Getting paid

Also wanted to flag up a couple of things:

The foundry looks like it is finally getting knocked down. Has anyone heard the protest that “the development is cashing in on the local art scene at the cost of artists” somewhere before?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-110276…

Also, an opportunity for artists that made me laugh thinking about the proposals they might get; The House of Lords seeks to commission and artist/designer/craft practitioner for site specific work for its permanent collection. This involves a 6-8 week residency for 2-3 days a week at the Palace of Westminster library with a fee of £10,000. So it’s a well paid opportunity indeed, and their collections of rare books and manuscripts sounds amazing, but it’s such a complex situation at the moment. I guess it’s not a residency in the house of commons – that would be different.

If anyone would like the pdf of application details just ask…

I went to Birmingham today to see the BOOK SHOW, which was great and certainly food for thought… of course there was a talk this evening and I missed it – sod’s law, but then I did get the BOOK and think I may even like that better than the exhibition. I also saw a sumptuous and beautiful video piece at Ikon Eastside and ‘Inbindable Volume’ at VIVID, which was astonishing. It was strange and a little pretentious at points, but beautiful, poetic and laugh out loud funny in parts.

http://www.vivid.org.uk/

http://www.ikon-gallery.co.uk/programme/current/ev…

After my brief trip to Edinburgh at the start of the month I had a bit of a revelation about why I left my BA as clueless as I did. Depending on the traditional tourist pound means that Edinburgh just doesn’t have the same kind of art scene as cities like Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. It’s a bit insular in a way, although vastly improved since I lived there and Martin Creed was fab. Funny to experience the lift piece in Birmingham again today. So I thought I would go to a few more cities and see what they are like. Newcastle is next on my list. It all helps to appreciate what you have at home and Liverpool is fantastic really, despite its flaws.

I am currently being interviewed by an LA based curator via email. This will be published somewhere to accompany my exhibition at Showreel in Milan this autumn.

http://www.showreelproject.com/artisti.html

As questions and answers go back and forth I can recognise this as a really valuable experience. It’s rare to have someone delve so deeply into my work and I have enjoyed being challenged and pushed on things. I have a meeting with the curator at YSP on Monday too and a good look round my space, so things feel stressful and rich and bursting with possibility. I am also terrified, but this is familiar territory…

On life:

I’ve been in Leeds for a few days doing the Drawing Shed project at PSL. It was a lovely thing to do and although I haven’t really looked at the animation properly yet (I suspect it is slightly dodgy – need a heavier tripod as there was stll jumping around in the picture) I did what I said I was going to. That might be the first time such a thing has happened.

http://www.projectspaceleeds.org.uk/emily_speed_un…

I was also invited to a dinner the gallery held for its new volunteers – this was interesting; to see it from a gallery’s point of view. Given that they a) made the volunteers dinner and b) asked what their preference for work times and roles were and c) offered to help with things like CRB checks, I would say PSL are some of the good guys. Helps to be a small team within a less formal organisation I guess, but nice to see a two-way relationship. I also had some visits from people – Axis came and interviewed me in the shed (seriously, much err-ing and hardly anything of interest said!). I also had a visit from Josie Flynn, an artist and relation of mine, which was a really nice surprise. Lastly, Liz, a curator from Axis popped in – we had a good chat about online stuff, doing art for a long time (i.e. me still cracking on 9 years after graduating – not that it has been seamless I might add!) and how children affect (or not) your career. All great input. Also enjoyed getting to know the staff at the gallery, although I had met Amelia before on an a-n trip to Lille. Phill, an artist and all-round gallery assistant was an interesting chap and I have interviewed him about art, life, money and working conditions. Seems I can’t go anywhere without getting people on tape. I shall transcribe that and post some of it here later.

Now I am making eggitecture, which involved learning about silicone rubber. Techy stuff gives me brain strain if I’m honest. Also thinking about the exhibition at the start of October in Milan as I really need to let the curator know what I will show. Trying to adjust to this mad future timetable and planning concept, but it is all new to me. I think the days of making things when I get there or on the day of the opening may be over!!??

In other exciting news, my twin sister has finally bitten the bullet and is opening a craft workshop/shop in Frodsham. I am really thrilled to see her doing something about her real love (not a career in HR) and will be offering lots of support.

Lastly, the journal, Cardboard Folly, seems to be looming so I shall have to see where it is all up to and start on the marketing. Best crack on with the logo/cover then! Yeeeek.

