Islington Mill Art Academy

Open Crit with Flux Factory artists

2011-08-02T00:11:00.000+01:00

We were joined at the open crit yesterday by artists Alison Ward and Shane Heinemier from Flux Factory arts space in New York. Alison and Shane have been taking part in an exchange residency set up by Islington Mill and local artist Tom Watson. Tom is in New York at the moment working at Flux Factory while Shane and Alison have been in residence here at the mill. Flux Factory began in 1994 as an informal collective with a mission to provide an alternative to the commercial art landscape in NY at the time. Today, it occupies a 3 story former card factory in Queens and provides studios for up to 30 artists of which approx. 16 are artists in residence from around the world.

Next Critque 29th July

2011-07-14T10:40:00.004+01:00

The next Islington Mill Open Critique is on the 29th July. David Osbaldeston is joining us for this critique.

The critique on June 23rd went well. We were glad to welcome Vanilla Collective from Loughborough at the last minute. They're doing a tour of art collectives and stopped off at Islington Mill. Thanks to Natalie Bradbury of Shrieking Violets zine, and Sharon Walsh for coming along.

Upcoming Open Crits at Islington Mill

2011-06-06T11:14:00.002+01:00

I think most of us would agree that last weeks open critique at Islington Mill was incredibly helpful in terms of pushing forward each of our individual practices. Buoyed up by that, we have organised the next 3 critiques over the Summer months, to which you are all invited!

We're looking forward to welcoming along some invited guest artists to these also. On July 29th, we'll be joined by artist David Osbaldeston who is currently a resident on the prestigious Firestation Artist Studios 5 year residency programme. Artist Leo Fitzmaurice will be our guest artist at our open crit on August 26th. Leo has an upcoming show in Manchester at Cube Gallery

Dates for next Open Critiques at Islington Mill:

Thur June 23rd - Midday - Islington Mill

Fri July 29th - Midday - Islington Mill

Fri Aug 26th - Midday - Islington Mill

Art Academy's Ben Davies performing at Text Festival

2011-04-29T09:14:00.003+01:00

Ben Davies will be debuting a new performance collage work tomorrow, Sat 30th April at the launch of the Text Festival Ben will be up at the Transport Museum in Bury from 11am till 4pm. The show at the Transport Museum is curated by Philip Davenport and also includes works by Alec Finlay and Bob Cobbing. Get along if you can, the line up for the festival sounds amazing and includes an appearance by US L=A=N=G=U=A=G= E poet Ron Silliman and the first UK performance from Canadian virtuoso poet Christian Bok.

Art Academy feature in A-N magazine..

2011-03-15T18:32:00.004Z

We are featured in a new report in A-N magazine on alternative art schools. You can read it here: http://www.a-n.co.uk/publications/topic/1145371

Talk at Islington Mill: The Free University of Liverpool

2011-03-01T19:12:00.002Z

This Thursday at Islington Mill as part of our regular Say Something Series:

Lorena Rivero de Beer will talk about The Free University of Liverpool, a protest against the current situation in HE and a laboratory to explore new models of transmitting knowledge. She will discuss how it came about, the paradoxical space where it stands and the challenges they confront. Please come along if you would like to join the protest, create a Free University where you live or enroll in The Free University of Liverpool Foundation Degree that will start October 2011.

A performance artist, writer and producer Lorena Rivero de Beer recently completed a Phd exploring the relationship between cultural politics, representation, aesthetics and subjectivity. Collaborating with The Institute for the Art and Practice of Dissent at Home (Lena Simic and Gary Anderson) Lorena has initiated The Free University of Liverpool. Billed as a protest against the recent tuition fee increases and cuts to university budgets The Free University of Liverpool states it has been developed to provide FREE education for any student who is keen to study. Believing that critical thought and action are at the heart of changing the world we live in, The Free University aims to teach about and practice cultural activism.

'School Trip'- Art Academy at Instal Glasgow

2011-02-07T17:22:00.007Z

Last November three members of Islington Mill Art Academy, including myself, travelled North-wards to Glasgow in order to attend, and take part in a series of workshops organised by Glasgow Open School (G.O.S) as part of the tenth annual Instal Festival. Given our status as an alternative art school organisation, and rather academically referential title, I like to consider our visit to be a kind of school trip.

Instal is an experimental music and sound festival, organised by Arika. For this tenth edition of Instal the aim was to present not just a festival of experimental music, but an experimental festival - challenging the conventional structure of a music festival, and exploring the dynamic between audience and performer. Improvisation and the denial of the subjectivity of the artist were central concerns. Nowhere was this explored with more dedication that within the evacuation of the great learning workshops, run by G.O.S. which we had been invited to take part in.

A number of individuals who had been partaking in G.O.S prior to Instal met with Ray Brassier, and Mattin to discuss what form these workshops would take. Ray Brassier is a philosophy faculty member at the American University of Beirut, and an proponent of speculative realism, Whilst Mattin is a musician/sound-artist exploring the anti-capitalist and revolutionary potential of improvisation, who also performed at Instal. They had been looking to the improvisational work of Cornelius Cardew, particularly The Great Learning as performed by The Scratch Orchestra and, as such, the concept of a graphic score was prevalent, along with a somewhat confrontational approach to the notion of a workshop.

Just as Instal as a whole was seeking to interrogate the notion of an experimental music festival, so these workshops denied many of the expectations which the term workshop evokes. An Intense, sometimes unpleasant, and sometimes highly enjoyable experience for the participants, evacuation of the great learning certainly lead us three from the I.M.A.A to question our approach to meeting, learning and making.

At G.O.S HQ when I arrived the participating non-leaders were busy accumulating objects for making noise and could serve as props for the workshop. These were, however, in the end mostly ignored. Setting up the space before any participants arrived we began by arranging chairs into a large circle, the traditional method of seating a group so that theoretically everyone has equal power. However, we soon realized that in such a large group (around 50 participants were signed up to attend) the massive circular space would only intimidate some, and encourage others. With this in mind we rearranged the chairs messily; facing each other, back to back, upside down and every which way around the room. At first participants took chairs and sat amongst each other, however soon the group had organised themselves into the giant oval which we had initially rejected. Some of the participants became frustrated and demanded that 'something be done!', others were happy to quietly sit and listen, yet others still actively tried to avoid any action; certain G.O.S-ers notably 'striking' when plans and alliances began to form. From the beginning of the very first workshop every single action which was taken by anyone was interrogated, questioned and denied, and the suffocating lack of action which this entailed surely contradicted many expectations of an 'improv workshop'.

On the first night evacuation of the great learning had failed in almost every respect, if it were to be judged as a traditional workshop; engagement had been nigh on impossible, after all what was there to engage with? Confusion and frustration reigned, and it is doubtful that anybody left feeling creatively empowered. However, in interrogating the notion of 'a workshop' and in exploring boundary-less improvisation it was judged to be a success. Those members of the G.O.S who were there, along with Ray and Mattin endeavoured to play a minimal role, denying their subjectivity and status as workshop leaders and arts practitioners.

