1. Call for Submissions: In the Soil | Deadline Friday 29 January
2. OAC Exhibition Assistance | Deadline Friday 29 January
3. OAC Exhibition Assistance (for Media Artists) | Deadline Friday 29 January
4. Eighth Annual Indie Music Video Festival at Strega Cafe | Friday 29 January 9pm
5. Bookbinding Workshop | Sat 30 Jan & Sun 31 Jan 9am - 3pm
6. Call for Submissions: Fresh Coat
7. Call for Submissions: Film Your Issue

1. In the Soil: Niagara’s Second Annual Home Grown Arts Festival - FINAL WEEK TO APPLY!!
Deadline for Submissions Friday 29 January 4:30pm
Applications can be dropped off at the St.Catharines and Area Arts Council
31 James Street, downtown St. Catharines

In the Soil is now accepting applications for its second annual multi-disciplinary arts festival set to take root in downtown St. Catharines from 15-24 April 2010. Artists from, or with a close connection to, the Niagara region are invited to apply for one of 60 showcasing opportunities in music, theatre, dance, film and media arts.

New additions to the 2010 festival include a performing arts showcase opportunity for theatre and dance and a call for multimedia proposals for street-level installations in downtown St. Catharines.

In the Soil is also pleased to announce support from the Fresh Start Program to assist in bringing a local “Hot Ticket” artist to headline the Friday 23 April 2010 main stage event at Centre for the Arts, Brock University together with three of the 'jury’s top picks' from the festival. Fresh Start is made possible through funding from the Arts Presentation Canada Development Support Program offered by the Department of Canadian Heritage.

The seed for In the Soil was planted by a partnership that will bring Brock University and downtown St. Catharines together to grow a home for the arts in Niagara. Partners include: Centre for the Arts, Brock University, the St. Catharines & Area Arts Council, Suitcase in Point Theatre Company, Pulse Niagara, the Niagara Artists Centre and Yummy Recordings. In 2009, 175 artists shared the fruits of their artistic offerings as part of a week of specially programmed events. This year, a jury composed of seasoned professionals will once again select artists to participate in the late spring harvest.

Applications are available for download here and will close on Friday 29 January 2010.

2. OAC Exhibition Assistance
Deadline: Friday 29 January by 5pm at NAC

The Exhibition Assistance program provides grants of $500 to $1,500 to assist individual artists with costs related to presenting their work in confirmed, upcoming exhibitions. Artists apply to third-party recommender organizations located throughout the province. The recommenders are public galleries, artist-run centres and other visual and media arts organizations that administer the Exhibition Assistance program and make grant recommendations to the Ontario Arts Council (OAC).

The program aims to reflect the range of artistic practices in the visual arts, media arts and craft communities and to support excellence, regional activity, linguistic and cultural diversity and Aboriginal and Franco-Ontarian identity.

For more information click here

3. OAC Exhibition Assistance for Media Artists

Artcite Inc.'s deadline for recommendation of OAC Exhibition Assistance in the 2009-10 funding period (*MEDIA ARTS only) is coming to a close. We need artists to submit their OAC Exhibition Assistant grant applications by this coming Friday, January 29, 5:00 pm). We have a significant amount left in our budget for Media Arts projects/exhibitions. If you have or know of a media artist who is eligible (Ontario-wide), please have them contact us ASAP.

To expedite the process, we'll need the following in hard copy (see mailing address in our signature) or by email in PDF format:

• completed and signed application; download the OAC application at: http://www.arts.on.ca/Page122.aspx
• gallery (or equivalent, e.g. PDF of email confirmation of the exhibition between the gallery and artist) or signed confirmation letter
  
• C.V.
  
• project description
  
• up to 10 JPGs, and/ or Quicktime file, or website link

A complete description and information about the OAC Exhibition Assistance grant program is available at: http://www.arts.on.ca/Page122.aspx
All artists approved for their request are required to acknowledge the Ontario Arts Council. Download the OAC logo here: http://www.arts.on.ca/Page69.aspx
If you have any questions, please contact Bernard Helling, Artistic Coordinator or Christine Burchnall, Administrative Coordinator at: 519-977-6564 or info@artcite.ca

4. The 8th Annual Indie Music Video Festival
Friday 29 January 2010  9-11pm
Presented by NAC at Strega Cafe
19 King Street, Downtown St.Catharines
$5 or pay-what-you-can

A one night festival featuring a fresh crop of 20 independent music videos from all over the world, showcasing brilliant cinematography, astonishing animation and the most precise and artful editing that is sure to rock each of your senses. Rarely seen, never seen and must be seen - an eye-popping, ear-blasting, heart-pounding audio/video extravaganza.

