Artist Survival Guide #07

Posted: 05/05/2020

Welcome to the 7th issue of our Artist Survival Guide that highlights current sources of funding and offers a filtered overview of what’s going on in the cultural world.  We aim to feature activities and opportunities for artists to get their practices out in the open, along with some digital cultural experiences for you to enjoy.

Funding and Opportunities

Freelands Foundation Emergency Fund

The £1.5m Freelands Foundation Emergency Fund is  supported by the Freelands Foundation, as part of a landmark commitment of £3m towards emergency funds for artists and freelance creative practitioners across the UK affected by the Covid-19 crisis.

The Freelands Foundation is committed to supporting artists, organisations, audiences and staff during the Covid-19 crisis. More than ever, these extraordinarily challenging times have shone a light on the transformative power of the arts and creativity, inspiring individuals and connecting communities across the UK.

The Foundation has partnered with a-n The Artists Information Company to set up a new £1.5m Emergency Fund, Freelands Foundation Emergency Fund, for artists and freelancers in the visual arts sector living in England and Northern Ireland. 

Open from Thursday 7 May, the new fund will support grants of £1,500 to £2,500 per person, assessed by need, with £1 million going to those living in England and £500k to those in Northern Ireland. The new fund follows a £1m contribution to the Creative Scotland Bridging Bursary and £500k to the Arts Council of Wales Urgent Relief Fund for Individuals.

 

Live Art Local – paid opportunities

The Art Local, Fareham based organisation, has secured Arts Council England funding to offer free digital workshops. Live Art Local are currently seeking expressions of interest from visual artists, musicians, writers, performers, theatre makers and others who have lost work through the pandemic and who would be able to provide at least one hour-long workshop. Visit http://liveartlocal.co.uk/creatives-wanted-paid-opportunity-during-the-pandemic/ to apply before applications close on May 13.

 

British Council Theatre & Dance Twitter Thread re Artist Opps

British Council have started a Twitter thread detailing Artist Opportunities which includes commissions and job opportunities. You can access the twitter thread without having a twitter account. 

Twitter handle: @UKTheatreDance

Thread title: PAID OPPORTUNITIES THREAD for creatives #ArtsOpportunities #CultureConnectsUs

 

FVU: BEYOND moving image commission

Film and Video Umbrella have just launched our BEYOND commission. This rolling call for entries is looking for new moving image works that are made with minimal equipment, crew, and space. At present, due to the current situation with COVID-19, selected artists will have to adhere to UK government guidelines. This opportunity is open to all artists currently based in the UK. The selected artists will receive a £2,500 fee/budget, as well as remote production and curatorial support, across a two-month period. The final works will be streamed on FVU’s website and digital channels.

First round submission deadline: 18 May 2020.

Read the call for entries, including how to apply and FAQs: https://www.fvu.co.uk/projects/beyond

 

The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, the UK’s foremost open competition for drawing. Artists can win £17,000 in prizes and show their work on a national tour.

Wales Contemporary, the first international art competition to celebrate Wales. Artists have the opportunity to win £12,000 in prizes and show their work in the Welsh national assembly.

Wells Art Contemporary, an open exhibition in the beautiful Wells Cathedral. Artists can win cash prizes, mentoring and exhibition opportunities.

 

Open Call: New Covent Garden Market Vitrine Art Commission

Artists of all ages and career stages are invited to apply to present an artwork for the New Covent Garden Market building façade on Nine Elms Lane. The annual commission is founded and funded by VINCI St. Modwen, the market’s redevelopment partner, and delivered in collaboration with Art Night, London’s all-night free contemporary art festival We are looking for artwork proposals that celebrate one or more of the three key product groups that make the market so special- fruit, vegetables, flowers and/or plants. The commission can feature photography, painting, text work or other two-dimensional medium. 

For more information and to submit your proposal, please go to: www.newcoventgardenmarket.com 

 

Artist in residence

We are now looking for a versatile artist or graduate to join our thriving Art Department in this one year fixed term post at Christ’s Hospital

 

Survey

Please respond – your views are valued and required

Government survey – the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is holding an inquiry on the Impact of Covid 19 on DCMS Sectors – ‘We are inviting Southampton’s cultural sector, both individuals and organisations, to contribute to a collective Southampton submission to the DCMS enquiry.

