An opportunity for new and emerging, aspiring, or professional artists wishing to refresh themselves and their practice by trying something new. 

The MINTFEST INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL FOR STREET ARTS is an intensive, fully immersive residential course which takes place at the end of the summer in Kendal, Cumbria. Practical and performance based, participants work in groups, with a leading national or international street artist, to create a piece of work to be showcased at the end of the course at Mintfest, one of the UK's leading street arts festivals.

For further details and information on how to apply, please see below. 

MISSSA 2012

Dates for the next MISSSA course will be August 25 - Sept 3 2012. 

More detailed course information will be available early 2012 and downloadable here. To join the MISSSA mailing list and receive full information as soon as it is ready, please email: jenny@kendalartsinternational.com with your contact details. 

MISSSA 2011 EVALUATION REPORT

The MISSSA 2011 evaluation report is now available to download here. 

MISSSA 2011

The second Mintfest International Summer School for Street Arts took place from August 27 - September 05 2011 welcoming 19 participant artists and 4 tutoring artists to Kendal, Cumbria.

In 2011 the course was extended to 10-days to give participants more time to create and develop their work in the run up to the festival. 

The tutors, Lina Johansson, founder and joint artistic director of mimbre; Brian Popay, founder of Fine Artistes and Jean-Luc Prevost, co-founder of Les Goulus each worked with one group on a performance that participants showcased at the end of the course, at Mintfest 2011. The fourth tutor, David Burbidge led vocal warm-ups for the groups each morning. 

The groups created 3 excellent pieces of work. With Jean-Luc, participants worked on an existing performance, The Yellow Hand. Working with some of Les Goulus' professional performers they created an ashram in the town centre where the audience were invited to find and experience the 'Yellow Force' within them - and ultimately, join the Yellow sect. Their peformances included four static shows which took place during both days of the street festival and a number of walkabout performances designed to recruit their initiates. 

With Lina, participants specialised in physical theatre and acrobalance. They explored different ways and techniques of devising non-verbal performance material using the physicality of the body and the local environment. They created both individual vignettes and a mesmerising group performance which utilised unique spaces and features within the town centre.

Brian's group created The Delegates, a five act narrative performance of 20 minute walkabout performances. The Delegates, from the International Insitute of Insectology, have to reaise awareness of a dangerous insect mutation without causing any public alarm. Though they may seem like imposing officials each has a particular 'quirk' which soon becomes apparent to all who meet them. 

The groups' work was seen by large festival audiences and a number of industry professionals visiting the festival for the XTRAX showcase. The Delegates has since been commissioned to be performed at Derby Feste 2011 and the group are currently applying for funding and support to develop the piece further. 

Once again, we would like to thank all the artists and performers who took part in MISSSA 2011. Your commitment and passion was an inspiration and we wish you the very best for all that you go on to do. 

The course evaluation, undertaken by the University of Manchester in partnership with Kendal Arts International, will be published in November 2011 and will be available to download here. Alternatively, please email: jenny@kendalartsinternational.com with your contact details if you would like it mailing directly to you. 

The MISSSA 2011 pre course information is available to download here. For any further information, or any other enquiries please email Jenny Graham: jenny@kendalartsinternational.com.

2010 EVALUATION REPORT

Research and evaluation of MISSSA is being undertaken by CRESC, University of Manchester in partnership with Kendal Arts International. To download the evaluation report Click here for pdf version. 

MISSSA 2010

2010 saw another new development to Mintfest, the Mintfest International Summer School for Street Arts (MISSSA). 

New and emerging street artists from all over the world came together in Kendal during the week leading up to Mintfest to spend a week working intensively with 4 leading national and international street artists. 

The 4 tutors: Jon Beedell (Desperate Men), Doug Dougal (Surreal McCoy), Jean -Luc Prevost (The Goulus) and Richard Stamp aka Stompy (Dot Comedy) presented their shows and ideas to the 19 'students' who then chose which tutor they would most like to work with.  

The students were at varying stages in their careers - some were professional artists with an interest in taking their work outdoors, some were already, or just starting to work outdoors and some were performing arts students with a keen interest in working in the outdoors. 

Each tutor offered them something quite different, be it risk, challenge, provocation, character creation and development, humour, controversy....we could go on! But all shared the same brief: to create and work on something that would be performed at the festival.

Three of the groups worked on existing shows that had been created by their course tutor; they took a framework and developed it according to themselves, Kendal, Mintfest and of course, their audiences. The fourth group however chose to create something entirely new, from scratch, in just one week. 

In the name of street arts, they were given free reign to perform their work wherever they chose, whenever they chose and in whatever style they chose. And boy, did they! They performed where they were least expected and did things that were quite extraordinary (even by Mintfest's standards!).

Perhaps you saw them? Dining by torchlight in the river; all in yellow spreading love and joy in the streets; celebrating the nuptials of one larger than life couple? Or, with one burning question, answerable only by rigid scientific investigation, the question that has troubled the greatest of minds since creation... WHY?!

They were challenged - and in return they challenged others - to find a much greater depth and understanding of who they are, what they do and of course, WHY they do it! They also demonstrated that with commitment, passion, integrity and of course, humour everything and anything is possible... 

So we'd like to thank all the artists - be they student or teacher - for bringing their incredible and amazing talents to Kendal. We'd also really like to thank them for all the energy and effort they put into the festival and for giving it a new and frankly, even more inspiring feel. We'd like to say you were an absolute pleasure and a joy to have around and we can't wait to hear what you're up to next....and to see you on the streets again soon! Please keep in touch and keep us posted....

You can see photos of the students (hard at play!) during the street festival here and you may even see one or two on the new Lakes Alive 2010 season dvd (available on the home page).

FORMAL EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES:

For those interested in formal education opportunities The University of Winchester now offer a BA (Hons) in Street Arts. Follow the link for more information. 

STREET ARTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEW AND EMERGING ARTISTS: 

Emerge festival (Eastleigh): The University of Winchester in collaboration with The Point, Eastleigh, The Winchester Hat Fair and street arts company Wet Picnic present the Emerge Festival, a weekend of professional develoment for new and emerging street arts companies and performers. 

Gone in 20 minutes (London, Stockton): A partnership between SIRF, Event International, CREATE and Remarkable Productions, Gi20 is national showcase supporting 10 new and emerging outdoor artists and companies to present new projects in both London & Stockton. 

Caravan 2012 (Brighton): A 3-day showcase with opportunties for training and mentoring, presented as part of Brighton Festival, for both established talents and new.