Travelling to Glasgow and partaking in the workshop prompted us to reflect on our own structures and means of engagement at I.M.A.A. At the Art Academy I would generalise that we tend to favour action, over debate. Taking part in The Glasgow Open school has acted as a catalyst for us to re-address our engagement in debates and ignite more discursive meetings.

A defining factor of G.O.S, though they may not intend this to be the case, is that many of the 'core members'* are friends. Whilst at Islington Mill our relationships seem to manifest in a seemingly professional way: we work together, we have meetings, but we don't necessarily spend time together socially. This may be to do with the way in which G.O.S germinated within the Glasgow Art School, and as such attracts many, though not all, attendees of similar ages and lifestyles. Whereas within the Art Academy we have often found our differing lifestyles problematic, with some members working full time, some unemployed, some living in Islington Mill and some living miles away. In fact, a suggestion which arose from our experiences in Glasgow was that we should endeavour to spend more time together socially, in order to function better as a self-supporting collective taking something from our experience of G.O.S to develop our own collective means of action, education and debate.

Lauren Velvick - Islington Mill Art Academy - Feb 2011

* I must apologise here to Glasgow Open School for describing them in this way. The Open School is perhaps best described as a belief, or concept which anybody can partake in at any time, however for the purposes of this article I need to refer to the 'group' so mundanely.

http://www.mattin.org/

http://www.arika.org.uk/instal/2010/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNCI3u-Wan0 Cornelius Cardew's 'Evacuation of the Great Learning' being performed

http://gdiycommunity.wordpress.com Glasgow Open School

Bik van der Pol collaboration

2010-10-19T18:19:00.000+01:00

The Art Academy has been collaborating with Dutch artists, Bik van der Pol in a project which takes the 'road movie' as a model to explore ideas around autonomy. We have been using a motor home as a vehicle to get out on the road and meet groups and individuals who have made a decision for independence in what they do. Over the past few weeks, we have met a whole host of people including, 'The Rainy City Roller Girls', Manchester's very own roller derby team, Rev Andy Salmon, a local vicar who has given his 2 churches a new audience through holding music gigs and 'El Ingles' aka Franks Evans aka 'The Buspass matador', the worlds oldest bullfighter who is from Salford.

A first stage presentation of the project took place at the re-opening of Islington Mill on Oct 1st 2010. We staged short lectures in autonomy delivered by our own Maria Dada in the back of the motor home while we drove in circuits around the mill, very slowly.

Art School Alternatives - Liverpool JMU

2010-09-27T11:40:00.008+01:00

We are taking part in the 'Art School Alternative's' symposium at Liverpool John Moores University on 7th Oct. It aims to bring together 'a range of practitioners whose work looks to the communal, collaborative and participatory'. The event is being organised by Corridor 8 magazine.

Initially, we proposed to run a live publishing event as our contribution to the symposium, using a couple of office photocopiers. The response from JMU was that the photocopiers would contravene health and safety; there wouldn't be adequate ventilation in the conference room!

Perhaps this illustrates a problem with educational institutions in this country better than anything that will be said on Oct 7th.

So, we don't know what we will do yet but we have invited an artist we have worked with in the past called Terry Smith to join us in doing something together there.

The symposium is free but you have to register to attend. You can do that here: http://artschoolalternatives.tumblr.com

Art Academy's Top floor Cinema

2010-08-01T20:23:00.001+01:00

Every Friday evening at Islington Mill during August

Gates open at 6pm with food and drinks available. Film screenings begin at 9.30pm

Fri Aug 6^th: Alex Pearl presents ‘Tour de France’ by Lelouche.

UK artist Alex Pearl makes things and then videos them before they fall apart. His work deals with chance and the things in life he doesn't do very well.

www.alexpearl.co.uk 

Fri Aug 13^th: Juhana Moisander, Islington Mill resident artist presents... (tbc)
"In Juhana Moisander’s installations, videos and photographs, a dim space is constructed in which history, memory and fantasy meet."

www.juhanamoisander.com

Fri Aug 20th : Royston Futter from Working Class Movement Library presents a short film about the library founders, Ruth and Eddie Frow.

The Working Class Movement Library records over 200 years of organising and campaigning by ordinary men and women. The collection provides a rich insight into working people's daily lives as well as their thoughts, hopes, fears and the roles they played in the significant events of their time.

www.wcml.org.uk

Fri Aug 27th : 7inch Cinema

7 Inch Cinema are illustrious mobile film exhibitors and producers of the Flatpack Festival in Birmingham. Before the summer disappears altogether they are going camping, but en route they are making a pit-stop at Islington Mill to present an evening of short films, archive oddities and music devoted to high days and holidays. Boarding passes at the ready! Knotted handkerchiefs and deckchairs are optional.

www.7inch.org.uk

Save Middlesex Philosophy - Reading Group - 1 June 18:00 - 20:00

2010-05-22T13:52:00.006+01:00

In late April 2010, Middlesex University decided to close down Philosophy, its highest research-rated subject; ever since, Middlesex students and staff, and many thousands of their supporters in the UK and around the world, have been battling to save it. Over the course of the past decade, Middlesex University has come to be widely recognised as one of the most important centres for the study of modern European philosophy in the English-speaking world. However the Management at Middlesex are only measuring it's contribution through it's financial gains. The Department is not in the red it's just not performing as well as other vocational subjects. This is of course a threat not only to philosophy but to other subjects that are not lucrative to an institution. For more information see http://savemdxphil.com/about/

A group of campaign supporters from Manchester have decided to join Middlesex Philosophy Students in their continued effect to revert the decision to close down the department by joining their summer reading group over skype. The first session of which is to happen on the 1st of June starting at 18:00 with a reading of chapters from Freud's "Interpretation of dreams" and Alain Badiou's "Ethics".

For copies of the text please email miss.tokyo.witch (at) gmail (dot) com

Art Academy artists take part in BOX OFFICE

2010-05-06T21:43:00.008+01:00

Art Academy members, present and past have taken part in BOX OFFICE an artist project as part of the Sounds from the Other City festival. BOX OFFICE is an artwork by Maurice Carlin and Pippa Koszerek that issues tickets for a range of events in those spaces left defunct following industrial decline and urban regeneration.

Events and performances included: 'The So Long Series' by Lowri Evans, a live performance over 3 consecutive days at 2.36pm each day on platform 2 of Salford Central Train Station; 'Rebound Diary Project' by Andrew Beswick, discreet acts in commemoration of past events published for each day of a pocketbook diary; 'Ghost Ramp' by Amy Pennington, a ticket touting performance for a road to nowhere; 'Paper Records' by Maria Dada, a corporate board room meeting for a fictitious record label held in Manchester's plush new Civil Justice Centre; 'The Telephone Showbox' by Maurice Carlin, live music beamed down the wires to a telephone box transformed into a gig venue for audiences of one, featuring Dan Deacon, Andrew W K, Six Organs of Admittance, Tune Yards and She Keeps Bees.

