The Somerset coastal town of Watchet has a new ‘creative hub’. Contains Art – an artist-led gallery and studio space housed in three shipping containers – launched on the town’s East Quay in July. Its opening exhibition, Wish you were here?, featured around 300 postcards received from artists in response to a call out.
Now, as part of its plans to develop connections with and between creative and wider communities in the area, Contains Art is offering a four-month Susan Lowe, one of the project’s organisers. “And we’d like it to raise awareness of the scope for launching and sustaining a successful career here in West Somerset, by bringing together emerging and aspiring artists with the more established artists who are making it work for them here.”
Supported by The Golsoncott Foundation, the residency will include four-months free use of a studio, access to a professional development programme, and an exhibition. Lowe believes it will also benefit Contains Art and the wider creative community in the town.
“There will be support and encouragement from more experienced artists who know how to deal with all the practical things they don’t teach you at art college – such as sales, commissions and galleries,” explains Lowe. “Because Contains Art is also in a very public and prominent location with plenty of visitors, there is a real opportunity for the selected artist to see how the public respond to their work and to build contacts. And showcasing the freshness of a new practice will be inspiring to all local creatives and help us to build a varied audience for Contains Art.”
A project built on partnership
The Contains Art project grew from a partnership between local networking group the Creatives Club and Theatre Melange, a touring theatre company. Together, they successfully bid for funding to purchase and refit the containers.
“At Creatives Club, we were talking about having a physical space, to be a focus for activities and give us a public presence in the district,” explains Lowe. “Theatre Melange needed a venue for a forthcoming production and at some point the idea of using shipping containers on the quayside came up. It seemed like a perfect solution, both as a temporary venue for the production and then as a longer-term creative hub.”
Following the theatre production in 2012, and negotiations with West Somerset Council and Watchet Harbour Marina, Contains Art got the go ahead in May this year. The converted containers now provide affordable studio space for four artists – Angela Wood, Melanie Deegan, Alison Jacobs, and Lowe herself. “The site is alongside a working boatyard so the containers suit the venue and are in tune with the history and cultural identity of Watchet,” she says.
So, what makes rural areas like West Somerset attractive to artists, and emerging artists in particular? “Contains Art was a response to a dearth of studio provision and exhibition space in the immediate area, but we believe it is part of an emergence of the creative industries and cultural tourism as key parts of the rural economy,” says Lowe. “There is a sense that opportunities are growing and that the creative community is taking the lead in making that happen. It’s a good time to be here.”
Find out more about this opportunity on Signpost – Stepping out as a new artist? Here’s what you need to know, and where to find it.
Opportunities on Jobs and opps for recent graduates and emerging artists include:
/single/3659938″>AA2A placements
/single/3660263″>Granted: Harnessing social media for promoting and funding your practice
