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When: Friday 16th April 7.00 to 8.30pm

Who: Moderated by Charlie Collins

What: In the Sketchbook

The sketchbook is a place to experiment, test ideas and make mistakes. So, for our April zoom social, we’ll be exploring the sketchbook and how to use prompts to inspire a daily drawing practice.
The eight prompts we will be using on the night include: April, Sunlight, Animal, Connect, Explore, Myself, Home and Distract. If you have time before the event, we encourage you to have a think about the prompts and what springs to mind when you read them.
For this event you will need a sketchbook (or 8 + sheets of paper of any size), a selection of basic art materials such as pencils, pens, paints, or a selection of materials in your preferred medium. You’re also welcome to bring along any sketchbooks or sketches you’d like to share with the group.

To receive the zoom link for the event please email [email protected].

Next zoom social: 21st May - Inspiring your Practice.

3rd Friday of each month, 7:00 to 8:00 pm
Moderated by Charlie Collins of "No Jobs in the Arts"

15th January - The Portrait Social
An evening of drawing and sketching on zoom. Bring a drink, your preferred materials and join us for some timed portraits and drawing challenges. Artists will be encouraged to draw each other throughout the event, so access to a camera for the event would be useful - if you're feeling camera-shy, pets are welcome as models instead!

19th February - From My Window
19th March - Practice Disasters
16th April - The Sketchbook
21st May - Inspiring your Practice

Hello DoArts class of 21!!

This is a shout out to all artists. We're looking for anyone who'd like to be interviewed during our online campaign. From January onwards we'll be carrying out interviews with Derbyshire artists to be broadcast on our website and socials including Instagram, Facebook and You Tube.

Do you have any news you'd like to share about your work? Any upcoming events or workshops that you'd like to promote? We're here to help you do that! With thousands of followers and subscribers this is a great opportunity to engage with a wider audience and get our news out to all of Derbyshire Open Arts friends and followers.

Don't really have any big news? No worries. We'd still like to chat to you about your practice, what creating art means to you and how it helped you survive 2020! Drop us an email or message us on Facebook and Insta and one of our team will be in touch. We're looking forward to hearing from YOU!

Our exciting programme for 2021 is still being developed and will include:

Regramming and reposting DoArts members posts continues. Remember to add #doartslockdown

Videos via our new YouTube channel

Online help for artists to produce their own video media content

Online Artist Interviews

Online networking

Encouraging young and emerging artists to get involved

Details of any activities and events will be published on the website and emailed to you by newsletter. If you would like to get the newsletter let us know at [email protected]

Derbyshire Open Arts have held their first ever virtual AGM on Zoom on 24th September 2020.

The members who attended had the opportunity to share their views and ideas, and we had a good discussion clarifying the unprecedented conditions that eventually led to the cancellation of the event.

A full set of documents were sent to all members on 26th September, so look out for your copy of this email.

As usual we elected a new committee with some new faces and some old ones…

Jennie Merriman is valiantly continuing as Chair for the coming year;

Nigel Winter continues in post as the Treasurer;

Olinda Everett takes over Ann Robson’s role as Secretary and continues to care for Mailchimp;

Adrian Holt stays on as liaison with the north of the county

Andrea Joseph and Tracey Coverly are still integrating the Social Media subcommittee

They have been joined by Charlotte Collins of “No Jobs in the Arts” - she has a special interest in the participation of young people;

Cass Rawlings continues as Minuting Secretary

Pete Singer has been elected this year for the first time. Working on the Website subcommittee;

Our heartfelt thanks to Ann Robson who has in the last 4 years had such a heavy load on the committee; She is still with us but taking a lighter role this year.

And of course our utmost appreciation to all who have volunteered to serve this year when, once again, some challenges will have to be overcome and new horizons explored.

You can still visit and enjoy seeing all the work of the 2020 artists on the website without having to make those difficult choices of which to fit into one jam-packed week-end.

This year we are teaming up with No Jobs in the Arts; a creative platform promoting emerging artists from Derbyshire and the East Midlands.

NJITA are looking to interview emerging artists taking part in the 2020 DoArts event, post artist features on their social media platforms, create an emerging artist's trail map and possibly create a printed publication of work by DoArts emerging artists.

So, if you're a young or emerging practitoner who has applied to to take part in in Derbyshire Open Arts 2020 and would like to be considered for any of these opportunities, register your interest by contacting  [email protected]

4 spaces are available at The Green Man Gallery, Buxton. Contact: Caroline 01298 937375 [email protected]

6 spaces at a big venue in the South of the county - Egginton, Contact: [email protected]

A garden for 3D work at Peak Potters, Whaley Bridge. Contact: [email protected]

Upstairs rooms for 2 artists at Little Fika Cafe, Whaley Bridge. Contact: [email protected]

Pitch Blue Creative, Wirksworth. Contact: [email protected]  Caroline 07736 423 352, Roz 07742 440 165

Wall space for up to 3 artists plus use of a video screen at Wirksworth Heritage Centre. Contact: Roger, [email protected]

2 spaces at the URC Hall, Holymoorside, Chesterfield. Contact; [email protected]

Spaces available at Victoria Hall, Glossop in a grade two victorian building. Contact: [email protected]

Garden space - bring own gazebo if needed - Matlock. Contact: [email protected]

A call out for anyone who has marketing skills and may want to join us in creating our media publicity campaign for 2020. Email us [email protected]

You can now plan your own artist’s trail on the Derbyshire Open Arts website. Sign in and click my trails on the top grey menu bar and plan your vist to your 'favourite' artists.

Brochures are now in circulation in the thousands all over Derbyshire and beyond the borders.

Also artists have many thousands to take to events and places of their choosing.

Applications for artists to take part in the 2019 event are now closed.

Please see 'contact' if you would like information about  next year.