8th Open Critique with Association artists

2010-03-26T21:13:00.002Z

Come along to our 8th Open Critique this Monday 29th Mar!

We are excited to be welcoming Association artists, Nina Chua, Ying Kwok, Jessica Longmore and Sarah Sanders as well as current Chinese Arts Centre resident artist Wang Jun.

Association will be giving a talk at 6pm to conclude their month long residency at Islington Mill.

Islington Mill Art Academy members will be showing and talking about recent work.

The Engine House cafe, Islington Mill 1pm till 6pm.

7th Open Critique with Jason Minsky

2010-02-28T13:02:00.000Z

On Monday, we invited artist, Jason Minsky to join us for our open critique. The critique is a monthly opportunity for artists from the academy to present recent work, including everything from sketchy outline ideas to more developed works. We try to experiment with the structure of the critiques ie. location, duration etc. This time we set ourselves up in Islington Mills new cafe space and had a delicious lunch to break up the day with.

We were joined by Jason Minsky who gave a great talk about the many, many works he has made and projects he has been involved with since graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1999. Here's what Lisa Beauchamp says about him:

"His work carries with it a sense of realness and familiarity, through the types of topics it addresses, the commentary it makes and the ways in which this is communicated. Minsky sees sport as an effective and available means of communication and a language that most people can easily relate to and understand. In much of his work he appropriates sport as a common vocabulary, using and messing it up for his own means. Minsky uses things like sport and humour to set up and create dialogues in his work and there is always a refreshing, open-ended and limitless quality to all of his pieces. His work attempts to create debate and poses critical questions on different levels."

Art Academy Talk at Black Lab, Leeds

2010-02-18T12:26:00.002Z

This week, we were invited by the Leeds based artist collective, Black Dogs to give a talk about the art academy at the opening event for their new space, Black Lab. Until now, Black Dogs have been a roaming bunch, working from each others homes and in other temporary spaces. The Black Lab marks a decision to take on a more permanent space for the group and so our talk was followed with a discussion on what it could best be used for.

Here is something written by Andy Abbot that I've cut from the Black Lab blog about the event:

“Seemingly slicing into the nuts and guts of something perhaps very often overlooked in art education, the academy investigated the question what does it mean to be an artist? Sharing resources and discussion the self-directed students of Islington Mill invited artist’s to come to their school to talk about, reflect on and expose their methods. Open to anyone wishing to enrol the academy dissolved the usual hierarchy of information, resources and experience with the attitude and commitment to the idea that there should always be a mutually beneficial exchange with the people they worked with. “

www.blacklableeds.blogspot.com

Workshop with Rachel Goodyear

2010-01-16T14:12:00.004Z

This week we spent two inspiring days working alongside artist Rachel Goodyear in her studio. The focus for the workshop was 'prized possessions'. Each person brought along object(s) which held a degree of preciousness for them. Amongst these were rare finds, one of a kinds, personal things and objects with stories attached to them.

We looked at where and how our concepts of the value of things is formed. We applied this to the objects we had each brought to the table and considered how we could channel these idea's into our art making.

Paroles et Dessins

2009-11-30T12:51:00.000Z

The Art Academy are taking part in a live, experimental drawing event using the magical powers of Skype to connect us here in Salford with London, Paris and New York.

We will be working with students from Wimbledon School of art who will be based at Matts Gallery in London along with students of Parsons School of Art & Design in Paris and New York.

We have a small number of extra places for those who would like to take part or watch so please get in touch if you'd like to do that.

KS09: Kurt Schwitters Autumn School

2009-09-27T18:56:00.000+01:00

Islington Mill Art Academy will be giving a presentation at KS09, the Kurt Schwitters International Autumn School event in Cumbria. Writer and curator, Guy Brett is to give the annual Kurt Schwitters lecture. Other confirmed speakers include David Medalla (Mondrian Fanclub), Barbara Steveni and Elisa Kaye (Flat Time House), Dr. Penelope Curtis (Henry Moore Institute), and artists Pippa Koszerek, Sophie Hope, Eva Merz and Glenn Loughram.

The Seminar runs from Friday 2nd till Sunday 4th Oct. Booking and further information is available at www.littoral.org.uk

In Court with Martin Holman

2009-09-20T18:01:00.002+01:00

On Friday members of the Academy spent an afternoon in Manchester's new Civil Justice Centre with our artist in residence, Martin Holman. Martin gave a reading of 'Doing what it Horta' a text he has written on the artist, Ian Kiaer. This was followed by a lively discussion. We were joined by artist Simon Blackmore with whom we are planning to organise a future event at the Civil Justice Centre, listening to an audio version of Plato's 'The Republic' over the course of a day.

The Civil Justice Centre opened in 2007 and, despite its unwelcoming entrance, is a public building open to all. The upper floors offer great views over Salford looking through what is reportedly the largest suspended glass wall in Europe!

OPEN DAY!! for new members: Sept 10th 2009

2009-09-05T17:04:00.001+01:00

Islington Mill Art Academy will be opening its doors to new members on Thursday Sept 10th with an open day at Islington Mill from 2 till 8pm.

The Academy was started in 2007 by a group of art foundation students keen on exploring alternatives to University based education for artists. The Academy exists to experiment with what an education in art can be, where it can take place and how it can be paid for.

If you have a tremendous and unstoppable will to make art and you would like to direct and organise your own education please come along on Thursday 10th to find out more! If you can't make it along to the open day, just drop us a line at:

artacademy(at)islingtonmill(dot)com

Artist Talk with Andy Abbott

2009-09-04T22:44:00.006+01:00

On the 3rd of September Islington Mill art academy invited artist Andy Abbott to present an informal talk on his opinions of the current state of D I Y. Andy is based in Leeds and has been a part of the D I Y 'scene' for some time. Andy is a an artist, writer and musician and is part of 'Black Dogs' a Leeds based artist collective. Andy spoke about his history with D I Y and his current relationship to it. A few of the points Andy raised was the lo fi nature and aesthetics of D I Y, he questioned why D I Y struggles to be discussed and looked at the ethics of this. The talk managed to raise much debate, passion and questions within the group.

For more Information on Andy Abbott : www.andyabbott.co.uk www.black-dogs.org

Islington Mill Art Academy 5th Open Critique

2009-09-04T22:13:00.005+01:00

On Thursday Islington Mill Art Academy held their 5th open

critique. The academy welcome's anyone to come along and take part in the critiques even if you only stay for an hour! We

have really benefited from the input of those who have attended. The critiques take place monthly and begin from the early afternoon. We always advertise them but if anyone wants further information before our '6th open critique' please get in touch.

artacademy(at)islingtonmill(dot)com

Not At This Address: Bury Art Gallery

2009-08-01T17:26:00.004+01:00

Amy Pennington and Maurice Carlin from the Art Academy are taking part in the current exhibition at Bury Art Gallery, 'Not At This Address'. The exhibition opens on July 31st and runs until November 7th 2009.

