The former director of Southend-on-Sea’s Focal Point Gallery takes up his new role in Eastbourne at a difficult time for the gallery, as local council cuts mean a 50% reduction in funding over the next four years. Judith Alder finds him relishing the challenges ahead, and with a focus on opportunities for the gallery to play a more central role in the life of the East Sussex town.
With reference to Edmund Clark’s current Ikon Gallery exhibition ‘In Place of Hate’ – the result of three years as artist in residence at the therapeutic prison HMP Grendon – a recent symposium in Birmingham explored the role of art and its use as a rehabilitative tool. After a day of talks and presentations, Carrie Foulkes finds her belief in socially-engaged practice reaffirmed.
a-n Research editor Dany Louise highlights content that focuses on education in schools and universities in our growing, free-to-view index of visual arts cultural policy and strategy documents.
Do the pressures of being an artist, with the precariousness of funding, the demands of unrealistic deadlines and the need to be seen to succeed and deliver consistently, make talking about depression and mental health tantamount to career suicide? Artist and writer Alistair Gentry, who has suffered with depression since a teenager, thinks the answer is ‘Yes’ – but that the issue is too important to keep quiet about.
Writing for a-n News in August 2016, Hull-based artist Paul Collinson called on the City of Culture legacy team to “set foot outside their fortress and talk to those who will be left behind to carry on the good work”. Now, after the city’s high-profile year of cultural activity, he looks back over the year and asks, “Where next?”
This week’s selection from a-n’s busy Events section; exhibitions and events posted by a-n members including selections from Birmingham, London and Penarth.
The director of Manchester’s Castlefield Gallery looks back on her first year in the role, a period which has seen the organisation renew its Arts Council England NPO status enabling it to push forward with its talent development programme for artists.
London-based artist Larry Achiampong has had a busy year, including commissions for Somerset House, the Jerwood Visual Arts 3-Phase programme and the Diaspora Pavilion during the Venice Biennale. He reflects on a “full on” 2017 that has been tainted by the avoidable tragedy of Grenfell.
With support from a-n, the London-based artist has launched an online store offering high quality, affordable, limited edition works and publications by artists dedicated to exploring place. Jack Hutchinson talks to her about online sales and research beyond the art world.
Five a-n News writers – based in London, Liverpool and Glasgow – pick, in no particular order, their top five exhibitions/art events of the year.
This Christmas, ditch the high street and discover original artworks and handcrafted gifts by independent artists and makers who will be opening their studios or putting up their market stalls at a range of venues throughout the UK.
The recent ‘What Should White Culture Do? Art, Politics, Race’ brought academics and artists together for a day-long symposium at the Royal College of Art. Sonya Dyer contends that, judging by the approach of some of those talking at the event, the answer to the question is, ‘Much more than this’.
Alongside the launch of its first curated programme, this week Tendency Towards opens its inaugural exhibition – an interdisciplinary showcase of graduate artists from four Scottish art schools. Richard Taylor finds out more about this new artist-run initiative in Scotland’s ‘Granite City’.
For the latest in our series providing a snapshot of visual arts scenes across the UK, Amelia Crouch reports from Bradford.
The debate around gentrification and the role that artists play in this contested area is increasingly being discussed and debated by artists themselves. But, asks Anna Francis in a piece originally published by The Conversation, is it right to accuse artists who work with regeneration projects of being part of the problem?
Recent years have seen a renewed interest in clay as many contemporary artists embrace the medium in their work. As the British Ceramics Biennial continues in Stoke and Tate Modern hosts Ceramics Factory, Pippa Koszerek talks about its renewed appeal with the biennial’s artistic director and artists Clare Twomey and Jesse Wine.
A weekly briefing featuring national and international news, including: New York’s Greenwich Village residents speak out against Ai Weiwei public art project.
As part of their travel bursary to visit Documenta 14 in Kassel, a-n members have been sharing their views on the quinquennial via a-n Reviews and Blogs. AIR Council member Joseph Young, who visited Documenta at the same time, presents a snapshot of their thoughts and reflections.
The UK has the most highly developed arts infrastructure in the world. But, asks 2016-17 Clore Visual Artist Fellow Maurice Carlin in the first of two short provocations, imagine if it all disappeared overnight. Would it make a difference to your career? Would you still make art? And what do we want this infrastructure to do?
Nicola Naismith is the recipient of the Clore Visual Artist Fellowship, which for the second year is supported by a-n. She explains how she feels about being the 2017-18 fellow, its relevance to her art practice, and what she hopes to get out of the year.
A weekly briefing featuring national and international news, including: Mercury Prize-winning band Young Fathers suffer backlash over art galleries criticism; Northern Ireland considers abolishing Arts Council; Jerwood Drawing Prize artists announced.
Known for her detailed sculptural works that combine everyday objects and materials with meticulously applied precious stones, metals or fine embroidery, Susan Collis is interested in making us consider the real value of what we might at first think is mundane and ordinary. Anneka French talks to the artist about her major new solo show at Touchstones Gallery, Rochdale.
The Minnesota Centre for Book Arts biennial celebration of artists’ books is taking place during July and August with a two-day symposium and book art prize at the centre of the event. Sarah Bodman previews the symposium, which runs from 20-23 July, and highlights the work of British artists involved in the biennial.
Arts Council England’s National Portfolio for 2018-22 includes an overall increase in the number of visual arts organisations receiving funding from 121 to 149. We highlight six organisations who will be joining the portfolio and find out what their new status will mean to them.
A new exhibition and free pop-up summer school from Create London and the William Morris Gallery celebrates the cultural and educational legacy of Walthamstow School of Art, which from 1957 to 1967 became a hotbed of artistic ideas and talent. Lydia Ashman talks to two of the people behind the ‘Be Magnificent’ project.
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