When you join the Network you’ll get the opportunity to come along to regular Networking events and meet-ups at diverse, creative and cultural spaces around the Island. Aimed to be relaxed and informal, with some guided chit-chat on what we can do collectively as a creative community, to help foster more exciting cultural opportunities for all.
This year, we’ve arranged Away Days in Sway, Portsmouth and Southampton, visiting other galleries, artist studios, creative spaces and hear about other development programmes taking place across the South. Please note, spaces for these events fill up fast – so make sure to book your place!
All networking events and away days must be booked via the Eventbrite links which will come available in the News & Opps section of the website. All members will be notified when these become available via the monthly e-newsletter. Make sure to double check your Spam/Junk folder for this e-newsletter to book your place.
Networking Events & Away Days coming up in 2023…
Saturday 18 November: Southampton Away Day visiting University of Southampton Arts & Humanities Day, John Hansard Gallery, SoCo Music and CHAOS Network
We’ll be going up to the Avenue campus for the University of Southampton’s Arts & Humanities Day in the morning – a one-day free event with researchers and artists providing activities and live events. Make sure to check out their full line up online of whats on.
Then back into the city centre to visit the John Hansard Gallery’s latest exhibition ‘Standing on the Edge’ supported by Koestler Arts – showcasing artwork from the criminal justice system, co-curated by learners at HM Prison Isle of Wight. Koestler Arts is the UK’s best known and oldest prison arts charity, who aim to inspire prisoners and people with experience of the criminal justice system to take part in the arts.
In the afternoon we will meet with the SoCo Music team CEO, Matt Salvage & Craig Lockwood – Head of Youth, and CHAOS Network Co-ordinator Becky Honeycombe-Foster, in their new venue at Planet Sounds, to hear about their methodology, opportunities and meet with other Southampton based Creatives to find out more about each other’s practice and projects across the Solent.
SoCo develops projects that engage and elevate music for people from all backgrounds and alibilities. Through their programmes, they support music making for children, young people and vulnerable adults, as well as music careers, though recording, promoting, training and development.
The CHAOS Network was set up ten years ago with a simple aim – to support and promote culture in Southampton by providing the time and space for the city’s creatives to meet, make connections, collaborate and share their experiences.
Details:
A max of x20 tickets are available to members of the network – all completely free, with ferry travel very kindly supported by Red Funnel!
We’ll meet at Cowes Red Jet terminal at 9.15am, catching the 9.35am Red Jet crossing from Cowes. We will return on the 6.30pm Red Jet, arriving back in Cowes by 7pm.
There will be a bus journey to the University Avenue Campus which will be covered by the IWCN. There will be some walking between venues (20 max at any given time).
FIND OUT MORE & BOOK YOUR PLACE!
More information will be sent to members of the IW Creative Network via Eventbrite and monthly e-newsletters on forthcoming all networking events and away days. Check out our networking events and away days from 2022 here. All previous events in 2023 are listed below.
Tuesday 10 October 6-7.30pm: Island Theatre Companies Networking Event, Apollo Theatre, Newport
Do you lead a theatre company on the Isle of Wight? Then join us on Tue 10th Oct where we’ll be revealing some new information about membership to the Independent Theatre Council!
For those who don’t know, the ITC is the membership body of some 450 theatre companies across the UK. We’ve formed a new partnership with the ITC, so any IW theatre companies joining the IW Creative Network can instantly be a member of the ITC and have access to their legal, managerial and financial advice, access to training at member rates, industry conferences, DBS checks, etc.
Island Collection’s Executive Director Gavin Stride will be leading the event and was Chair of ITC for 6 years. So come along to this networking event at the Apollo Theatre in Newport on 10th Oct to hear about how this will work, test new ideas, discuss how we can support each other and find out what is needed to create a thriving theatre circuit on the Island.
Anyone who has developed a theatre company on the Isle of Wight or in the process of developing a theatre company are welcome to attend. You don’t need to be a member of the IW Creative Network.
To find out more about the Apollo Theatre, please visit: http://www.apollo-theatre.org.uk/
How to find it:
If coming by bus, walk from Newport bus station towards the main road past the Prince of Wales pub and just before Thompson’s, walk down Town lane to Pyle Street. Turn right and it’s a few doors down of the other side of the road. If coming by car, there is on street parking on Pyle Street and a public car park ‘Church Litten Car Park’ next to the bus station.
Address: Apollo Theatre, Pyle St, Newport PO30 1JT
Please make sure to book your place here!
Thursday 5 October 6-8pm: Quay Arts, Newport
A chance to find out about exhibiting opportunities at Quay Arts with Visual Arts Manager Ian Whitmore, and find out about tutor recruitment and potential shadowing.
On show during our visit will be ‘2023 OPEN Exhibition’, with the theme of sculpture. To find out more about the exhibition please click here: https://www.quayarts.org/event/quay-arts-open-2023/
How to find it:
Quay Arts is slightly off the beaten track, but can be found from Newport High Street, turn down Quay Street (by the Guildhall clock) and left into Sea Street. Car parks are available on Sea Street and Little London. Charges apply but at a reduced rate in the evenings.