On the funding cuts:

Spoonfed have done a quick ask round about funding cuts from those in London. I liked what Cathy Lomax (Transition Gallery) had to say:

Lots of institutions will be struggling – the cuts could be seen as helping to weed out wasteful institutions and practices but I don’t really see it like that. Some people like to think that adversity produces better art and I find myself thinking that sometimes. But ultimately I don’t believe its true. I think that art patrons like to think of their artists as struggling. Look at the whole outsider art thing – patrons like mad, poor, suffering artists. It’s a kind of weird vicarious-ness – you can buy into some bohemia and wallow in the terribleness of the artist’s life and then go back to your own good/normal existence. Cuts basically mean that people that don’t have privileged backgrounds will not be able to make art.

http://www.spoonfed.co.uk/spooners/tom-699/funding-cuts-the-impact-on-culture-in-london-3544/

Today has been a little bit blissful. I woke up at 9, put my head down again and somehow it was midday. It the best and first sleep I have had at home, at the weekend for about 6 weeks. WONDERFUL.

Anyway, I am in pyjamas, eating toast, posting nonsense on twitter et al and reading my way round the confusing myriad of articles and comments on the current state of the arts cuts and funding. Also into that goes the SAU and Scottish highlands research into loans for artists (not sure if that’s a good idea or not, but thanks to Susan Jones for highlighting some important points). Lastly I signed up to be an AIR activist and am looking forward to seeing what that involves. After I have made some sense of it all – hopefully – I will have some writing to do!

Over the next three weeks I also plan to get a group of creative types together at Royal Standard to draft a submission to the DCMS inquiry on arts and heritage funding. Was very glad to hear my posting of this on facebook prompted Anna Francis to organise similar with artists in Stoke-on-Trent. Anyone can contribute, so do if you can.

http://bit.ly/c0Hqgn

Recently I have been shocked at how many practitioners I know have been quite staunch Tory defenders. I was born in 1979, when Maggie came into power, but I feel like I remember quite lot about that period, or at least I learnt a lot about it, I’m not sure. I was too young to vote in the landslide 1997 election, by 3 months, but there was a feeling of wanting to bring about a big change amongst my friends. I wonder if the generation who are now 25 and under had a similar feeling this time round? Was it that they weren’t voting for the Conservatives, but they just wanted to see a change and didn’t really know the implications?

Anyway, this letter from Tony Benn and friends is interesting from the Guardian and highlights how the cuts will affect certain demographics.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/0…

If those badly off are going to face so many cuts, surely the mega rich need to be taxed more to balance things out. Oh wait, it doesn’t work like that does it?

On a brighter note though! I had a great meeting with Emma Gregory at the Bluecoat yesterday. Was pleased to finally meet someone who I had been emailing for a while and finding she was even more articulate, honest and enthusiastic than I had hoped.

http://www.emmagregory.co.uk/

The plans for the new journal thing, Cardboard Folly, that I am launching in October are going well, all artists have been invited and about 95% have replied saying they would like to be involved so far. I’m very excited, if not a little daunted by the amount of work that lies ahead. The journal/ artists’ book will be launched at the Bluecoat during Liverpool Biennial then and exhibited for a month-ish. When filling in the ISSN forms for the British Library I said it would be an annual publication. I am extremely glad I decided on that – I thought of doing two a year but can already see that would have been the route to doom.

Cardboard Folly at the Bluecoat in October: http://bit.ly/dochuL

Back from a few days in Edinburgh. A lovely time visiting friends and art (I studied at eca so it’s an obligatory biannual visit). But kind of glad to be home and to crack on with the next exciting project (more on that soon)!

Quite a while ago I was chatting to someone from Arts Council in Manchester and he mentioned they were planning to split their jobs board into paid and voluntary sections. He said the volume of unpaid work was making the listings almost useless for many arts professionals. I nodded eagerly and looked forward to it happening. Imagine my delight yesterday when I got back and saw this link from Jack Hutchinson on Facebook:

http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/

Amazing! No more unpaid adverts at all while they work out a way to only include genuine volunteering and paid work within minimum wage guidelines. Here’s what the arts council have said about their decision:

“Please note that due to the high volume of adverts for unpaid opportunities that contravene Minimum Wage Regulations we are temporarily suspending adverts for unpaid work, work experience, voluntary roles or internships. This is so we can make developments to the website that will help users to post genuine volunteering opportunities only and stay within Minimum Wage Regulations.

Arts Council England is committed to ensuring that artists and those who work in the creative industries are properly remunerated for any work that they do. We recognise that there is great value in people having access to proper work experience, where it is offered and arranged properly and is a mutually beneficial arrangement, but that this should never be used as a way of attempting to circumvent the Minimum Wage Regulations.

We will continue to accept adverts for paid employment and will let you know when we expect the facility to be live once more. Thanks for your patience while we address this important issue”

HOORAH.