Welcome

Welcome to Sticky Fingers Early Years Arts! Here you will find lots of information about who we are and what we do. If there's something that you can't find, do get in touch - we will be more than happy to help. You can visit us on  www.facebook.com/earlyyearsarts, www.twitter.com/earlyyearsart, email us on info@stickyfingersarts.co.uk, telephone us on +44 (0)28 3025 7885 or just pop into our office in Newry - Granite House, 31-35 Mary Street, Newry, Co. Down, BT34 2AA, Northern Ireland. Thank you!

Best wishes, the Sticky Fingers Team. 

The Hill Street Public Art Project 2012: Call for Artists

In association with Newry and Mourne District Council, Sticky Fingers Early Years Arts is looking for four experienced artists of differing disciplines to collaborate with primary school children on an integrated public art scheme for Hill Street, Newry. Each artist will deliver a series of workshops in Newry to work with local children on creating a permanent art installation in one of four sites along Hill Street. In keeping with Sticky Fingers' programme ethos, the workshops will be child-centred, with the themes of the final work arising from the children's imagination. Each art installation will be finished to a high quality and should combine the children's work and that of the artist. It is envisaged that the workshop time spent with the children will be used as a research period for each artist to create their element of the final work, both elements working in tandem with one another.

Applicants will need to be available during February, March and April, have proven experience in producing mid to large-scale public art projects and have an interest in working creatively and collaboratively with young children. 

For further details see our Artist Brief. 

The deadline for all applications is 10am January 16th 2012. Late submissions will not be considered. 

For further details contact the Programme Manager at elaine@stickyfingersarts.co.uk. 

This project is kindly supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Lottery Fund and Newry and Mourne District Council.

2012 St Patrick's Festival, Newry: Call for Carnival Artists

Over the coming months Sticky Fingers Early Years Arts will have several great opportunities for artists experienced in working with community groups on high-quality carnival projects.

We are now looking for expressions of interest from suitably qualified candidates to devise and deliver community carnival spectacles with various youth and children's groups across the Newry and Mourne area. It is anticipated that these projects will commence at the beginning of February, running until mid March. The successful candidates will each collaborate with a local group, delivering a series of workshops to devise and produce a carnival project for the 2012 St Patrick's Festival, Newry.

Budget: Artists will be paid £35 per workshop hour (VAT inclusive), plus preparation time and mileage. There is a small additional budget for materials.

Application Process

Interested parties are invited to submit an expression of interest comprising the below details by 10am January 16th 2012, to elaine@stickyfingersarts.co.uk or to Elaine Cronin, Programme Manager, Sticky Fingers Early Years Arts, Granite House, 31-35 St Mary's Street, Newry, BT34 2AA.

1. A completed application form highlighting relevant qualifications and experience for a project of this scale and nature, including any work completed with children and young people.

2. Visuals of appropriate recent work. Please submit a maximum of 10 clear images in a PowerPoint style format.

3. A cover letter of maximum 500 words outlining your approach to projects of this nature and describing your initial ideas for workshops and design development.

Download the application here (Pdf version only) or request one by emailing the Programme Manager at elaine@stickyfingersarts.co.uk (Pdf and Word versions).

Deadline: 10am January 16th 2012. Late submissions will not be considered.  

January News

What can you imagine for Newry?

Photo Courtesy Solarite Ireland

Last year Sticky Fingers launched The Tower of Imagination sculpture on the A1 road at Newry. Created by artist Maurice Harron, the sculpture stands as a beacon of and for the children of Newry but also as a beacon for hope, opportunity, forward thinking and imagination for us, the grown-ups, who may have lost that little bit of magic we so easily believed in as children. This year, Sticky Fingers is commissioning a public art trail for Hill Street in Newry and is now seeking imaginative applications from suitably qualified artists and crafts workers.

In association with Newry and Mourne District Council, Sticky Fingers is looking for four artists of differing disciplines to collaborate with primary school children on an integrated public art scheme for Hill Street, Newry. Each artist will deliver a series of workshops in Newry to work with local children on creating a permanent art installation in one of four sites along Hill Street. In keeping with Sticky Fingers' programme ethos, the workshops will be child-centred, with the themes of the final work arising from the children's imagination. Each art installation will be finished to a high quality and should combine the children's work with that of the artist. It is envisaged that the workshop time spent with the children will be used as a research period for each artist to create their element of the final work, both elements working in tandem with one another. 

