Christmas Greetings

Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and hoping that 2018 is filled with happiness, good health and creativity.



As I reflect on what has been a challenging but exciting year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and interest in what I am doing in the studio.

Here are some of my highlights from 2017

RAISE A MUG TO NEWBRIDGE!



I collaborated with NewBridge studio holder Holly Wheeler to make an artwork celebrating the relocation of The NewBridge Project from NewBridge Street West to Carliol House.



The stress and hassle of the move has been worthwhile as I now enjoy working in my wonderful studio.

After devoting the initial few months of the year to writing proposals and submitting applications, the work paid off as I was awarded funding from Arts Council to support my year-long project, Voices : Within and Without.



In April I was fortunate enough to participate in the one-of-a-kind Spoken Word residency at The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Canada. It was an amazing experience where I learned a great deal and made some incredible friends.



My four-channel audio installation, Everything Will Be Alright, was exhibited in the Stables Gallery at Cheeseburn Sculpture during the May Open Weekend.



Artist Melinda McGarry invited me to work towards an exhibition to take place in her barn in Hexham next year.



In July I delivered 'A lot can happen in a day', a day-long writing and performance workshop, which culminated in hosted a performance evening at Turf Projects in London.



I was asked by Juliet Fleming to write about her solo exhibition Something Coquettish at The House of Blah Blah in Middlesbrough.



I exhibited in Reality Check, the inaugural exhibition at The NewBridge Project:Gateshead.



The Drone Ensemble, the 'group' that I perform with, have had a number of gigs, one of which was at The Sage as part of TUSK music festival.



I have enjoyed increasing my skills through a risograph and a camera-less film workshop.



I also enjoyed developing a Spoken Word and performance workshop which I delivered at Newcastle University. It was a huge success with the students, and I intend to deliver more of these workshops at other educational establishments.



2018 is set to be a busy year as I already have a number of exhibitions lined up:* March 2018 - Bitter Sweet Group Exhibition - Assembly House, Leeds* April 2018 - Voices: Within and Without Solo Exhibition - The Word, South Shields* TBA shortly - Top secret for now! Press announcement expected in January



Hope you enjoy the festive period and that 2018 is a cracking good one for all.

Raise A Mug for NewBridge Studio warming at Carliol House

Thanks to all the NewBridge studio holders who joined Holly and I for a cuppa and slice of cake in celebration of the NewBridge move to Carliol House. It was lovely to have a moment to relax with friends and enjoy the warmth of our new home!

There are still some people who have mugs to collect - the wrapped mugs are on the tea trolley outside my studio (next to the NewBridge office). They are all labelled with names, so please feel free to pick up yours.



For anyone who missed the opportunity to purchase a tea towel, please get in touch and we'll be happy to get one to you for the bargain price of £5.

Raise A Mug Studiowarming at Carliol House

Finally, its here! After a long and tiresome move, we can finally enjoy a proper brew, catch up and celebrate our move to the new building!

On 2nd May at 6pm join Helen and Holly at Carliol House in the shared space where you can collect your mug and have a cuppa and some cake with us.

If you were unable to donate a mug for the move but would like to join us, not to worry, the event is open to all studioholders. Just bring a mug!

The Newbridge tea towels will also be available to buy for £5 each.

Look forward to seeing you all there!

Holly and Helen :)

Another mug wrapped

Wrapped ready for transporting

As NewBridge studioholders steadily move out of our studios on NewBridge Street West and transfer everything to our new temporary home at Carliol House, Holly and I have been gathering mugs from people wanting to participate in our 'Raise A Mug for NewBridge' event.

We are wrapping each of the mugs in wrapping paper that we have made, transporting them to Carliol House, and will then reunite the artists with their mugs at a Carliol House Studio warming gathering. We will fill our mugs with a cup of tea (or alternative beverage) and raise our mugs to the next phase of NewBridge history.

This weekend we are busy wrapping the mugs that we have already gathered. We've got plenty more wrapping paper, so plenty more NewBridge Studio holders can can involved. Just leave your mug (with a label with your name) at the NewBridge office, on the tea trolley in the bookshop or give them directly to Helen and Holly.

Moving on Up, Moving on Out comes to a close

Yesterday marked the end of an era, with the closing of the final exhibition to be held in the NewBridge Project Space.

It was the last time that Holly and I were working in the project space making wrapping paper for our 'Raise A Mug for NewBridge' artwork.

