A new blog set up by artist and AIR Council member Emily Speed is providing a platform for artists to share their experiences of how work has led to more work. The aim of Work Makes Works is to map, in the form of a diagram, how networks operate and where opportunity occurs across the visual arts and beyond.
Speed has so far contributed two diagrams, the first of which (pictured) features her 2011 solo exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Make Shift, at its centre. She lists ‘confidence, credibility, support’ as some of the benefits generated from the exhibition, which was her first major solo show.
“This is different to ‘opportunities’, because lots of the things that are mapped are private and to do with people connecting,” explains Speed. “The website’s not supposed to belong to me or anyone else – it’s just a place for generosity and transparency between artists.”
Fostering relationships, creating connections
The first diagram posted on the site, which launched on 13 February, is by artist Craig Atkinson. Starting with ‘birth’, it progresses to ‘any job to earn £’ and ‘don’t have to worry about making £ from art’. It includes a drawing of Atkinson with a speech bubble that says: “marriage, two kids, a publishing business somewhere in here!”
For her contribution, Caroline Wright highlights how important fostering relationships with individuals can be. For example, several visits to Colchester Arts Centre led to curator Anthony Roberts inviting Wright to take part in the Escalator Live Art retreat.
“I have always been interested in professional development for artists,” says Wright. “We often make flow charts or diagrams to understand things better, so for me this was a very natural process. I thought the idea of visualising the connections and links that can spring from a single (sometimes small) meeting or opportunity would be really valuable, both for me to do, and potentially for others to see too.”
Questioning value
One of the most useful elements of the project is the way it provides insight into a wide geographical spread of regional networks. This incudes Chloe Ashley’s map, which takes in opportunites in Loughborough, Stoke and Hanley, plus the international routes mapped by Christine Wong Yap.
Some artists have used their diagrams to question the value placed on particular opportunites. Claire Weetman, whose projects include a Shanghai residency and exhibition at Castlefield Gallery, Manchester, has recorded the cost to her of each opportunity and also what she made through sales of her work.
“It is fascinating to see how the other artists who have contributed to Emily’s initiative have set the framework for their content,” adds Wright. “Together, I think they are a really useful tool that reveal the nature of artistic practice and the context we work within.”
The site currently features 15 artists’ diagrams, including contributions from S Mark Gubb, Hayley Lock and Emma Saffy Wilson. “Things are smooth and mysterious in retrospect,” says Speed, “so it’s nice to see the reality of a journey through projects and commissions – or just life.”