To download the Artist Brief, click here. 

The deadline for all applications is 10am January 16th 2012. Late submissions will not be considered.

For further details contact the Programme Manager at elaine@stickyfingersarts.co.uk. 

This project is kindly funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Lottery Fund and Newry and Mourne District Council.  

2012 St Patrick's Festival, Newry: Call for Carnival Artists

Over the coming months Sticky Fingers Early Years Arts will have several great opportunities for artists experienced in working with community groups on high-quality carnival projects.

We are now looking for expressions of interest from suitably qualified candidates to devise and deliver community carnival spectacles with various youth and children's groups across the Newry and Mourne area. It is anticipated that these projects will commence at the beginning of February, running until mid March. The successful candidates will each collaborate with a local group, delivering a series of workshops to devise and produce a carnival project for the 2012 St Patrick's Festival, Newry.

Download the application here (Pdf version only) or request one by emailing the Programme Manager at elaine@stickyfingersarts.co.uk (Pdf and Word versions).

Deadline: 10am January 16th 2012. Late submissions will not be considered.  

Chance to Win Tickets to Festival 2012  

Everyone here in Sticky Fingers central is gearing up for another year of organised chaos in 2012 and we would like to hear what YOU want for the year ahead. We have prepared a really short survey and would really love if you could take a few minutes of your time to tell us how we did this year and what ideas you have for our 2012 programme. Everyone who completes the survey and emails their details to elaine@stickyfingersarts.co.uk will be entered into a draw for a family ticket for Festival 2012.

To complete our survey click here. Thank you! 

Music update

We've clapped and bounced and sung and played and now we've come to the end of our music workshops for 2011. We finished up in December with a Christmas party for children from the National Deaf Children's Society in Belfast with a certain special someone popping in with a few presents.

We would like to say a big thanks to all the children, parents and staff who've joined in the singing so enthusiastically this year - at Homestart Newry, Cullyhanna Community Creche, Homestart Kilkeel, Orana SureStart, the parents and children of Mullaghbann, Barcroft and Dorsey, St Colman's Abbey Primary School and Nursery and Little Ones Toddler Group - and a huge thank you to our funders BBC Children in Need, the Irish Youth Foundation and the Trusthouse Charitable Foundation.

For futher details on our music programme contact our Music Coordinator at claire@stickyfingersarts.co.uk. Looking forward to hearing lots more Little Voices in 2012.

Challenging Creativity

Here in Sticky Fingers we are passionate about early years creativity and we want you to feel the same way. A new addition to our website About Early Years Arts explores all things early years. Recent content includes an essay from Roisin Cotter on challenging creativity. Roisin is a parent and creative practitioner working in early years settings through environmental and visual arts. In 2011 Roisin completed the Sticky Fingers Early Years Arts 'Developing Creativity in the Early Years' module course, certified by Stranmillis University College. If you have any suggestions for future content for our About Early Years Arts page, please do get in touch with us on elaine@stickyfingersarts.co.uk, we would love to hear your ideas.

The Allianz Arts and Business NI Awards 2012

Arts and Business Northern Ireland has announced the shortlist for the Allianz Arts and Business NI Awards 2012. Seven judges from across the spectrum of commerce and culture shortlisted best examples of excellence in partnerships from a record number of entries.

The awards pay tribute to a total of twenty-one short listed partnerships jostling for first prize in five of the eight awards categories. Five local arts persons have also been nominated for the prestigious Arts Individual of the Year Award, with a further four individuals shortlisted for the Professional Development Award and thirteen arts organisations shortlisted for the Arts Award.

Sticky Fingers Early Years Arts are delighted to have been considered for two awards this year, including the Sustained Partnership Award, for our partnership with Milligan Reside Larkin Architects, and Arts Individual of the Year, for our Artistic Director Grainne Powell's contribution to the arts sector over the last ten years and for her commitment to advocate and promote the arts for children in Newry as well as nationally and internationally.

Winners will be unveiled at The Allianz Arts & Business NI Awards ceremony on Thursday 26th January 2012. The ceremony will take place at The Lyric Theatre, Belfast. Congratulations and best wishes to all the nominees.