Goldsmiths’ new Institute for Cultural and Creative Entrepreneurship (ICCE). MMM aims to transform the way the arts use their resources to support the creation and experience of great art, and ICCE is Goldsmiths’ response to the growing significance of the creative industries and cultural sector in the UK’s economy.
w: http://www.missionmodelsmoney.org.uk
Arts Quarter LLP has launched a national survey to gauge current arts fundraising and revenue generation performance, in light of the current economic climate. It will allow individual organisations to measure their performance against the wider sector. All members of the UK cultural sector are invited to take part in order to collect as wide a pool of data as possible. The survey will close on 6 February.
w: http://www.artsquarter.co.uk
The National Campaign for the Arts is carrying out research to explore tensions between striving to increase participation, and aspiring for excellence, in demonstrating the value of the arts, and looking at the extent to which these directives are influencing practitioners and arts professionals.
w: http://www.artscampaign.org.uk
Authors are to compete for £25,000 of prize money to celebrate Scotland’s Year of Homecoming in 2009, which is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns. Culture Minister, Linda Fabiani, announced the increased sponsorship for next year’s Saltire Society literary awards, adding that she hopes that the new prize would “enhance the profile of Scottish literature around the world”. The money will cover increased support for the existing Scottish Book of the Year prize and sponsorship of the new award.
w: http://www.saltiresociety.org.uk
The Crafts Council has announced the five recipients of the 2008 Spark Plug Awards, who each receive £5,000 to develop exhibitions that engage with contemporary craft. Twelve people have been awarded the Crafts Council Development Award, which gives new makers a grant of up to £7,500, and professional development support for a year. The Crafts Council has also launched a new biennial scheme, The Fifty:Fifty Programme, that offers funds to UK organisations which want to co-curate contemporary craft exhibitions. It will match funds up to £50,000 for the cost of the exhibition and will work with the organisation on every stage of the project. During 2006–08 Arts Council England undertook work to identify strategic development issues facing the contemporary craft sector, and the report ‘Forming the Future’ is now available.
w: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk
Contemporary Music Making for Amateurs has unveiled its new website. Including event listings, information on non-auditioning groups, and sample scores and recordings, it is intended to help people choose suitable repertoire for their group.
w: http://www.coma.org