This event is hosted by Strega Cafe and organized by the Niagara Artists Centre. This means a full bar, fair trade organic coffee and delicious healthy food, combined with the NAC- our ever unflagging bearers of contemporary imagination.

The cost of the screening is $5 or pwyc. Be sure to arrive early as there is limited seating.

The 8th Annual INDIE MUSIC VIDEO FESTIVAL includes:
BEND SINISTER-The Same Things (CANADA)
CLUE TO KALO- Infinite Orphan (AUSTRALIA)
DAVIDE DI SARO- We All Belong To Our Before ( CANADA)
D.O.A.- Human Bomb (CANADA)
HA HA TONKA-Caney Mountain (USA)
HAYDEN-More Than Alive (CANADA)
THE HERMIT-si vous me quittez (CANADA)
IMMACULATE MACHINE- Sea Legs (CANADA)
INTERNATIONAL JETSETTERS-Inside Out (UK)
KARKWA-La Facade (CANADA)
NEKO CASE-People Got a Lotta Nerve (USA)
NUTMEG-Ohohooh (SWEDEN)
POL ARIDA- One (SCOTLAND)
ROOTS MANUVA - C.R.U.F.F. (UK)
THE SUMMERLAD- City of Noise ( CANADA)
THAYKHAY-So Close to the Sun (SPAIN)
VANCOUGAR-Distance ( CANADA)
VIOLADORES DEL VERSO- 8 Lineas (SPAIN)
WINSTON ACKLAND-Little Fishies (USA)

5. Bookbinding Workshop
Instructors: Tony Crowle & Darlene Normandeau (Van Huizen Bookbinding)
Saturday 30 January & Sunday 31 January  9am - 3pm
Located at Van Huizen Bookbinding
8 Hiscott Street, Unit #5. St. Catharines
$100 for 2 days

This bookbinding workshop will introduce you to the materials, tools, and  techniques used in basic bookbinding structures. Investigate different characteristics  of bookbinding and how to manipulate a variety of paper.  Learn how to make single  signature hardcover books the first day and create multi section case bound books the  next. Learn all the skills necessary to create your own artist books and portfolios.

Note: All project materials are included in workshop fee. Any extra paper and materials will be available for purchase directly from Van Huizen.

About the Instructor: Tony Crowle completed a five-year apprenticeship in Hand  Bookbinding, restoration, and Print Finishing in England, and now has over twenty  years of knowledge and experience in print finishing, cutting, folding, perfect binding,  three knife trimming, and saddle stitching. Since 1997, Tony Crowle and Claire  Wilkinson have managed Van Huizen Bookbinding & Finishing Ltd., a shop in St.  Catharines with over 100 years of bookbinding experience. Darlene Normandeau  has worked at Van Huizen Bookbinding for many years and will assist Tony with the  workshop. www.bookbindniagara.com

6. Call for Submissions | Fresh Coat

Fresh Coat is now accepting POETRY, SHORT FICTION and COVER ART submissions for consideration.
Send up to 5 pages of poems or short fiction (up to 2500 words).
We will consider visual art submissions but there is no guarantee that visual art will be included in every issue.

Submission Deadline: Wednesday 24 February 2010

Send submissions and a short bio to:
freshcoatfreshcoat@gmail.com

All submitted work must be previously unpublished.
Unfortunately, contributors cannot be paid for their work at this time.

For more info check out the Fresh Coat blog

7. Call for Submissions | Film Your Issue
Film Your Issue: Solution-project ideas, submitted on video

We are seeking your innovative solutions to issues.  We think that 14 to 24 year olds can offer a fresh, innovative approach to problem-solving.  Specifically, we are looking for workable project ideas that can be locally launched that would tangibly tackle a problem.  An example might be program or project in a city or town to deal with surplus cell phones, or with under-employed youth, or that would deal with national security or human rights.

Check out the eight front-burner issues we’ve listed on our Issues page. We’ve listed some considerations for each issue there that may get you started in thinking about your solution-project.

Then submit your three-minute video to the Film Your Issue competition that both articulates the problem and proposes a specific project to deal with the problem. Submission is open 18 January through 12 April. When you submit your video, we will ask for a one-sheet outlining your project in more detail.

The more dynamic the presentation of the issue and your proposed project, the more you will capture our enthusiasm.  While cinematic quality always helps, a great project idea will sway our hearts.  Innovative thinking is as important as slickness.

Just remember that American and global leaders will be selecting the winning solutions that will be presented to senior officials in the Obama administration, broadcast on screens in Best Buy stores across the planet, posted on our iTunes tile and YouTube playlist. We will also fly U.S.-based Jury winners to Los Angeles for our Awards ceremony co-hosted by Sony Pictures.

The Film Your Issue competition is open to all global young adults 14 to 24.

For more information click here