Interview with SAT volunteer co-ordinator Becky Kidner

As you can see, Becky's been with us a few years now.  We thought it was about time we promoted all the good work she and all the other volunteers do for SAT.  Becky really seems to get something out of giving up her spare time to help.  If you fancy joining the team and help out over the weekend of the event then please drop us a line at hello@saltaireartstrail.co.uk  


Interview with SAT Volunteer Co-ordinator Becky Kidner


Q. How did you first get involved with the Arts Trail?
A. When I moved to Saltaire in 2009 I was a visitor to the Saltaire Festival which the Arts Trail was attached to. The following year I had a look on the Saltaire Arts Trail website and noticed they were in need of volunteers. I emailed and volunteered myself to help out over the 2 weekends the Arts Trail was on during the Saltaire Festival.

Q. What is your role as a volunteer?
A. Having volunteered during the Festival I then wanted to become a bit more involved in the organisation of it all. I then joined the Saltaire Arts Trail Organising committee and took on some additional duties throughout the year such as responding to emails, forwarding queries on and some adhoc administration jobs as and when they arose. Last year (2011) was the first year the Arts Trail became a stand alone event, and I was really proud to have been part of the organisation for it. I took on the role of Volunteer Coordinator which I will be doing again this year.

Q. What do you enjoy about volunteering for the Arts Trail?
A. I really love being part of the Arts Trail. It’s a fantastic event and is such a great opportunity to be involved in something so community spirited. I enjoy meeting people, and working with other volunteers who all put so much time and effort into making the event what it is.

The Arts Trail is run almost entirely by volunteers and we are always on the hunt for more people to join the team. If you are interested in volunteering for us either during the Arts Trail weekend itself (5th - 7th May 2012), or with various events and jobs throughout the year - please do get in touch with us at hello@saltaireartstrail.co.uk hello@saltaireartstrail.co.uk.

The Arts Trail really is a fantastic event to get involved with. I thoroughly enjoy being a part of it, and look forward to meeting and working with even more lovely volunteers who will love being a part of it too!

Screen Printing - from concept to product by Open House artist Salts Press

A fantastic glimpse into the screen printing used by Open House artist Salts Press.  From initial idea and preliminary sketches through to the finished product, this video gives a good walk-through of the screen printing process and all it involves.  Salts Press will be exhibiting at 19 Ada Street throughout Saltaire Arts Trail 2012.


Thanks to Salts Press and Dave Hackney for the video.

We've changed our website and brand

Here at Saltaire Arts Trail we've been going through bit of an online evolution in the recent past. We thought it might be fun to post a few thoughts from Laura who works as part of the SAT Marketing team as to why we went through the whole redesign process.

If 2011 was all about dipping our toes in the water as a stand-alone event, 2012 is all about diving in head first! Not only have we got an exciting and packed programme of events, we’ve also spent the last few months revamping the website and visual identity of the trail.

Over the years our website has stood us in good stead, but as the Trail has grown, so have our requirements online. Indeed, one of the key aims of Saltaire Arts Trail is to promote independent artists and makers and we needed an outlet to do this online. This is where we called upon the folks at Maraid Design.

After several months beavering away in the background, we now have a fantastic new website that gives us the control and flexibility we need. It means we have a platform to shout about all 120 of this year’s talented artists and makers. It includes an interactive map for all the Open Houses, as well as a great visual display for the Makers Fair. Each artist has their own page with a link back to their own site and we’ve got plenty of space to add details of exhibitions and events as they get firmed up – especially useful now the brochure print deadline has passed! There’s no way you’re not going to hear about all the great stuff that’s happening now!

Back in November, we also put our graphic design out to tender and following a lengthy pitch process, brought on board the team at Firecatcher. They’ve since been working hard putting together the brochure, flyers, posters and all the printed material that you’re sure to see popping up very soon. All of the illustrations, both in print and online have been created especially for us by Firecatcher and reflect the character of Saltaire that’s so much a part of our identity. The design brief was quite tricky, but I think they’ve managed to strike the right balance and appeal to the range of people we had in mind and am really pleased with the end result.

But more importantly, what do you think?

Laura

SAT Marketing 2012

Saltaire Arts Trail website hompage