The Coventry Biennial of Contemporary Art is an artist-led platform that aims to bring critically engaged, high quality contemporary visual art to the city and surrounding area. This profile includes two videos, recorded at Assembly Birmingham, in which founder and artistic director Ryan Hughes introduces the organisation and describes its ambitious journey.
Studio provider and project space Paradise Works was founded in April 2017. Straddling the Salford-Manchester border, the organisation hosts 30 artists and presents an artist-focused programme of exhibitions, residencies and events. This profile includes a video, recorded at a-n’s Assembly Salford, of founder Lucy Harvey introducing the organisation and discussing its aspirations to be a sustainable presence within the artist-led ecology.
Islington Mill in Salford is an evolving creative space, arts hub and community that provides studios, hosts residencies, and includes a peer-led art school and artist-run B&B. This profile includes two videos, recorded at Assembly Salford, of Islington Mill founder Bill Campbell introducing the organisation and discussing future plans.
Based in a former school in Nottingham, Primary supports artistic production through its studio provision, residencies and a public programme. This profile includes two videos, recorded at Assembly Salford, where director Niki Russell introduces the organisation and shares its lengthy journey to securing a space.
S1 Artspace in Sheffield is a member-led studio provider and exhibition space, running since 1995. This profile includes a video, recorded at Assembly Salford, of S1’s Stephen Escritt outlining the organisation’s plans for a major expansion at the Grade II* listed brutalist Park Hill estate.
Initiated in 2010 by two fine art graduates, The NewBridge Project in Newcastle upon Tyne provides studios, a gallery, project spaces and a member-led professional development programme. This profile includes two videos, recorded at Assembly Salford, of former director Charlotte Gregory introducing the organisation and discussing how during a period of expansion the project has stayed loyal to its member-led ethos
Founded in 1972, Acme Studios has grown to provide around 600 studios for London-based artists. This profile includes two videos, recorded at Assembly Salford, featuring Acme’s Head of Projects & Communications Jack Fortescue introducing the organisation and outlining its unwavering commitment to securing long-term, affordable artist studios.
ecologies of care was initiated by artist Ria Hartley in 2018. The project comprises a growing toolkit of resources designed to support artists who have access requirements to express their needs. Hartley speaks to Lydia Ashman about the toolkit and why artists’ health and wellbeing should be a sector-wide priority. This resource is available in text format and also as a video format sound recording.
Bristol-based live artist Liz Clarke has created a performance with her nine-month-old daughter and collaborated with her nine-year-old son to produce a work based on an idea he proposed. She speaks to Julie McCalden about being part of an art making family.
Artists and parents Katy Connor and Stephen Cornford discuss their experiences of raising a child whilst maintaining their art practices, offering advice on how to manage time, travel and childcare.
Stroud-based artist and mother Sharon Bennett discusses her work with the Women’s Art Activation System support network which she developed in collaboration with two other Stroud-based artists, taking part in Lenka Clayton’s Artist Residency in Motherhood, and opening the temporary ‘Mother House’ studio.
Illustrator Josie Brookes and animator Tom Madge collaborated over three years to produce a stop-motion animation for the NHS about managing persistent pain. The Newcastle-based artists talk to Lydia Ashman about how they worked with staff and patients to develop the film and why they came to represent pain as a cloud.
Originally from Germany, Glasgow-based painter Cornelius Quabeck first spent time in the city during a two-month artist residency in 2011. He talks to Dan Thompson about living and working in Düsseldorf, London and San Francisco, and the reasons that brought him back to Scotland in 2016.
In 2015, Scottish artist Paul McDevitt set up Farbvision, a project space in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg district that presents solo exhibitions and is also home to the INFINITE GREYSCALE record label. He talks to Dan Thompson about his reasons for relocating from the UK, and the artistic freedom and financial reality of life in his adopted home.
The annual guide captures the buzz and excitement around degrees season with a wide range of content, listings and adverts for shows across the UK. Includes an interview with conceptual artist Ryan Gander, plus ‘Class of 2018’ final-year students give an honest assessment of their experiences, working processes and hopes for their degree shows. Available on issuu and as downloadable pdf.
Guidance for organisations on how to shape policy statements on Exhibition Payment. Produced in support of a-n/AIR’s Exhibition Payment Guide, which calls for organisations to be transparent in their working practices with artists by publishing clear and transparent payment information.
Analysis of data drawn from a-n’s Jobs and opps site over the calendar year of 2016 along with commentary on the current conditions for artists’ practice in the UK.
Founded by a group of artists in south west London as a studio space in 1994, Studio Voltaire currently operates under a multiplicity of different guises. Art researchers Doggerland reflect on the organisation’s hybrid structure, and speak to its head of development and communications Niamh Conneely about the many different modes Studio Voltaire employs to support artists’ careers.
Based in Birmingham’s growing cultural quarter Digbeth, Recent Activity seeks to contribute to the area’s artist-led scene without replicating the activity of its more established spaces. Art researchers Doggerland speak to one of the organisation’s founders Andrew Gillespie about working within manageable parameters to offer “something a bit different” to the area.
Writer and researcher François Matarasso reports on the impact of a week-long pilot lab that offered six early career artists, aged over 50, time to explore how creativity can be nourished and how artists can challenge themselves to develop.
In this motivational and practical guide, artist parents share their top tips and survival strategies for maintaining and developing an art practice whilst raising children.
Following on from a survey in July 2016 just after the EU referendum, we surveyed our members again one year on to continue to assess the ongoing impact of Brexit. Based on c1,200 survey responses, key headlines are summarised in this briefing paper.
In July 2016 we surveyed our members to begin to ascertain the depth of impact of the EU referendum leave vote on a-n membership. Key findings are summarised in this briefing paper.
As an artist or freelancer working (on a paid or voluntary basis) in certain environments – such as running workshops in schools or with vulnerable adults – requires you to undertake a check by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Educator Sarah Blaszczok explains why a DBS check is needed, how to get one, and the costs involved.
A psychogeographic opening up of the city through an aural tour of artist-led venues and other listening points of historical and cultural interest.
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