The exhibition looks at the growing number of artists in the region who share the same ambition; the wish to transcend the local and engage with the global cultural dialogue. Using a wide range of media from watercolours to computer animation, the exhibition threads a path through questions of memory, hope, action and what is real. Artists participating in the exhibition include Rachel Goodyear, Alison Erika Forde and Andrew McDonald.

Islington Mill Art Academy & Becky Shaw at 'Trade City'

2009-07-03T13:55:00.003+01:00

Islington Mill Art Academy are working with artist Becky Shaw on a project to be exhibited as part of 'Trade City', the inaugural project for Contemporary Art Manchester (CAM). Featuring a number of Manchester and UK premieres and new commissions, Trade City has generated innovative forms of exchange across the citys art scene.

Contemporary Art Manchester is a new, not-for-profit consortium of visual arts organisations, representing the breadth of the current contemporary arts infrastructure in Manchester, UK. In bringing together the art production of thirteen diverse organisations, Trade City reflects the trading and exchange that has taken place between the artists and curators partnering in CAM.

Becky Shaw makes work that explores the relationship between objects and people. This includes 'reverse engineering' a vodka bottle mould, and an investigation of the interweaving of human and material life in an aggregate floor tile (for Firstsite Newsite 09). In 1998 she received a doctorate, and since then has continued to work across academic and art production. Between 2000 and 2006 Shaw was Co-Director of Static Gallery, Liverpool; an organisation focused upon energising critical thinking in the city. She currently leads the MA Contemporary Fine Art at Sheffield Hallam University.

Art Academy at the ICA, London.

2009-05-11T21:16:00.003+01:00

Islington Mill Art Academy visited London at the weekend to take part in Word/Play, an event curated by Terry Smith at the ICA. Word/Play is a part of Talk Show, a month long season of events, discussions and artworks, including an exhibition of speech taking place throughout the ICA. The Art Academy previously worked with Terry Smith taking part in a 'Speakeasy' event at Wimbledon School of Art in January this year. Word/Play brings together many of the elements which have been successful during the first season of 'Speakeasy' at Wimbledon. More information is here: http://www.ica.org.uk/Talk%20Show+19466.twl

Visiting Artists: Pippa Koszerek & Caner Aslan

2009-05-07T11:56:00.000+01:00

This week, IMAA has the pleasure of hosting artists, Caner Aslan and Pippa Koszerek who are here at Islington Mill for short residencies.

Caner has travelled all the way from Istanbul and is here at the mill for 10 days. We first saw Caners work in last years Berlin Biennale when we were in the city organising the Free Art School at Westgermany. Caner has recently taken part in 'Straw Poll', a poster exhibition in the windows of shops and other premises along Chapel St. in Salford, coinciding with the 'Sounds from the Other City' festival.

Pippa is here for the first of three visits to Islington Mill, which are to take place over the next two months. Her work involves the creation of organisations as artworks/curatorial projects such as the Independent Art School (1999-) and The Unasked-for-Public Art Agency (2006-).

Art Academy at the Arnolfini, Bristol.

2009-05-02T22:26:00.002+01:00

This week, Islington Mill Art Academy took part in a panel debate held at the Arnolfini in Bristol entitled 'Who can afford to be an artworker?' The debate is Swedish artist, Annika Eriksson's contribution to the 'Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie' exhibition just opened at the Arnolfini. The panel debate which took place before the opening of the show was preceded by an intense and exciting month-long email debate with the 3 other participants, Fatima Hellberg, Metod Blejec and Helen Marten. 'Who can afford to be an artworker?' aims to explore the mode in which a young generation is shaped by the pragmatics of working and living in the art world today.

Opening of Islington Mill reference Library

2009-03-15T13:13:00.004Z

This week sees the launch of the new Islington Mill Arts reference Library, initiated by the Art Academy working with artist Gary Leddington. The library is an arts resource comprised of artists monographs, exhibition catalogues and survey publications as well as cultural theory ranging from philosophy to art. One of the long-term goals of the library is to develop a specialised section of publications from locally based artists. The library is a free and publicly available resource compiled on a donations basis, with over 300 publications attained from the initial call. The library will be launched on Monday 16th and will be officially open to use by appointment from then onwards. Coinciding with the exhibition The Dilemma of Archive, the launch will see the library open for browsing and is the perfect opportunity to bring along any donations.

Instructions for a Drawing Class

2009-03-05T12:22:00.001Z

IMAA have begun the first of a six week long remote postal project with artist Chloe Briggs. We have enlisted 4 groups to take part in the project. The other groups are based in Marseille, Glasgow and Berlin. Communication between the groups will be restricted to the postal service only for the duration of the project. Here are some excerpts from Chloe's introduction to the project: "The 'Instructions for a Drawing Class' are being offered as an experimental form of art school syllabus that I will send by post once a week. I am interested in the potential for a written set of 'instructions' to activate a meaningful class/educational experience directed from a distance and without a teacher present. The 'classes' that I have designed evolved out of my interest in how to engage students in a creative process that involved risk-taking rather than a limited focus on the assessed end product required by the institution; work that interests me most is often deemed a failure by students."

Art Academy take part in Frieze Survey

2009-03-01T12:27:00.003Z

Islington Mill Art Academy have contributed a piece for the current Frieze magazine survey on professionalism in the arts. Frieze asked 16 curators, writers and artists how they thought the languages, codes, education and buisness methods resulting from an increasingly professionalised art world are affecting creative freedom. You can read the piece here:

http://www.frieze.com/comment/article/professionalization

IMAA at Wimbledon School of Art

2009-01-21T11:29:00.001Z

Eight members of Islington Mill Art Academy travelled to London this week at the invitation of artist, Terry Smith. Terry is a drawing fellow at Wimbledon School of Art. He organises a weekly 'Speakeasy' session which he describes as 'a drawing class where no one draws'. Terry invites people whose work he is interested in, to suggest a format for each session. The events are open to students from all disciplines at Wimbledon as well as students from Chelsea school of art and Camberwell.

We brought a number of ideas with us to the event, one of which was our task bag, a paper bag containing 50 cards each outlining a different task. The task bag was something that we developed with artists, Helmut Lemke and Kerry Morrisson during the first months of the Academy. It was to be used in the event of reaching an impasse with a piece of work or being in the studio and not knowing what to do. Putting a hand in the bag to take out a card meant tha the task had to be completed.

We talked with the students about our respective experiences of art education and it was an interesting experience for us to connect with peers who have opted to take the University route through education. We managed to maintain an informality to the events throughout the day. The afternoon session evolved spontaneously into a staring match between students from Wimbledon and the Art Academy. Each group stood and sat in classic school photo formation on either side of a large assembly room with a long roll of paper on the ground connecting us. Each person to lose their composure had to leave their team. It was a long and testing battle of minds but at the outset, the free educators won the day!