Address: Quay Arts, 15 Sea St, Newport Harbour, PO30 5BD
Click here for more info and to book your place!
Friday 22 September: Netwalking, 10.30am – 1.30pm, Chessell Pottery, West Wight
Organised by Branding Consultant, Graphic Designer, Visual Artist and IW Creative Network member Sara Truckle, this is a chance to network with other members of the IWCN and get some fresh air and exercise in an informal way… no shirts or smart shoes needed here (in fact they are very much discouraged in favour of a good pair of sturdy walking boots!).
The route for this walk is around 3 miles long and is suitable for beginners as well as more experienced walkers (as always there is a mix of terrain). We will start and finish at Chessell Pottery. For more details and to book your place, please click here.
Saturday 16 September: spudWORKS, Sway
The ferry travel for this away day is very kindly supported by Wightlink.
spudWORKS is a really exciting venue in Sway that offers incubation space, co-creation and commissioning opportunities to creatives and recent graduates. Creative spaces on the IW is still massively underserved and this visit will give an insight into not only how maker spaces can operate, but also retain talent within a small rural town. This trip would be made via the Yarmouth – Lymington ferry crossing on foot (there’s a very short train journey to Sway from Lymington station – train costs would need to be covered by individuals but ferry travel is covered by Wightlink).
During our visit they will be showing an exhibition titled ‘Interrupting this Place’ exploring ideas of being here and utilising digital technologies.
To find out more about spudWORKS, please click here.
Later in the afternoon we’ll visit St Barbe Gallery & Museum and be given a tour by Steven Marshall – Exhibitions Curator of their latest exhibition ‘Parallel Lives: Eight Women Artists’.
Find out more about the exhibition, please click here.
Click here to download the Itinerary.
Thursday 17 August: University of Portsmouth, CCIXR Technology Centre, Portsmouth
The ferry travel for this away day is very kindly supported by Wightlink.
This £7 million Centre for Creative and Immersive Extended Reality (CCIXR) opened last year in the University of Portsmouth. It is the UK’s first purpose-built facility to bring together a whole suite of the very latest XR technologies under one roof to support innovation in virtual, augmented and extended realities. CCIXR offers world-class XR training, research and development, addressing a critical skills shortage in this fast-moving industry and supporting the creation of high-value jobs regionally, nationally and beyond.
The UK has a world leading digital economy, is 5th in the global innovation index and currently exports £18 billion in cultural exports. Most recent DCMS data shows the increasing strength of the UK Creative Industries, Digital and Cultural Sectors. Since 2010, Creative Industries in the UK has expanded by over 53%, the Digital Sector by 33% and the Cultural Sector by 38.5%.
To find out more about CCIXR at the University of Portsmouth, please click here.
Thursday 27 July 5-8pm: IW Creative’s Meet up at Ventnor Fringe – Big Top Bar
A chance to mooch and mingle with other creatives, performers and artists from this year’s Ventnor Fringe Festival and members of the IW Creative Network! Open to all!
Come along to this informal networking event, have a drink and maybe see a show afterwards! This will be located at the Big Top Bar in Flowers Brook, located near to Ventnor Park.
We’re particularly interested in finding out what we can do, as a network, to best support Theatre Creatives and those working in Live Events, whether it be on stage or behind the scenes – we’d love to know what we can do to help you thrive in your Creative practice.
No need to book, just turn up and enjoy this relaxed and informal event with other like-minded creatives!
Don’t forget to check out the awesome array of performances that evening and for the rest of the festival. It’s gonna be a good one!
For more details on this year’s Ventnor Fringe, please visit: https://vfringe.co.uk/
Image credit: Julian Winslow
Saturday 24 June, 10.10am – 9.15pm: John Hansard Gallery, Southampton Cultural Quarter, Southampton City Art Gallery, God’s House Tower
The ferry travel for this away day is very kindly supported by Red Funnel.
We’ll be visiting Southampton Contemporary Art Gallery – John Hansard Gallery to see Ayo Akingbade’s exhibition ‘Show Me The World Mister’ featuring two new film commissions: ‘The Fist’ and ‘Faluyi’. Both films were shot in Nigeria and explore Akingbade’s interest in history, place-making, legacy, and power.
We’ll also visit an exhibition by Billie Zangewa ‘A Quiet Fire’ featuring a new, panoramic collage made from hand-stitched silk, the exhibition challenges the historical stereotypes used to objectify and exploit Black women.
John Hansard Gallery, part of the University of Southampton, is one of the UK’s leading contemporary art gallery. They support, develop and present great art by outstanding artists from across the world and play a dynamic role in the cultural life of Southampton and the region.
On the very same day, we’ll be witnessing a UK first – Southampton’s Cultural Quarter will set to stage a FREE inclusive art, fashion, and music festival, organised by young people.
‘What’s Next Southampton’ will be held on Saturday, June 24, and is aimed at children, young people, and families.