Here are some photos of the wrapping paper we produced yesterday.

This will be used to wrap mugs given to us by studio holders to transport to the new building. Once we have moved into the new building we are going to host a studio warming get-together at which studioholders will be reunited with their mug. We will have a drink to toast to the new phase in The NewBridge Project's history.

More outputs from the weekend

Holly and I were in the Moving on up, Moving on out Project Space again this weekend, making bespoke wrapping paper. It will be used to wrap the mugs we are being given by the NewBridge studioholders. Once wrapped, we will be transporting the mugs to the new NewBridge home, where the studioholders will be reunited with their mugs and we will have a cuppa to celebrate the new stage in the NewBridge history.

Here are some of the results of the weekend.

Mug collection has begun!

Many thanks to the wonderful studio holders who have provided us with a mug each from their studio. We will wrap the mugs in our bespoke handmade wrapping paper, and we'll safely transport them to their soon to be new home at Carliol House. The mugs will be reunited with their owners at our studio-warming gathering once we have all moved in.

NewBridge studioholders - we need your mugs!

Now that the NewBridge community tea towels have arrived (and are quickly proving to be a big hit on the Newcastle high street), it is time to turn to the next part of our project - getting ready for the studio warming welcome drink that we are sure we will all need after the move. 

We hope that NewBridge studio holders and staff moving to the next building will give us (temporarily) one of your studio mugs to protect and wrap (in custom-made wrapping paper), transport to the new building and return to you (filled with a drink!) at the Carliol House studio-warming event.



Please label your mug with your name so that we know who it belongs to, and leave it either on the tea trolley in the NewBridge Bookshop, with the staff in the NB office, or with us (Helen Shaddock and Holly Wheeler) when we are in the Project Space on Saturdays between 1-4pm and for Tea and Toast on Wednesday mornings before 10am.

Busy day at the wrapping paper making station

Once again Holly and I spent our Saturday afternoon in the NewBridge Project Space making bespoke wrapping paper which we will use to wrap studioholders mugs before transporting them to the new building where we will host a studio warming gathering.



We are beginning to build up quite a collection of papers, and it was great to see that someone had the excellent idea of using the shelving system (specially built to store the works that are in the exhibition) as a means of displaying the range of wrapping papers.

The tea trolley is ready and waiting for mugs

Now that the NewBridge community tea towels have arrived (and are quickly proving to be a big hit on the Newcastle high street), it is time to turn to the next part of our project - getting ready for the studio warming welcome drink that I am sure we will all need after the move.

We hope that NewBridge studio holders and staff moving to the next building will give us (temporarily) one of your studio mugs to protect and wrap (in custom-made wrapping paper), transport to the new building and return to you (filled with a drink!) at the Carliol House studio-warming event.



Please label your mug with your name so that we know who it belongs to, and leave it either on the tea trolley in the NewBridge Bookshop, with the staff in the NB office, or with us (Helen Shaddock and Holly Wheeler) when we are in the Project Space on Saturdays between 1-4pm and for Tea and Toast on Wednesday mornings before 10am.

The NewBridge Community Tea towels have arrived

The delivery of a big box of NewBridge community tea towels was a lovely way to end this morning's Tea and Toast event at the NewBridge Project. They look fantastic!

Come and see for yourselves at The NewBridge Bookshop.

Be sure to bring your purse/wallet with you to purchase one of the limited edition artworks for the bargain price of £5.

Another Saturday making wrapping paper for Raise a mug for NewBridge

Holly and I spent another enjoyable Saturday afternoon in the NewBridge Project Space as part of Moving on up, Moving on out, The NewBridge Project’s last ever show in it's current building.



Every Saturday during the exhibition we are setting up a wrapping paper making station in the Project Space. As part of our Raise a Mug for NewBridge project, we are creating a range of bespoke wrapping papers. A different wrapping paper will be used to wrap each mug donated to us from a NewBridge studioholder. We will individually wrap each mug, transport them to the new NewBridge premises, and then return the mugs to their studioholder owner at a studiowarming gathering. After all the hard work of the move, we will put the kettle on, make tea, and Raise our mugs as a toast to the next stage in NewBridge's history.

http://thenewbridgeproject.com/events/moving-on-up-moving-on-out/

Rise and shine with Tea and Toast at The NewBridge Project

TEA AND TOAST- EVERY WEDNESDAY DURING THE EXHIBITION, 7:30-10am

(8, 15, 22 FERUARY AND 1 MARCH) IN THE PROJECT SPACE

Every Wednesday morning during Moving on up, Moving on out we will be providing free cups of tea and toast in the project space.