Visiting Artist: Tony Trehy

2008-12-09T10:59:00.000Z

Tony Trehy, text-poet and curator of Bury Art gallery visited the Academy this week to give a talk about his work. Tony talked about his approach to writing and read some extracts from his latest book of poetry, 50 Heads. He also shared ideas about his curatorial work at Bury Art Gallery and the success he has had in bringing internationally renowned artists to work there. A number of members from the Art Academy presented recent work after the talk.

Visiting Artists: Terry Smith & Chloe Briggs

2008-11-19T13:17:00.002Z

On Monday, artists, Chloe Briggs and Terry Smith made journeys from Paris and London respectively to visit us here at Islington Mill. Chloe and Terry were introduced to the Art Academy through the letter that we contributed to the Art Monthly 'Future of art education' debate and were interested to know more about the workings of the group.

Chloe is an artist and tutor at the Parsons school of Art and Design in Paris while Terry is an artist and drawing fellow at the Wimbledon College of Art in London. They both have a personal interest in art education having written on the subject and have both employed experimental teaching methods in their practice.

We gave them a tour of Islington Mill, introducing them to the way in which we work. We talked about our ideas for our education and how we are trying to achieve this through the Art Academy. We hope to work on some projects with Chloe and Terry in the near future.

Art Academy at Transmission Gallery

2008-10-27T16:17:00.002Z

Islington Mill Art Academy are taking part in a show called Moot Points taking place at Transmission Gallery in Glasgow throughout November. They will be there from Monday 3rd till Sat 8th November and will be organising a range of events during this time. For anyone who will be in Glasgow during that time you are more than welcome to come along:

The timetable of events is below. To get in touch;

Email: artacademy@islingtonmill.com Tel: 07917714369 | 07876617711

Date	Time	Details of Event
03/11/08	10.30am onwards	The Gallery is Open: Please join us for a Monday morning at Transmission Gallery as we welcome and begin the first day of Moot Points. Members of Islington Mill Art Academy will be serving tea/coffee and fresh Transmission bread baked mysteriously during the night. We will be discussing events and activity planned for the week ahead and will be wide-awake and willing to answer any questions you may have. All welcome!
03/11/08	6pm	Reading Capital: A fortnightly reading group at The Salford Restoration Office, Salford dedicated to reading, in its entirety, Karl Marx's Capital Vol. 1: A Critique of Political Economy. We have organised a simultaneous reading group to take place at Transmission coinciding with the third session of Reading Capital in Salford. We will be discussing the text in conjunction with David Harvey's online lectures. Harvey, a respected academic and writer, has been teaching open classes on the book for 40 years, and the current set of lectures given at the City University of New York have been filmed and made available on-line - http://davidharvey.org/. Please send us an email if you would like a copy of the text in advance.
04/11/08	12 noon	Drawing Club: Sapna Agarwal presents an afternoon of games, drawing with and from memory, including one made famous by Whistler in the text "Painting as a Pastime", by Winston Churchill, which is to be read in the gallery on the following day (5/11/08). Some refreshments and materials will be provided and all are welcome to attend.
04/11/08	6pm	The Free University at Saltoun Arts Project, 1987 – 1991: The Free University started in early 1987 and emerged out of various events across the areas of education, art, politics and literature. It proposed an inter-disciplinary approach to learning not based on vocational skills, and to challenge the loss of community and neighbourhood. It intersected with many projects and gave rise to more specific, semi independent interest groups. The FU dispersed around 1991. Some of the original members involved in independent publishing and autonomous art projects at the time including Here & Now, Variant, Edinburgh Review, the Saltoun Art Project, and others - will attempt some observations on the continuities across the two decades. All welcome.
05/11/08	2pm	A Joyride in a Paint-box: A reading and discussion group with members of Glasgow Art Club. Texts for this event are: 'Painting as a Pastime', Winston Churchill, 1932 and 'Moot Points', Walter Crane. Please send us an email if you would like a copy of the texts in advance. All welcome.
05/11/08	6pm	Experimental Writing Workshop: led by Michael Wilson. In this writing workshop we will use Polaroids of local public text to create pieces of experimental writing. This piece is borne out of a collaboration between Islington Mill Art Academy, poets and workshop organisers from all over Glasgow. The activity has been developed between the poets, who include workshop organisers from Glasgow University creative writing department and the Mitchell Library. Will we focus on speed, dynamism and group collaboration, everyone welcome.
06/11/08	2pm – 3.30pm	Them and Us: A workshop with John Powles from The Centre for Political Song exploring the origins and tradition of political folk song and its continuing relevance today. The Centre for Political Song is an archive and research centre based at Glasgow Caledonian University. It exists to promote and foster an awareness of all forms of political song; an appreciation of the role of political song in the social, political and cultural life of communities; and to facilitate research in relevant areas of study, whilst remaining free from any political bias.
06/11/08	8pm	An Evening of Political Song with bands and musicians from Glasgow selecting and playing songs from the archives of the Centre for Political Song. Music courtesy of The Tremenduloes, Foxface, Alaistair Huwlett, Plates and Jocky Venkataram.
07/11/08	12noon	Comic Jam: led by Heather Williams. Comic Jams involve the creation of a comic by multiple artists, often without a script to work from. This event will explore unusual themes, games and experiments in storytelling using image sequences. All abilities and skills are welcomed.
07/11/08	7pm	Cinema in Sections: Dr. Jekyll & Mr Hyde: Cinema in sections will present Stevenson's familiar narrative as a installational cinematic experience composed of existing adaptations. Echoing the mid 20th century cinema goings of Bresson and Vache who often spent their days wandering from cinema to cinema watching only incomplete sections of a film before moving to the next; Cinema in sections will break up the usual passivity of the cinematic experience and present a multi-state narrative, navigated according to the subjective whim of the viewer.
08/11/08	2pm	Strawberry Switchblade: The Fans Convention: Andrew Beswick from Islington Mill Art Academy will be using his week in Glasgow to assess the legacy of the 1980's Glasweigan pop duo, Strawberry Switchblade. Andrew will be making a film of his exploits during the week in addition to holding a convention for fans of the band. If you are an admirer of Strawberry Switchblade or know someone who is, please get in touch with Andrew at artacademy@islingtonmill.com
08/11/08	8pm	Band by Night: Maria Dada of Islington Mill Art Academy will present a showcase of new bands and music collectives that are only a few hours old. Prior to this, Maria will be inviting and selecting 10 persons to an afternoon session at Transmission where they will form a number of musical groupings. With Maria's guidance and direction, each of these groups will present the outcome of their collaborations at the showcase gig in Transmission later in the evening. If you are interested in taking part in this ambitious feat of social engineering, get in touch with Maria at artacademy@islingtonmill.com Previous musical expertise is not required.

