Northern Art Prize, Young Everyman Playhouse, Liverpool-based culture blogs
I CAUGHT up with Wirral-based artist Leo Fitzmaurice at the announcement that he's won the Northern Art Prize (pictured by David Lindsay above) at Leeds City gallery last week. He was, he said, the only one of the four short-listed artists not to have prepared a speech as he hadn't expected to win the £16,500 award.
What does winning mean to him?: Time.
"It will mean maybe nearly two years when I can do exactly what I want as and artist. That's what everyone wants."
Fair enough.
Fitzmaurice's contribution to the art prize exhibition included an interesting reinterpretation of landscapes from the gallery's collection, which he placed at different heights along two walls so that they appeared to share the same horizon. A simple enough idea perhaps but one that makes us re-experience the works from a different perspective.
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BY ALL accounts the young people's launch of Young Everyman Playhouse went off well on Tuesday night, with the theatres' artistic director Gemma Bodinetz confessing to a tear or two in her eye when she saw hundreds of 11-26-year-olds gathering in Williamson Square ready to burst through the Playhouse doors.
I went along to the official press launch yesterday morning, when an impressive group of Young Communicators presented a video they'd created about the future of the replacement for the Everyman Youth Theatre. No longer just focusing on acting and writing, it will give young people opportunities in just about every area of work behind the scenes. If it manages to achieve even half of what it is setting out to do it will be a very exciting project, placing young people right at the heart of the theatres' operations.
Some YEP members have signed up as regular LDP Arts guest bloggers so watch this space for more news about what they're up to.
One of the Everyman Youth Theatre's most famous members is the actor Ian Hart. My interview with him, in which he recalls his time at the Hope Street venue, is in today's Liverpool Post.
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Next up... we've introduced a couple of new sections within the newspaper's arts coverage.
Twitter views is a selection of people's comments about Liverpool shows and cultural events so keep an eye out - you may find your tweets immortalised in print.
Spotlight is a Q&A with someone involved in Merseyside's arts scene. If you fit that criteria and are interested in being featured then please email me at laura.davis@liverpool.com. This week's reveals whose hidden talent is "an amazing food memory".
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I promised in this week's Post Culture to blog some links to Liverpool-based arts websites. Here are a couple to be getting on with...
The Double Negative: If you haven't checked out this new addition to the city's cultural scene then what are you waiting for? Some fine writing on a wide range of subjects and a swanky designed site.
RLPO trumpeter Brendan Ball's blog is a real treat to read - tales of his wanders through town, urban vegetable garden and adventures with the Philharmonic.
LDP Arts Authors
Laura Davis
As the Liverpool Post's Arts Editor, Laura covers theatre, music, dance and the visual arts in Merseyside and beyond. Contact her at laura.davis@liverpool.com
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