A belated happy Easter to you, I was fortunate enough to avoid most of the rain and enjoy plenty of fresh air and family time over the long weekend.  I hope you are able to take some time out too!

As an arts officer I do like to include images to articulate stories however the function still isn’t quite playing ball so your newsletters from me will continue to come without images for now. 

Lucy Bedford, Arts Officer

MK Business Achievement Awards – trophies were taken home by MK Gallery & The Stables and it was fabulous that mixed in between awards to accountancies, architects and software companies, the arts scene achieved such high profile.  Well done not just to the winners but also the finalists

Ideal Syllabus – a free professional development programme has been launched as a partnership between MK Council and Milton Keynes Arts Centre.  Submissions close on the 11th April.

Festive Road – I am really pleased that Festive Road has found a new permanent residence in Kiln Farm after they moved on from their space in Linford Wood last year.  They can now focus on their Rio workshops and Walking with Giants parade in their lovely new space

IAHC & Elevate Funding – the Islamic Arts Heritage and Culture Group led by Anouar Kassim has been invited to apply to the Arts Council England Elevate fund which will support the growth of diversity within the sector.  Best wishes to the whole team there!

Social Media – earlier in the month I met with the Parks Trust Social Media Officer to support us as we plan for the 50th birthday.  The session was fantastically useful, looking at the different platforms, audiences, tone of voice etc.  If you are interested in learning more about social media, drop me a line and I’ll coordinate another session for artists/arts professionals.

Original Artwork by World-class Artists – MK Arts Centre has original artwork from 40 prominent artists for sale through their website as part of their annual fundraiser.  This is a great opportunity to get hold of a unique piece of artwork.

Musicians – if you are a musician and would like somewhere to perform your music in MK then check out the facebook pages of BuskersBar Bar and MKG Scratchnights as they all offer space for regular gigs.