Events taking place throughout the week:

Date	Time	Details of Event
03/11/08 – 09/11/08	10.30am	Breakfast at Transmission: Islington Mill Art Academy will be hosting a daily breakfast at Transmission during the inaugural week of Moot Points. Breakfast discussion topics will be focused on a critique of the previous days activity in the gallery space. The aim of these sessions is in building an element of evaluation into the gallery program as it is unfolding. The breakfasts are open to all and to aid the process of evaluation, the group will invite a specific person to anchor the debate each day. Tea/coffee and fresh bread from the Transmission overnight bakery will be served. Please bring anything else that you would like to eat.
03/11/08 - 09/11/08	Continuous	The Realest:is an occasional zine/publication produced by the people behind 'Comfortable on a Tightrope', the Manchester based live music and art night. Inspired by the scientific/humanist periodical, 'The Realist', the aim of the publication is to produce something real, earnest or sincere. The current issue takes for its theme, Black Mountain College. During the week at Transmission, Comfortable on a Tightrope aim to produce a new issue of 'The Realest' which will document and respond to events unfolding at Transmission. Richard Perry and Laetitia Glenton who make up COAT will be working in the gallery space throughout the week to make this happen. They welcome your ideas, input and contributions.
03/11/08 - 09/11/08	Continuous	Amy Pennington from Islington Mill Art Academy will spend her week in Glasgow keeping an eye on the threshold of Transmission, those that are outside, those that are in. Amy will be engaging with the public using text-based works which will be presented in the gallery over the course of the week.
03/11/08 - 06/11/08	Continuous	Picture Booth : For one week only, your chance to have your picture taken in the only machine of its kind. Running from Monday till Thursday alongside all of the other events at Transmission this week.
03/11/08 – 09/11/08	Continuous	Aye-Aye Bibliotechnic: Aye-Aye Books is an independent publisher and bookseller based in Glasgow and Salford, steered by Sapna Agarwal and Martin Vincent. The Aye-Aye Bibliotechnic is a small library of books dedicated to the themes and activities of the Islington Mill Art Academy, Moot Points and the expanded field in which they graze. The books come largely from the personal collections of Agarwal and Vincent with additional sequestrations from the stock of the Aye-Aye Books retail operation.

PUBLIC DEBATE

2008-10-04T19:19:00.000+01:00

What is the Future of Art Education?A debate about the future of art education is raging on the pages of Art Monthly. In September and October readers will have the opportunity to come along and put their questions to one of two panels of educational professionals and policy makers. The debates will take place in London and Birmingham. The panels will debate the future of art education: is further privatisation, corporatisation and instrumentalism inevitable or are there alternatives? They will respond directly to the question What is the Future of Art Education? Monday October 6 2008, 6.30-8.30pm Ikon Gallery1 Oozells Square, BrindleyplaceBirmingham, B1 2HSThis event is free but booking is recommended.To book call 0121 248 0708.

Morry's letter published in Art Monthly

2008-10-04T19:12:00.002+01:00

Kurt Schwitters Merz Barn Residency

2008-07-28T12:12:00.002+01:00

Islington Mill Art Academy has recently returned from a week-long residency at the Cylinders Estate in Elterwater, Cumbria. The site is currently being restored and developed as a centre dedicated to the memory of the German Dada artist, Kurt Schwitters. Schwitters worked on the third and final of his Merzbau projects, the Merz Barn in the last year of his life (1947/1948) at Cylinders. The original barn still remains on the site, however one of the walls was taken to the Hatton Gallery in Newcastle in 1965.

The group used the time to reflect on the development of the Art Academy, one year on from its formation, on how we have developed as artists during this time and how we can progress into the future. The residency was a valuable opportunity to spend time in a peaceful and inspiring landscape and to make work in a contrasting environment to the urban setting in which the group is based. The spirit and legacy of Kurt Schwitters is still very much present at Cylinders and many of us felt inspired to make work in response to this. Cylinders and the Merz Barn residency project is managed and developed by the Littoral Arts Trust.

Posters in 2 Parts

2008-07-19T18:29:00.000+01:00

A combination of exhibition, gig and poster making party organised by Maurice Carlin of Islington Mill Art Academy. Reference material was available including Japanese 'Little Theatre' posters, psychedelic posters from the 1970's and a collection of 1980's gig posters from Manchester. Live music was provided by Voida Voida, A Middle Sex and Amy Pennington as well as a few unscheduled and very improvised sets close to the end of the evening! All posters made on the evening have been archived.

Summer Al Fresco Cinema

2008-07-14T17:30:00.000+01:00

Film & Video Lunch & Dinner returned to Islington Mill on Monday evening for a special Summer outdoor cinema. Managing to find a 90 min slot between light rain showers, we showed 'Chronicle of a Summer' by Jean Rouch. BBQ and food was kindly provided once again by Ruth. We are planning further outdoor events to take place later in the Summer in the now very beautiful and floral yard at Islington Mill.

Reading Group with Joseph Brotherton 1783 - 1857

2008-07-08T17:08:00.001+01:00

A reading group with other events at the Joseph Brotherton Statue, Riverside Walk, Manchester. Music and refreshments will be provided. Please come along.

Monday 14th July 2pm - 7pm.

We will be discussing three texts which are connected by the idea of the 'Art School'. They are:

'The Education of the Un-Artist, Part 1' Allan Kaprow 1971

'The Proto-Academy' Charles Esche 2001

'Opting Out' JJ Charlesworth 2008

Please email us if you would like a copy of these writings in advance.

NB. Riverside Walk does not appear on any map of Manchester. To find it, walk down Bridge St. leaving Manchester till you reach Albert Bridge. On your right hand side, there are some steps leading down to the banks of the R. Irwell. We will be there.

Free Art School Berlin - Program of Events.

2008-05-25T23:41:00.005+01:00

Islington Mill Art Academy

Free Art School -27th May - 8th June.

Westgermany, Skalitzer Str 133, Kreuzberg, Berlin.

Contact: artacademy(at)islingtonmill.com UK: 00447917714369 Germany: 015204290418

Wed 28th May. 4pm-8.30pm. Initial meeting at Westgermany. This is a chance for persons who have contacted us about the Free Art School to come along to Westgermany to meet with us. We will be serving up Yorkshire tea and biscuits and it will be a good opportunity to talk with us about the upcoming activities at Westgermany. Please come along!

Fri 30th May. 1pm - 2pm. Lunchtime Film Screening at Westgermany. 'A Distinctly Trippy Edge' is a selection of film curated by artist, Gaz Leddington. A mixture of artist film and video, archival footage and excerpts from feature length pictures, 'A distinctly trippy edge' is an hour long meditation on the cultural climate of the 1960's. Part curatorial endeavour and part artwork the show reel takes the various fictional and non-fictional instances of Don DeLillo's 'Underworld' as its organising principle and in a compressed format, attempts to chronicle the ethos of the time.

Please bring along something for your lunch and join us to watch this selection of film.

Sat 31st May. 1pm - 5pm. Drawing Club. Artist, Sapna Agarwal has devised a range of drawing games and activities to be interpreted by the Free Art School. We invite you to join us at Westgermany for an afternoon of drawing! Please bring along materials that you would like to use. We will have materials available for you to use also.

Sun 1st June. Midday - 4pm. Breakfast at Skalitzer Str. 33. amy Pennington from Islington Mill Art Academy would like to invite you to a traditional English breakfast at the apartment (vegetarian option available). There are a limited number of places for this so please email us if you would like to come along.

