Art Matters Now is delighted to be supporting 3-4 art and writing commissions for inclusion in an upcoming publication called Home Away from Home.
What We Are Looking For
This publication will be published in print and online, serving as a platform for diverse creative voices in the North East of England. For this round of commissions, we are interested in hearing from individuals who identify as ethnic minorities or come from a migrant or diaspora background.
To be eligible, applicants must be at least 18 years of age and based in the UK.
1-2 artists and 1-2 writers will be invited to create visual and literary responses to the notion of ‘home’, and how the idea of ‘home’ is shaped by their racial, cultural, or linguistic identities, or by their experiences and challenges of settling in a foreign country as a creative practitioner.
Each selected artist will receive a £100 fee to create one digital image OR a series of no more than 5 digital images (of publication quality) that sheds light on the above-mentioned themes. Each submitted image can be the artwork itself or the image of an artwork produced by the selected artist.
Each selected writer will receive a £100 fee and editorial support to produce a piece of 500-1,000 word text that addresses the same themes.
We are open to receiving any proposals that make meaningful contributions to the discussion of said themes. Some questions for brainstorming might be:
- Making Britain home – why, how, and what was it like?
- How do we reconnect with arts and cultures that have been lost in translation?
- What are the effects of the pandemic on ethnic minority creatives?
- Tokenism versus inclusion – what were your experiences?
Accepted pieces can take various forms. We will consider essay-style writings, as well as creative, poetic, experimental, journalistic and reflective writing approaches.
Depending on future availability of funding, selected artists and writers may be invited to participate in a virtual and/or physical exhibition curated by Art Matters Now and based in Tyne and Wear.
How to Apply
Via Google Form
Artist applicants should complete this Google Form for Artists.
Writer applicants should complete this Google Form for Writers.
Via Email
Alternatively, you may send your application to [email protected]. Please put ‘Submission 2021’ in your subject line and ensure ALL of the information required is included in one single email.
Artist applicants are required to provide:
- A short statement summarising your ideas for the proposed art image or image series, your ideal timescale for realising the commission, and why you are interested in this commission opportunity (max. 300 words)
- Up to five digital images* of the intended work and/or examples of your existing works. Please name each file by its title and year of creation (e.g. Artwork Title_2021)
- A short bio or CV (max. 250 words)
*At the selection stage, applicants are not required to send us high-res images, although high-res images will also be accepted. The submitted files should have a combined size of no more than 10MB.
Writer applicants are required to provide:
- A short statement summarising your ideas for the proposed piece of writing, your ideal timescale for realising the commission, and why you are interested in this commission opportunity (max. 300 words)
- A sample of writing of up to 500 words (published or unpublished, and can be an excerpt)
- A short bio or CV (max. 250 words)
Please note that applications submitted via post, social media or other messaging channels will not be accepted.
Closing Date
The deadline to submit your application is 27 June 2021 (5:00pm).
Selection
We will make our selection based on the strength and suitability of proposals and the quality of artworks and writing samples. All applicants will be notified of our decision by 12 July 2021. If your proposal is selected, you will receive further communication. Final selection results are at the discretion of Art Matters Now.
Enquiries
If you have any enquiries or require this information in an alternative format, please email [email protected].
The ‘Home Away From Home’ project is devised by Christie Chan of Art Matters Now with support from the Sunderland Culture Creative Development Fellowship 2021.
The Sunderland Culture Creative Development Fellowship is offered as part of the Unlock the City programme which supports the development of artists and creative businesses in Sunderland. Unlock the City is delivered in partnership by Sunderland Culture, Sunderland City Council, Digital Catapult, North East BIC and Sunderland BME Network, with funding from Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund and Coastal Communities Fund.
