The Post ApocolACE Editon

Following the announcement of Arts Council England's new National Portfolio, we are delighted, in a slightly embarrassed way, to have been among the lucky few to get an uplift – that’s not rude like it sounds. However we extend our sympathies to the organizations, colleagues and friends who didn't have such good news. We defer all commentary on the matter to the official art police.

Last weekend, Coniston’s local historians thrilled to the ancient call of the Boon Day (an honest day of work given to community benefit), as part of the continuing hands on ‘we’ll do it ourselves without a grant’ restoration of the Coniston Institute (at nearly 140 years old, the world’s first 80’s style art centre.)

More volunteers and participatory practitioners are required for the next bout of Boonery on 11th and 12th of May. This work party will continue the good work started, redecorating the buildings according to a scheme attributed to Pablo Bronstein. Bring rollers, rags and rolled rags. A fine (some might say rude) lunch will be provided. See the website for more details.

Book now for the forthcoming Cheese School, a new project by Fernando Garcia Dory, artist, Trustee of the World Alliance of Mobile Indigenous Peoples, Co-ordinator of the Spanish Federation of Shepherds and Director of the Shepherd´s School of Picos de Europain. Based on an original idea by John Ruskin and Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley, the cheese school is aimed at diversifying the agricultural economy and discussing the ‘product’ of a place in the broadest terms. And accidentally creating a new cheese for the Coniston valley, matured in Ruskin’s very own Icehouse at Brantwood. Branding suggestions welcome: Ruskin’s Block, Ruscany, Ruskinian, Ruskin Blue, Ruskin’s Blue Veiner, 'Airylea Triangle (now you're getting silly. ed.) Click here or email maria@grizedale.org for booking info.

Yes that’s Trailblazer Symposium. Socially Engaged Arts Practice and New Model Visual Arts Organisations: A Trailblazer Symposium will be held on May 23^rd 10am – 4.45 pm at FACT, Liverpool. This symposium will present the findings of the research by UCLAN’s Departmrnt of Sociology on Grizedale Arts, Artangel, FACT and CCA Glasgow as leaders in work of a social/discursive/dialogical bent. For booking information click here Is this the defining moment that marks the entry of socially engaged practice into the mainstream, just as everyone’s got bored of it and moved onto something else?

Octavia is looking forward to being ‘covered’ (a coy farmy way of refereeing to the two backed eight legged beast).  She really is running round with some part of her anatomy on fire.

If facebook is to be taken as any kind of socio-cultural barometer, it seems that as contemporary art has lost the power to shock, offend and, well, bother anyone in the slightest, farming and gardening are the only way to get the people’s blood flowing -  ‘Shock of the Ground’.

Alexandre Singh is currently developing a project, The Mechanicals, to create a standard set of nine school plays, each written and set designed by a different artist. The plays will initially be performed by children as part of our international programme and converge on Coniston for a season at the Coniston Institute. We can’t name artists at the moment, we would tell you if we could but we can’t – put it like this both Mick Jagger and Steve Coogan have just bought houses in Coniston, put that together with Sting living in Grasmere – pretty tantric we’d say.

Grizedale Art‘s regular visitors from the Ulverston MIND group – some over functioning folk who know the complete back catalogue of Tangerine Dream – will be making obscure things out of Damsons for the celebration of the Damson Blossom on April 16th in the Lyth Valley. We will also be sitting on a blue tarpaulin under the blossom drinking and eating as our Japanese friends taught us.

Fernando Garcia Dory through April, Emma Smith through July, Mat Do through the summer. Harry Blackett and Robin Kirkham are back in residence working on the artists entries on the archive and various other ‘about the house’ projects as well as progressing their own idea for a new type face for the Coniston Institute. Charlie Tweed in June, Emi Uemara in June too, Jeremey Millar and the RCA Critical Writing course in June, of course, Robert Eikmeyer in, er, June, Charlie Gere and Lancaster students – guess when.  Also this month Juneau/projects (now showing at Ceri Hand) undertake ‘Ben’s stag night’ at Low Parkamoor – looking forward to seeing them in their customary, extremely white and entirely silent, departure mode.

Congratulations to Duncan McLaren for being shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for ‘Visiting Mabel’, his online diary about his visits to his mother in a care home. Duncan is officially a Grizedale legend for his work The Strangled Cry of the Writer in Residence produced here and subsequently providing the strangling template for all future residencies – not to mention his solution to the great Ruskin mystery – MacLaren insisted the seamen streamed from Ruskin’s ears at moments of great thought  (I know the feeling. Ed).

Congratulations also to, well, us for our HQ and directional smallholding Lawson Park being shortlisted for a RIBA gong. The winner will be announced at the special reception at the fantastical Manchester Town Hall on May 18. ‘Drinks 7.00pm, Dinner 7.30pm, Carriages, 12.00am’ Saddle up…