More information on Skalitzer Str 33: A number of artist groups and individuals from Manchester, Uk have taken on a year-long lease on this space which began on May 1st this year. We see this initiative as a good opportunity to strengthen links between Manchester and Berlin, to create dialogue and build relationships between artists from both cities. Islington Mill Art Academy will be the first of many groups from Manchester to stay in the apartment over the coming year. We hope that you will have the chance to meet with them in the coming months.

Sun 1st June. 7pm - 10pm. Fluxus Experimental Workshop. We invite you to join us in a series of fluxus inspired activities, interventions and random play. This workshop will be a re-interpretation of key performances from the 1960's art group by artists such as Yoko Ono and George Brecht. You can find information about the work of Fluxus at: www.fluxus.org

Mon 2nd June. 11am start. Film re-enactment. Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, the German expressionist film by F.W. Murnau is the focus of a film re-enactment project by a group of artists from Manchester including members of Islington Mill Art Academy. We will meet at Westgermany at 11am to watch excerpts and discuss sections from the film. Following this, we will venture out into the city with film cameras to re-enact and film sections from the movie. We invite you to join us in this activity. The project is an ongoing self-directed activity by the artists involved. In this sense, it has no fixed outcome, instead allowing each development of the project to suggest the next stage. The recordings and decisions taken in Berlin will contribute to a collection of film recordings and documentation from the entire group. It is hoped that collaborators from Berlin will continue working with us on this project in the future and/or choose to develop sister projects from Berlin.

Mon 2nd June. 7pm - 8.30pm. Reading Group at Westgermany. The Salford Restoration Office reading group is a weekly discussion group reading cultural theory and philosophy at Salford Restoration Office, Salford, Manchester every Monday evening, meeting at 6pm. We have organised a simultaneous reading group to take place in Berlin at Westgermany. We will read and discuss the same text that is being read in Manchester. The text for discussion this week will be the introduction to In a Queer Time and Place by Judith Halberstam. We will send an email link to this text prior to the day and will also have a few spare copies to hand on the evening.

Tue 3rd June. 12 midday. Artist Talk: Nick Crowe is an artist based in Manchester and Berlin. His work encompasses a range of strategies which explore the role of technology and its contingent effects on everyday life. He has a specific interest in the use of glass as a contemporary material and has worked extensively with digital media making works for gallery and internet presentation. More information is available at www.nickcrowe.net

Tue 3rd June. 8pm. Poetry Reading at Westgermany. Michael Wilson and Andrew Beswick from Islington Mill Art Academy will be reading from selections of their own work and other writing that has inspired them. Prior to this, Andrew will be collecting poetry from Berliners in various locations of the city throughout the day. The reading will be informal and open to people who would like to read from their own writing so please feel free to bring along your own work!

Wed 4th June. 4.30pm. Walking Tour of Skulpturen Park, Kommandantenstrasse / Neue Grunstrasse, lead by Hannah zinecker. Meeting point to be announced by email in advance.

Fri 6th June. 9pm onwards. All the Critics Love U in New York. Artist, Yuen Fong Ling invites you to take part in a public life class with members of the Islington Mill Art Academy. A mix of performance, workshop and tutorial, the format is twisted to explore the popular mythology of the life model. All levels of drawing skill are invited, please bring materials with you, some will be provided.

Free Art School-Berlin. 27th May - 8th June

2008-05-17T20:31:00.004+01:00

Islington Mill Art Academy will be setting up a temporary free art school in Berlin later this month from 27th May till 8th June 2008. We will be working from an art and music space in Kreuzberg called Westgermany (133 Skalitzer Str.) We are inviting Berliners to join us in a number of activities that we will be organising during our residency there. If you would like to get involved, please email us.

A number of groups and individuals from Manchester (including the Academy) have taken on a year long lease on a flat in Kreuzberg, Berlin so we hope to be spending quite a bit of time in the city over the coming year. We see this as an opportunity to make some strong links between Manchester and Berlin and to create dialogue between artists working in both cities.

Symposium of the Local. Castlefield Gallery

2008-04-15T18:14:00.001+01:00

Islington Mill Art Academy are participating in 'Symposium of the Local' at Castlefield Gallery. Conceived by p-10, a curatorial group from Singapore, the exhibition aims to explore how locally based creative industry and artists work in an international arena and the extent to which location, nationality and geography play a role in the production, direction and dissemination of contemporary art.

Visiting Artist: Mary Oliver 07/04/08

2008-04-10T14:12:00.005+01:00

On Monday, we were joined by artist, Mary Oliver. Mary talked about her practice and we discussed work including 'Mother Tongue' in which Mary performed in synchrony with herself as her mother and her three sisters and more recent works like 'Fly me to the Moon' and 'Somewhere between Heaven and Earth'. This was followed by members of the Academy in turn presenting recent work. Much of the days discussion was focused on art education with Mary sharing her experiences of working within University based art education.

Film & Video. Lunch & Dinner.

2008-03-21T14:22:00.000Z

Last Tuesday saw the first of a month long series of films organised by the Art Academy and G. Leddington taking place at Islington Mill. The focus for the inaugural Film & Video Lunch & Dinner was early experimental film and video anthology. Over the next three Tuesdays (25th, 1st and 8th) we will have more films for you. There will be a program of short films at lunchtime, starting 1pm and lasting one hour and then one or two longer feature length films in the evening starting at 7pm. We will be serving food for the evening screnings from 6.30pm. If you would like to come along or would like details of the films we will be showing, please email: artacademy@islingtonmill.com

We hope to see you there.

Sheffield Gallery Visits

2008-03-06T16:37:00.002Z

A group trip across the Pennines for the Art Sheffield festival. While there, we took in shows at Bloc, Sylvester Space, Millenium Galleries, S1 artspace, Yorkshire artspace and Site Gallery. The very welcoming people at Bloc showed us round some of the artist studios there. Andrew, who has lived in Sheffield previously was our tour-guide for the day and took us to some places of interest including some George Fullard sculptures and the Blue Moon cafe. We were accompanied on the trip by some artists from Italy and Romania, Teresa, Gigliola and Madalin who have been staying with us at Islington Mill for the past week while working on a project with Salford University.

14/02/08 Visiting Artist: Philip Davenport

2008-02-18T14:35:00.000Z

Last Thursday we were joined by poet and artist, Philip Davenport at the Art Academy. Philip gave us an introduction to his work and brought along some examples from a piece of work called 'Imaginary Missing People' to discuss. We first encountered Philips work at Mid-Pennine Gallery when we went on a group visit there for the 'Language and Science' show last year. We had the very strange and enlightening experience of talking with Philip over speaker-phone about his piece of work while we were in the gallery that day. After Philips talk, we each discussed our own individual practice and the collective work we have been doing as a group.

Bristol visit

2008-02-11T23:28:00.002Z

Last week we went to explore Bristol's Art scene.

