The final phase of building the new Great Western Studios, i.e. fitting out the upper floor studios, will start on the 25th January. Over the next 6 weeks the builders will construct the new studios ready for creative individuals and businesses to move into during the spring.

After weeks of being snowed in and tucking up in hats, gloves and scarves during the Big Freeze it seems like it's finally getting warmer. Hopefully, Great Western Artists have hardly noticed at all now that there is heating in the building...

CultureLabel.com is collaborating with Tate and Wallpaper* Magazine to run an annual design competition, RELEASE, which is looking for two innovative new product designs to be produced and sold in Tate Shops, at Tate online and at CultureLabel.com. For further information, to see a detailed design brief and to enter the competition, go to www.culturelabel.com/release.

Darren Almond is currently doing a two week artist residency at Crown Point Press in San Fransisco, working on full moon landscape images from a recent trip to the Rwenzori mountain (mountain of the moon) in Uganda.

Jo Ratcliffe has designed some T-shirts for Edun, the socially conscious clothing company founded by Ali Hewson and Bono. 15 percent of the proceeds from sales of the limited edition T-shirts is donated to the children's charity Warchild, supporting its projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo. For those of you who'd like some more information, please find this article in the The Independent.

Jo is also listed in Dazed and Confused's hundred faces of the decade, although she admits that her life hasn't changed much since the list was published in the last issue of the magazine.

The private viewing for the exhibition Smörgåsbord at GX Gallery, Dulwich, in which Katherine Lubar is taking part is tonight, 15th January. The show will then go on to February 4th showing artists for diverse disciplines, from esoteric inspired abstraction to inner city street art.

As mentioned in last month's news, Cristina Rodriguez is exhibiting at both Stuttgart-Sindelfingen Art Fair, 15-17th January, and London Art Fair, 13-17th January, this weekend.

The new Great Western Studios building has lots of potential for different events and purposes, first up in the Project space is painter and yoga instructor Elvan Erdin who is starting up Arty Yogis, a new yoga class on the block, Mondays at 6 - 7.30 pm with tea and biscuits afterwards. With intermediate classes with beginners prices, its suitable for everyone. £6 for residents and £8 for their friends. The first session will be held on Monday 8th February in the project space, Great Western Studios, 65 Alfred Road. There will be a limited number of mats available, so please bring your own if you have one.

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