Open 2010 art exhibition - deadline for entries April 13th

Artists from across the west country are being invited to take part in Dorchester Arts Open2010 exhibition being held in the county town at the end of May as part of both Dorchester Festival and Dorset Art Weeks.

Prizes for the annual exhibition - first held in 2008 - include a £500 cheque, solo exhibition and magazine feature in the regional arts magazine Evolver.

Dorchester Arts chair Alastair Nisbet said they were hoping for a bumper entry from artists not just from Dorset but across the west country. “As the Open is attracting more interest from the art community, our visual arts group decided it was time to extend eligibility to the wider region. We hope that combined with Dorset Art Weeks, this will contribute to a stunning show in 2010.”

The deadline for entries is 13 April 2010 and entry forms and full details can be downloaded here.

Good Bye Mr Cassanova - new single and video from Pop Club

Dorchester Arts' Pop Club have released a stunning new single - Good Bye Mr Cassanova - with the simultaneous launch of a music video filmed in the county town.

The new track, available for download on iTunes as well as from the Dorchester Arts website, has been written by music producer Micky Wills and recorded at Dorchester Arts, School Lane centre.

The band is part of the ongoing Dorchester Arts project Saturday Live, which aims to engage young people in creative musical activities and is funded by Youth Music and the Dorset Youth Opportunities programme.

For parents and supporters, who saw the new video for the first time at a launch on Saturday, Mr Cassanova is a revelation. "We knew they had got talent but this track is really something special - a great sound and a terrific movie," said Dorchester Arts Director Sharon Hayden.

Stunning line-up for Dorchester Festival May27 - June 1st

The sights, sounds - even smells of Africa come to Dorset for six days of great events this May as the World Comes to Town for Dorchester Festival.

Pulsating rhythms, spectacular dancers and hundreds of children in African-inspired costumes come together for a free weekend of music, dance and celebration over the end of May bank holiday. Performances from African music legend Kanda Bongo Man and stand-up comedy talent Gina Yashere head a stunning line up of international artists appearing in the Festival’s evening venues.

And to top it off - a North African “souk” will transform the streets with a diverse range of African textiles, leather and other products and a range of exotic food and drink.

“It’s going to be an amazing festival with something for everybody,” said artistic director Sharon Hayden. “There will be dozens of free daytime events throughout the town on bank holiday Saturday, Sunday and Monday and evening events spread across the week.”

Highlights include Spacehoppers - a new show for 3-7 year olds by acclaimed children’s theatre company Tell Tale Hearts,

Tea and Talk with novelist Salley Vickers, and Dorchester Arts’ third visual art Open exhibition in the centre’s newly refurbished rear hall.

The Festival offers a rare chance to see newly developed cutting edge small scale theatre - The Tragic and Disturbing Tale of Little Lupin and small scale horror show - The Little Box of Horrors.

Pulsating programme: Dorchester Festival Artistic Director Sharon Hayden (left) with administrator Irene Archibald, membership manager Mike Furze, Boad member Rod Drew, Marketing officer Bruno Sajno and young helpers Issy and Archie. 

The Willow Pattern Story - new film from animation workshops

Storytelling through animation helps children develop a broad range of skills - from literacy to art and drama, computer skills to critical and cultural appreciation. 
This short animation, produced by a group of children at a two day animation workshop with filmmaker Alastair Nisbet at Dorchester Arts, is a re-telling of the centuries-old story of the Willow Pattern.
A beautiful princess… an evil suitor, and the hapless palace guard - they all feature in this charming version of the classic story, depicted on Willow pattern china across the world.

Storytelling through animation helps children develop a broad range of skills - from literacy to art and drama, computer skills to critical and cultural appreciation.

This short animation, produced by a group of children at a two day animation workshop with filmmaker Alastair Nisbet at Dorchester Arts, is a re-telling of the centuries-old story of the Willow Pattern.

A beautiful princess… an evil suitor, and the hapless palace guard - they all feature in this charming version of the classic story, depicted on Willow pattern china across the world.