All aboard (please) ...

We need help!

Draycott Festival of Arts and Gardens is now well established in the cultural and social calendar of the Erewash area, taking place annually over the Bank Holiday weekend at the beginning of May. We have a small team who helped during the 2012 festival but need more help!
Alysn who has coordinated the Festival since it’s inception, is unfortunately not available from 2013 and Stevie, who has been another mainstay of the festival organisation is also due to work commitments, unable to be available next year. The team from 2012 are on board and ready to go again but extra help would be appreciated.
All new helpers will be supported by Alysn and others who have helped in the past. Volunteers could be based anywhere, some tasks can also be completed mostly electronically others will involve being 'on site' for some time at least.
If you have any queries or want to ask for further details, please ask Alysn via startlearts@yahoo.co.uk or call The Beetroot Tree (01332 873929). The next planning meeting is to be held at The Beetroot Tree at 5.30pm Wednesday September 26th.

We have particular 'holes' in the organizing group at the moment for:

Fundraising: This enables us to have workshops and performers taking part in the festival which would not otherwise be possible. We have several sponsors who we regularly approach, but always can do with more.
This would be good experience for someone wanting to get involved in the world of funded events. Alysn will be able to guide you through the funds we are already aware of.

Publicity: Writing press releases and organizing the poster/flyer distribution (the design and print of this is sorted out), using any relevant social media and other methods to publicize the event.

Adverts: This year from local businesses had adverts in the programme and a few more would be valuable. This requires someone to approach and convince local businesses to advertise, then ensure the artworks and payments are sorted out.

Programme: We need someone competent on either 'Microsoft Publisher', 'InDesign' or similar to put together the trail programme which is given out at the festival.

Refreshments: A person who can run the refreshments at the church hall. This is a valuable addition to the festivals income. It involves doing a shop or two for the food (consisting of a simple array of cakes and drinks), being at the hall for some of the weekend and finding a couple of other volunteers to help over the festival weekend.

General helpers: To help with jobs such as putting the banner out, signs out for the weekend and back in, putting the 'goody bags' for venues and artists together and distributing them to the venues. People to sell programmes and make sure that the artists and venues are all okay over the weekend.

Help to find and fund performers and activities ...

Coordinate artists and venues ...

So contact ... startlearts@yahoo.co.uk or call The Beetroot Tree (01332 873929). 

The next planning meeting is to be held at The Beetroot Tree at 5.30pm Wednesday September 26th.

Thanks,

Alysn

More artists booking in to the Draycott Festival

Another group of artists have been confirmed for your visit 

to the Draycott Festival of Arts and Gardens (6 and 7 May 2012).

You can see:

Karen Cursham - Pretty and wearable silver jewellery

Karen Victoria Jewellery

Clare Walker -Figurative Drawings

Clare is mainly interested in the human form and works mainly in pencil, pen and pastels. She works from life and from photographs. She is happy to accept commissions.

Clare Walker

Clare Walker

Mel Anderson -Textiles

Sorry, no further information about Mel just yet - keep watching!

Mel Anderson

Stuart Hill - Paintings

Stuart is not only one of my teenage children's favorite authors (I had a good read of them too!)

having written three books: The Cry of the Icemark, Blade of Fire, and Last Battle of the Icemark, he is also a painter using acrylic and mixed media which draw on world mythology and nature for inspiration. The colours are often bright, the format uncluttered and precise. He says that he favours a figurative style which enables his work to reach a larger audience.

Stuart Hill -'Almost Still Life, Mice with Nautilus Shell'

News (added 5th April) - Stuart has been so sucessful selling his paintings before the festivla that he has nothing to show! Which means, sadly, that he has withdrawn from the Festival for 2012. Sorry.


And, Stevie has sent a picture for you. She will be creating outdoor glass and wire structures around the trail - here is a sneak preview:

Stevie's 'Pansy Panels'

I'll be back soon with more entrants. Keep fingers crossed for good weather, but remember, we are prepared for anything -no excuses!

Latest Confirmed Artists

Looking forward to the festival - lets hope that by 6th and 7th May the weather is warmer, brighter and dryer than today so that we can walk around  the village and enjoy the artists, performers, films, gardens and (most important?) the refreshments!
Confirmed so far are:

Michelle Gillam Hull - Lovely dichroic glass jewellery

Michelle is a popular artist who will be known to visitors from previous years, her glass is distinctive, pretty and very wearable. She also will show her range of recycled silk jewellery.

Dichroic Glass Jewellery from Michelle Gillam-Hull

Anna Krystyna Casey - Sculptures and functional wax and glass.

Anna is a recent graduate whose work we saw at the Knitting and Stitching Show which travels around the UK each year. She incorporates textile processes such as crochet with the structural qualities of glass and wax.

Glass Tiles by Anna Krystyna Casey

Helen Rhodes - Textile Creations from the Heart of England

Helen will be bringing her fabric 'sculpture' animals, beautiful bags, cushions and quirky cakes and covers for all manner of gizmo's and the occasional collection of textile art.

Textiles from Helen Rhodes

Joanna Bullard - Glass Wall Panels

Delicate, colourful glass wall panels, bowls and window hangings, inspired by natural landscapes. Pieces are often multi-layered collages of different types of glass.

Landscape Inspired Glass by Jo Bullard

Phil Coates - Paintings

Phil is an artist and teacher who enjoys exploring different approaches and media including coloured pencil, ink, graphite, and oils. He will be showing mostly 'Arboreal Portraits'. 

Phil says 'Trees are most often in the background, taken for granted and summarilly treated'. Phil's recent work attempts to give these trees centre stage, not simply using them in the composition but celebrating their beauty, individuality and diversity.

Canal Work by Phil Coates

Lesley Nason - Ceramic Wall Art and Jewellery

Using porcelain clay I create stylish wall art, ornamental vessels and range of colourful jewellery.

Her work combines surface texture, metallic oxides and brightly coloured crackle glazes to produce vibrant, individual pieces.

Ceramic Jewellery by Lesley Nason

Helen Domleo - Our very special jeweller!

Helen brings you hand crafted silver jewellery inspired by her world travels and the natural world. She also teaches classes at the Beetroot Tree Gallery and will be demonstrating some of the techniques she uses.

Foldformed silver from Helen Domleo

There are more to come, not least Stevie Davies, a Beetroot Tree supervisor, workshop leader and artist (not necessarily in that order) is getting busy being inspired by flowers and is promising to show a trailwide  installation of outdoor glass - more information to follow.

More to follow!