Eleven artists have been successful in their applications to the second round of a-n’s Re:view bursary scheme, gaining funding to support future development of their practice.
Twenty-three applications were received from a-n artist members across England, with practices that span visual, sound, performance and live arts. With a total of £9,345 awarded – 48% of the £19,522 applied for – individual bursaries range from £500-£1,000. These will facilitate a host of artist-to-artist and artist-to-curator conversations, to critically review work and provide advice and support as applicants take new projects forward.
“We are delighted to be able to support our members’ self-determined development plans through these bursaries,” says a-n Director Susan Jones. “Since the March 2013 launch, we have been able to award £62,283 to 84 artists across the UK.
“The application process is simple and light-touch, preserving as much money as possible for bursaries. If you’re planning to apply, please do check the eligibility requirements carefully, use a suitable referee and include with your email all the files we ask for.”
Time and money
Writing on her Artists talking blog, Manchester-based Nicola Smith says: “The bursary will help me develop a live art project across both performance venues and museums. Having a budget to work with will allow me the time to conduct meetings with producers, artists and curators.”
Smith plans to explore the potential of scaling up a micro-performance for presentation in Manchester and Tampere, Finland: “I want to learn from artists how they have worked across different contexts and with diverse audiences. For example, I have specifically chosen Lowri Evans who has created small independent projects as well as large-scale performances for the stage.”
Artist and co-founder of Aid & Abet in Cambridge, CJ Mahony is using her award to work with Rachel Anderson, producer of collaborative projects for Artangel. Anderson’s experience of public commissioning, particularly of large-scale projects, offers an ideal position from which to review and offer guidance on the development of Mahony’s own large-scale, temporary work.
For Bristol artist Antony Lyons, the award will enable a studio visit and follow-up correspondence with Glasgow-based environmental artists Tim Collins and Reiko Goto. Lyons identifies with Collins and Goto’s research-based and collaborative approach to eco-art, and is looking to their extensive experience and critical perspectives as he reflects on and interrogates his own methodology.
“This development opportunity will help put my practice on a firmer footing,” he states. Lyons is currently working on a year-long residency project hosted by the Countryside and Community Research Institute at the University of Gloucestershire and funded by the Leverhulme Trust, exploring aspects of the Severn Estuary coast and floodplain.
Targeted funding
Salisbury-based artist Susan Francis was one of the 25 recipients of the first round of Re:view bursaries, awarded in March 2013. She has used the funds to meet and build relationships with three curators. “I requested a relatively small amount of funding,” she explains, “but targeted it exactly where I needed it. I feel it has paid off with interest and will continue to do so.”
Applications are now open for the second round of a-n’s New Collaborations scheme, supporting artists’ critical and artistic development through buying time to research into new collaborations. Bursaries are open to application by emerging and mid-career visual and applied artists who hold a current a-n Artist + AIR membership and are permanently UK-based. Deadline for applications is 18 March 2014.
Re:view and New Collaborations bursaries form part of a-n’s professional development programme that also includes Airtime fast-paced information and networking sessions, the granted seminar programme and online toolkits and expert practical guides.
More on a-n.co.uk:
Susan Francis’s blog: Review the Re:view
Nicola Smith’s blog: Manse Project 15
Collaborative relationships, a-n Magazine June 2011: artists Sarah Evans, David Kefford and CJ Mahony discuss the launch of Aid & Abet, their new artist-run space in Cambridge.