Link: https://bit.ly/2VV5cbm

 

Studio space 

West Sussex Artist Studio & House Share Private workshop/studio space for rent in the grounds of a spacious creative home on the edge of Lindfield Village & close and local amenities. The resident artist is working with Sacred Geometry & Mandala Arts.Read online … 

 

Activities and Cultural Experiences

Correspondence Art in a Time of Social Distancing

Wednesday May 6th 7:30pm – RSVP on the link below to receive access details

Join us for a conversation between Michael Crane, author of Correspondence Art: Source Book for the Network of International Postal Art Activity (1984)  and PaP artists Liz Jones, Annabel Pettigrew, Harry Meadows, Gemma Gore, James Aldridge and Laura Eldret. The event will include an overview of the history of correspondence art and conversation exploring the methods, values  and role that this form of art making may play in our current times of social distancing. 

https://www.morethanponies.info/events/mailu

 

DAWNS

On Saturday 16 May 2020 you are invited to find your own view of the sky and join in with people across the UK in a shared witness of dawn, marking everyone’s individual experience as daylight sweeps across the country in a continuous wave from the North East to the South West.

At 3:43am tune into an online broadcast as six performers from six sites across the UK create a live, musical performance that celebrates darkness turning to light.

https://dawns.live

 

Culture Declares are inviting the public to join a virtual space for the CDE community. They are offering two projects to get involved with – Reimagining the city, and Art Visioning – manifesting through our creativity with Tamaryn Payne.

 

Dazed and Confused magazine are raising money for Barts Charity by launching a poster project that communicates the experiences and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it is affecting us now, and in the future. By donating £10 into the prize draw, you are in with a chance to win a signed 1/1 limited edition A3 signed poster from one of the contributing artists, including Vivienne Westwood and Wolfgang Tillmans.

 

Keepers – Harbour lights virtual exhibition 

A new exhibition by talented Keepers artists – https://youtu.be/irJCQy-vcXE

In the face of the Covid-19 emergency, our exhibition has been cancelled at the Harbour Lights Cinema Exhibition space in Southampton, Hampshire on the south coast of the UK.

 

Dazed and Confused magazine have released an article providing a link to a virtual tour of Frida Khalo’s home you can experience from the comforts of your own home. Google has provided a maps-style tour throughout the property.

 

The Co19 Project The Co 19 project is a collaborative effort. Bringing together the global community and offering a place for people to share their voices, experience, creativity, or simply a few thoughts. There is no minimum and there is no maximum. All your highs and all your lows.

The Soulful Group Enterprise are currently calling for people to contribute to their anthology for COVID-19 – #covid19anthology. It will become a creative record that tracks the stories, differing perspectives and invaluable lessons that came about due to the Covid19 pandemic. Any printed medium will be considered, from poetry and short stories to photography and illustrations.

 

To Move with Voice Project are offering online Voice and Yoga sessions at 10:30 on Saturday 3rd May. The project, founded in 2015, integrates specific yoga positions with contemporary vocal techniques and aims to support anyone who would like to develop their voice and ability to sing, speak and communicate with greater authenticity.

 

Two Metres ApART: A digital museum of neurodivergent art

In celebration of gaining charity status – and embracing lockdown – Mainspring Arts presents Two Metres ApART. a digital museum showcasing the best of neurodivergent art. Every week for 12 weeks we’ll add a new exhibit. If you’re a neurodivergent poet, writer, visual artist, comedian, musician, performance artist or any other type of neurodivergent artist/creative, then please submit your work to us!

Your work can take the form of text, images, video or audio (basically anything we can upload onto our website). It’s OK if your work doesn’t usually take digital form. We’re keen to see inventive ways of presenting work digitally, whether it’s a video showcase, audio recording, photography or anything else you can think of.

All featured artists will receive a fee of £100, and a small materials budget if needed. Applications are open until 19 June.

www.mainspringarts.org.uk/two-metres-apart  

 

Zoom has become a large part of people’s lives since lockdown has been put into place. Frieze has published an article on how the aesthetics of zoom are related to the art world, for example, the introduction title sequence to the Brady Bunch.

 

Another activity that Tate has released is a series on how to create work in the style of certain artists. Styles include that of Kandinsky and Turner, as well as various other artistic practices to experiment with.

 

Tate has a new section for families to create new and innovative works of art at home on their Tate Kids page. Activities include making work in the style of Andy Warhol, art quizes, and fun educational videos about various artistic movements.