Reflecting on the experience, New Art West Midlands really did help me continue my artistic practice after my Graduate Residency, and gave me many different opportunities however big or small. It also gave me the opportunity to work on such a large scale, something I enjoy.
The opening night for the New Art West Midlands 2017 was held at the mac, and was extremely busy! I sadly missed the group photograph with all of the artists taking part despite setting off two hours earlier (traffic southbound on the M6 had other plans for me). However it was a very successful opening night.
Another very welcome opportunity arose through taking part, as I was awarded one of one of the five New Art West Midlands opportunity awards. Again, this was so unexpected as I felt there were so many strong and exciting artworks being exhibited.
I was an awarded a graduate commission through Salt Road the Treeline project, funded by ACE. I am one of six artists taking part, artists based in Birmingham, Stoke, the West Midlands and Manchester. You can find out more here.
‘’It’s only when we understand the meaning of ‘enough’ that we start to accumulate real wealth. As in nature, ‘enough’ gets the job done well; doing or having more than we need wastes time, resources, and ultimately, our lives”. Andy Middleton 2016
Research questions:
When our politicians dismiss global environmental change as the weather continues to rise to record levels each year, we have to ask ourselves: What are we going to do about the biggest threat to human civilisation and the natural world since the invention of the atomic bomb? Although we are part of nature we believe that being civilised means being separate and protected from it. Are the effects of global warming closing the cultural gap between us and the physical world of nature? If art can help us to humanise the world we live in, can it help us to deal with global environmental change and to be better humans?
Once I am up to speed with updating my blog, I will be posting about my ideas and work that I have developed over the last several months for this project.