The event is part of Connecting Culture, a ground-breaking project led by the University of Southampton supported by a £75,000 grant from Arts Council England.
Southampton City Art Gallery will also be exhibiting a show linking to the event with Creative Connections Southampton – bringing together the collections of the National Portrait Gallery and Southampton City Art Gallery & Museums to explore and celebrate people whose stories are linked to Southampton.
Spaces are limited to x20 for this away day. Please book your place by 18th June to make sure you don’t miss out!
Click here to download the Itinerary.
Thursday 22 June 6-8pm: Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, Sandown
This will be our first networking event at the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, where we will be hosted by their Chief Operating Officer, Lawrence Bates to find out more about what they aims are within conservation and restoration of the natural world. They aim to encourage an inclusive and participatory approach – this means that everyone can play a vital role in preserving as much biodiversity as possible.
At this networking event we would like to consider how the IW Creative Network can support collaborative approaches to forming groups and or community events. What would you like to do and what do you think we could do to best support that? Come with thoughts and ideas, write on postits, paper or just chat with others that would be open for collaboration.
Remember, these networking events are aimed to be relaxed and informal, with some guided chit-chat on what we can do collectively as a creative community, to help foster more exciting cultural opportunities for all.
Light refreshments will be available.
How to find it:
The Wildheart Animal Sanctuary is located opposite Yaverland beach and easily accessible by road. Adjacent is a large private car park where you can park all day for £3 when visiting the Sanctuary. But will be for free for those booked on this event.
Island Buses 2, 3 and 8 serve Sandown and timetable information can be found at the Southern Vectis website.
Island Line Trains serve Sandown Station which is a 20 minute train ride from Ryde Station. From Sandown Station there is a walk of 20-30 mins to the Sanctuary. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 0845 6000 650.
Beryl Scooter – Scooters available at Beryl bays at Sandown Pier, Avenue Road, Dinosaur Isle and the Wildheart Sanctuary’s car park.
Bicycle – there is a bike rack next to admissions to secure your bicycle.
Walking – the Sanctuary is just a 15-minute walk from Sandown town centre.
Address: Yaverland Rd, Yaverland, Sandown PO36 8QB
https://www.wildheartanimalsanctuary.org/
Thursday 18 May 6-8pm: Building 41, Northwood
Building 41 is a brand spanking new co-working space on the outskirts of Cowes. It offers flexible office suites, co-working areas and an event space. From informal meeting spaces and relaxing sitting areas, to desks, private booths and meeting rooms. Building 41 has state-of-the-art facilities, created by a cohort of Island businesses, that are sustainable and accessible by design.
Tenants and building users will have access to hot drinks, filtered water and other refreshments. Thanks to WightFibre, it has super-fast WiFi and lots of other snazzy features like a large, fully equipped kitchen, toilets, showers, lockers, drawers, and a range of business support activities and programmes.
For example Go for Growth, a programme to support micro businesses and small businesses thrive through online, in-person and 121 programmes and mentoring.
We’ve collaborated with Go For Growth to deliver three unique workshops for members of the IW Creative Network, specifically designed for creative people transitioning from being part-time or freelance, to running their own full-time business.
These workshops will be delivered in-person at Building 41 on Mon 22nd, Tue 23rd and Wed 24th May 1-3pm. And we’ll do them again but online in June, just incase you’re unable to come to the sessions in person. Sessions will include a ‘A Ready-to-Launch Checklist’, ‘Clarity of Marketing’ and ‘Planning and Finances’. Click here for more details.
How to find it:
Coming from Newport, take the right at the fork in the road when you reach the traffic lights by Northwood Garage. Keep going and it’s located between Ascensos and BAE Systems on the right. There is a bus stop very close by the entrance to the car park and Building 41 has dedicated parking right outside the building which is free to use for this event. The car park has two 7kW electric vehicle charging points, which are easily accessible by a phone app.
Address: Building 41 Newport Rd, Northwood, Cowes, PO31 8BX
Thursday 20th April 6-8pm: Monkton Arts, Ryde
Monkton Arts is a community-based cafe and arts centre in Ryde, run by Dawn and Jenna (mother and daughter).
Formally a derelict building, Dawn and Jenna spent 8 weeks turning no 11 East Street, Ryde into a functional café, and in 2018, with the help of friends and family they achieved their goal. With the loyal support of their original customers they have built this new site into a very successful Arts, Café and Music Events Centre, now known as Monkton Arts. Dawn and Jenna’s journey to create a community hub around what is now affectionately known as ‘Monkton Village’, has gone from strength to strength. They operate a fully functioning café, art shop, galleries, artist studios and play host to a year-round series of lives arts events, exhibitions and activities.
How to find it:
Monkton Arts is a little tucked away, located on no 11 East Street, Ryde, PO33 1JP (toward the sea-end of Monkton Street) and opposite Acer Reclamation and Ryde Garage. Please walk, car share or use public transport where possible and note that parking is limited.
Address: Monkton Arts, 11 East Street, Ryde, PO33 1JP