It's a good chance to come and talk to me about Raise a Mug to NewBridge and to immerse yourself in Moving on up, Moving on out, The NewBridge Project’s last ever show in our current building.

The month-long exhibition and programme has artists at its heart, and has been collectively shaped and devised by over 30 artist members. It has work by over 80 artist members, and will be constantly fluctuating, with the space being re-curated daily into something new, by artists residing in the communal workspace situated in the gallery.

Raise a mug to NewBridge - visit us in NewBridge Project Space on Saturday's between 1-4pm

WRAPPING SESSIONS – EVERY SATURDAY DURING THE EXHIBITION, 1-4 pm

(4, 11, 18, 25 FEBRUARY AND 4 MARCH) IN THE PROJECT SPACE

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Every Saturday during Moving on up, Moving on out we will be based in the project space where we will be designing and producing handmade wrapping materials, and then packaging studioholders’ mugs to be transported to the new venue for the studio warming cuppa.

These are some photos of what we got up to on Saturday.

Pre-order your limited edition NewBridge Project Community tea towel

The NewBridge Project community tea towels are now being printed and should be with us in about 2 weeks. They will be sold at NewBridge Bookshop at a very reasonable price of £5 each. A limited edition of 100 tea towels will be printed. We expect them to disappear quickly so we are taking orders now. 

If you would like to see a hard copy proof of the tea towel, there are A3 print outs on the tea trolley at NewBridge Books. Please note that the tea towels will be larger that A3.

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If you would like to preorder one or more tea towels, please visit our facebook page and send us a message detailing
1. your name
2. your email address
3. how many tea towels you would like

Alternatively you can pop into the bookshop at NewBridge and ask a member of staff to add you onto the tea towel pre order list.

Once the tea towels have arrived we will then send you an email with collection details. We can post them to you, but will there will be an added postage fee.

Hot Toddy from the Tea Trolley tonight at NewBridge - 6-9pm

Escape from the cold and enter the warmth of NewBridge with a Hot Toddy from our tea trolley and a preview of the Moving on up, Moving on out exhibition.

You will also be able to see a mock up version of the NewBridge community tea towel featuring over 45 drawings of, and by, the NewBridge community, and we'll be taking pre-orders so you can be sure not to miss out on purchasing one of these limited edition artworks. They are currently at the printers, but should be here in about 2 weeks! At a price of £5 per tea towel, you can't go wrong!

It's looking like we will be based in the NewBridge Bookshop so be sure to pop in. Looking forward to seeing you in a few hours. The bookshop will have a studio plan that is part monument, part model and part mind map, designed by studio member David Lisser, which will begin evolving on the launch night, with people and studio members contributing to the structure and web of networks and friendships.

Thanks to all who contributed to the NewBridge Community tea towel

Over the past few weeks Holly Wheeler and I have been gathering drawings of, and from, members of the NewBridge community for inclusion on the NewBridge community tea towel that we are creating. There has been an incredible response from over 45 artists. The illustrations range from cartoon style line drawings to detailed studies of the human form and the occasional abstract representations. 

We would like to thank the following artists for participating in our project and submitting a drawing to be included on the tea towel:

Aaron Guy

Adam Goodwin

Arnaud Moinet

Bailey (the dog)

Charlie Gregory

Clare Gomez

David Foggo

Dean Crawford

Eddy Robinson

Edmund English

Edwin Li

Hannah Kirkham

Hannah Marsden

Harry

Helen Shaddock

Holly Wheeler

Jackson + Pete

Jade Sweeting

Janina

Jessie Jacobs

Jo Hislop

Joe Shaw

Julia Heslop

Juliet Fleming

Katy Cole

Kuba

Lesley Anne Rose

Louie Pegna

Louise Mackenzie

Luke Mullen

Maria Abbott

Martin Kellett

Matthew Pickering

Neil Armstrong

Nick Kennedy

Olivia Turner

Ollie Doe

Paul Raymond

Rachael Clewlow

Rebecca Huggan

Rosie Morris

Roxie Watson

Sabina Sallis

Seb Trend

Taryn Edmonds

Toby Phips Lloyd

Wunderbar

Zoe Molloy