We visited Cube, Microplex Cinema and Venue which is run by a group of voluntary artists and promoters.
We also visited Spike Island, a studio and gallery complex which is home to UWE fine art students. It began its life as an artist led initiative and has now grown into a center for new and innovative art. We had the opportunity to visit the studio space occupied by the UWE students as well as a complete tour of the building.

We then headed for the headquarters of the Art organization Plan 9 who were more than happy to show us around their studios in the old police station. They gave us lots of information on their future plans as well as talking to us about their individual projects.

Writing Residency by Anni Rossi & Rollin Hunt

2008-01-18T12:15:00.001Z

Anni Rossi and Rollin Hunt from Chicago joined the Art Academy for the first month of 2008 to undertake a writing residency here at Islington Mill. This was their first time to record music together. They recorded four songs during their time here, New Years, The Husband, Pamphlet and The Bum. You can listen to them here:

myspace.com/rollinhunt

Rollin and Anni also played a number of gigs while they were here, The Islington Mill Xmas Party on 22nd Dec, The Britons Protection Monthly on 6th Jan and The Klondyke Club on 18th Jan. They also worked on a project with Morry called The Writing Room. Following conversations with Anni and Rollin about their writing process, Morry set up a space at the mill with objects, books, chairs, tables, biscuits, drawing and writing tools. Rollin and Anni spent a period of time talking, relaxing, working and writing in the room. The result of the collaboration is ongoing.

Open Day Monday 14 January

2008-01-10T18:10:00.000Z

Scientific Exposition by Dr. Adil Mughal

2007-12-08T11:10:00.000Z

Morry invited Dr. Adil Mughal to give a talk/presentation on the physics of soap bubbles at the Olafur Arnalds gig on Saturday night. Adil presented a lecture entitled, ‘Soap films, surface tension and computation’. He demonstrated how soap film can be used as a type of analogue computer to solve complex problems. The talk referenced the work of Escher as well as many other artists and physicists. This was Adils first experience of presenting work to a non-academic audience. The presentation was followed by a set from Olafur Arnalds who is from Iceland. Liondialer from Manchester also played.

Free gig to raise money for the Art Academy and Medicins Sans Frontieres

2007-12-01T20:08:00.000Z

Music was provided by John Peel favourites, the legendary Nightingales and the one and only Hotpants Romance.

Friday saw the Night School project in the club space at Islington Mill really kick off with the first of many art works happening live on the night. Andrew ran a stall selling written words. Morry projected the song title and artist name of the song being played by the live DJ or band as it happened, and invited people to join in with this. Craig designed a poster. Laura made donations boxes and flyers on found leaves.

Thanks to everyone who came and made the night a great success.. we made a lot of money for charity!

Tuesday 20th-Sunday 25th November – Cauliflower planting on the Greenwich Peninsula

2007-11-26T16:48:00.000Z

The Art Academy went to London to help artist Kerry Morrison with a project on the Greenwich peninsular. Kerry was very helpful when we were setting up the academy and the invitation to help her in London was an opportunity to repay the favour and see a piece of her work develop. The project involved building an allotment of cauliflowers as a memorial to the cauliflower farm and allotments that used to exist on the Greenwich peninsular years ago. The allotment also served as a statement about local produce. Craig, Laura, Lowri and Louie worked alongside local people to help build the allotment and plant most of the cauliflowers. Maria helped Kerry plant the remaining cauliflowers, guerrilla style, around the Greenwich peninsular. The experience was enjoyable for all and we look forward to the cauliflower cheese gala in the spring. More information is available about the project at www.100cauliflowers.com

Visit to Gropiusstadt, Berlin

2007-10-29T19:56:00.001Z

Group visit to the flat at Gropiusstadt, Berlin where the Pilotprojekt is based to meet with Uwe Jonas who runs the project. The flat is on the 10th floor of a block designed in the shape of a horse-shoe. The design allows for a view of almost all of the other balconies in the block from any one. Gropiusstadt appears green, leafy and well maintained. Many of the residents have moved here from less desirable inner-city areas.

We visited some art galleries on our last day in Berlin with Ingo Gerken. Near Alexander Platz there is a small network of streets with thousands of independent galleries that are showing new work from established and emerging artists, artists from Berlin and around the world. There is so much art packed into a small place.

Berlin Research Trip

2007-10-26T19:08:00.000+01:00

Visit to the Gallerie im Kornerpark, Neukolln, Berlin for a show of work from the Pilotprojekt residency program in Gropiusstadt, Berlin. Pilotprojekt is a year-round residency program in a highrise flat in an area of Berlin called Gropiusstadt. Artists live and work for 1 –2 weeks at a time in the flat and the surrounding areas. A book, detailing the works produced or proposed is published at the end of each year. The project has been running since 2002. Gropiusstadt is a post-war overspill town on the outskirts of Berlin. The masterplan for the area was designed by Walter Gropius but due to severehousing shortage in the post-war period, his plans were substantially altered.

Nightschool: An Artschool as a Nightclub

2007-10-16T19:45:00.000+01:00

Nightschool is a new project by Islington Mill Art Academy that will see the group take up residence in the club space on the ground floor of Islington Mill in Salford.

The group will be responsible for the day to day running of the club and the events that happen there as well as using it as their working and project space. They will have free reign to change, adapt and alter the space according to their working practices.

The project presents an interesting opportunity to reappraise the methods in which The Art Academy functions and the participants are keen to see how their current working practices adapt to this new and unlikely environment. Similarly, they will be interested to see how their interventions will affect the use of the space as a nightclub and events space.

In addition to this, the group are tasked with implementing effective working and organisational systems for the club, which will be handed over to the next managers of the space at the end of this project.

The club space at Islington MIll has provided a free and accessible space for a wide variety of events in the past two years and this project promises to open another exciting chapter in its future development.

Who Wants Yesterdays News?

2007-10-02T15:35:00.000+01:00

Andrew handed out yesterdays MEN newspaper in St Annes Square. He collected the papers the day before from people handing them out around Manchester city centre. He handed them out from 1.30 - 3.30 pm, at which point he was approached by 3 staff from the MEN and two police officers and threatened with an £80 fine.

Two week residency..

2007-09-11T17:09:00.000+01:00

By the artist and curator of 'West Germany,' a live music and art space in Berlin, Ingo Gerken.

Islington Mill Art Academy is founded.

2007-09-10T17:07:00.000+01:00

A six week introductory course begins.

Two week residency by artists Martin Vincent and Sapna Argarwal begins.

2007-07-23T16:50:00.000+01:00

Talk by artist and Senior Lecturer at MMU, Andrea Zapp

2007-07-20T17:05:00.000+01:00

Second Summer Art Academy begins.

2007-07-02T16:13:00.000+01:00

A five week Summer course continuing work with Helmut Lemke and Kerry Morrison.

The informal Summer art academy at Islington Mill begins.

2007-05-20T17:00:00.000+01:00

A two week course working alongside artists, Helmut Lemke and Kerry Morrison.