Creative Midlands East

Lincoln is fast becoming a centre for emerging artists

Posted: 18 Apr 2013 03:59 AM PDT

As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Lincoln School of Art, which is now part of the University of Lincoln, Senior Fine Art Lecturer Andrew Bracey reflects on the new emerging artists coming out of Lincoln, which before the advent of the University, was chiefly known for its majestic cathedral.

Bracey, who not only teaches on BA (Hons) Fine Art and heads the MA Contemporary Curatorial Practice programme here at the University of Lincoln's School of Art and Design, but is also a contemporary artist based in Manchester, and one who writes regularly about contemporary art and exhibitions.

Andrew has just written an excellent article for AN Magazine which you can view online. Andrew talks about why Lincoln is developing a strong, artist-led scene, and mentions some of the key players in its development.

Andrew cites Beacon Art Project, established back in 2004 by John Plowman and Nicola Streeten, whose approach is to commission artists to respond to unusual rural sites and introducing new artists to their art.

Pop-up fine art is becoming more popular throughout the UK and Lincoln is no exception. Last year, MA Fine Art and MA Design students hosted their final year exhibitions in empty shop units in the heart of Lincoln's shopping area, and this year, Fine Art students will be exhibiting at the Ballard Arts Festival, as previously reported. There was also a free Alternative Art College, run from student houses in Lincoln before relocating to London.

Lincoln Artist's Network was set up in January 2009 as a network for graduates and undergraduates of Lincoln University, in order to continue a professional working practice in and around Lincoln and Lincolnshire, alongside established local artists, businesses that are interested in investing in the creative industries, to create and facilitate a community that will benefit everyone involved. It now has over 100 members.

The article also features two of our graduates, Amelia Beavis-Harrison and Alan Armstrong who initially left Lincoln upon graduation, only to return sooner after to set up Lincoln Art Programme in 2009 "as a way to generate activity and act as a catalyst for arts in the area". Explaining their focus on commissioning live works and performance in direct response to sites in the city, Beavis-Harrison says: "It's a way to activate public spaces in the city, rather than relying on people entering gallery spaces. Having an uncharted city meant that we were able to provide entirely new and unique opportunities to the artists we commissioned, so that the commissions we developed retained a fresh relevance to the city and within the arts."

Another fine example of opportunist approach to finding art space is that of The Monks Gallery, who have featured a range of emerging local artists, many of whom have graduated from the School of Art and Design, with many of them returning to the University periodically to give lectures. Names to watch out for are Joana Cifre Cerda, Stu Burke, and Doug Fishbone.

And of course Lincolnwill be hosting the second Frequency Festival later this year, following on from the success of the first one in 2011, the city's first digital arts and culture festival.

You can find out more by clicking on any of the above links, or by contacting Andrew Bracey for more information. Or follow Andrew on Twitter @BraceyAndrew

Links Round-Up: Opportunities

Posted: 18 Apr 2013 12:13 AM PDT

Please Knock by Marc Falardeau www.flickr.com/photos/49889874@N05/6454446257/

The Links Round-Up today has opportunities for you to get involved in new artistic collaboration, get a loan, get a job, display your work and more.

Loans in the Creative Quarter

When the Creative Quarter was launched, there were many initiatives promised, and we are now starting to see them happen. Here is one: the £1M Loan Fund is now taking applications. Up to £25,000 a time will be available to start-up businesses and existing firms based in the area covered by the Creative Quarter. This Loan Fund will be managed by the First Enterprise Business Agency. Businesses interested in applying for loans should contact Neil Millington on 0115 942 3772 or e-mail nmillington@first-enterprise.co.uk. A wider perspective is given by the post on Invest In Nottingham's site.

Job in the Creative Quarter operating company

The Creative Quarter Company itself is looking for "a dynamic self-starter with a broad experience of office administration to fill the post of Administrator". It is part-time (20 to 25 hours a week) with a £20K pro rata salary. The closing date is 2 May, and full details are available.

Display your work in a Virtual Gallery

We have often blogged about events and shows at the Crocus Gallery in Lenton. Not content with running the physical gallery, they are now launching a Virtual Gallery on their Facebook page.

This will be a series of curated virtual exhibitions with submitted work being discussed and selected at our new Fortnightly ART meetings. Each exhibition will consist of a group of artists (3 -4) and last for 2 weeks. Images of selected work will be displayed periodically on the site over the course of the exhibition and will include links to artists own website.

If you want to be considered, further details and the contact email address are, no surprise, on their Facebook.

Selling Craft Now

The Craft Mafia are launching their shop inside Hopkinson's Gallery on Station Street as part of the Great British Bonanza on 4 May. They are looking for new crafters and designers to sell work in our Craft Mafia Shop. E-mail: nottinghamcraftmafia@hotmail.com if you are interested. The Facebook for Craft Mafia seems more up to date than their website.

Selling All Sorts of Things in October (and chance to do collaborative work)

The Creative Co-operative, Bees Make Honey, is branching out into "organising events & opportunities for D.I.Y indie creatives in the real world as well as cyberspace". One of these is their plan for

MEMORIES of the FUTURE – The Analogue meets Digital Pop-up Shop – Nottingham, UK – 15th -19th October 2013

Memories of the Future will be a pop-up shop exploring the relationship between traditional analogue formats & the digital revolution within the independent creative sector. This will take shape as a retail space in an empty shop selling products by musicians, filmmakers, photographers, storytellers & artists. It will also form an exhibition space & a base for collaborative work between mediums and formats.

There is a long page of opportunities in retail, exhibition, workshops and collaboration, this short paragraph can't do it justice, so if you are interested, have a look. Their site also has the contact details.

Experimenting with Live Broadcast as Artwork

Field Broadcast have put a call out for artists who are

interested in experimenting with live broadcast as artwork. Artists can be working in any medium, but they must be willing to engage with creating artworks that take place as a live broadcast event, and to contribute to a collective, collaborative project.

Broadcasts will be developed through conversation and experimentation in PRIMARY House (Nottingham), an unremarkable field somewhere near the M1 [John: are there any remarkable fields near the M1?], and, finally, the desktops of the participants' and public's computers.

The description on the Broadway website goes on to explain:

Field Broadcast are working with Near Now at Broadway and PRIMARY to lead Domestic Pursuits; a project which will develop new approaches to live broadcasting through collective experimentation. Working from residency space, PRIMARY House, the project will consider the domestic contexts of broadcast reception and the infrastructure that enables its transmission.

There is a small honorarium available for artists who are selected, and who are able to commit to the full day during the week 9 – 14 May. The application information is on the Broadway website and the deadline is Thursday 25 April, 6pm. So if you are outstanding in your field, you can be out standing in a field.

Field by Mike Cattell www.flickr.com/photos/mikecattell/4422442595/

John is one of our team of bloggers. If you don't think much of his attempts at humour, he can be reached on john AT creativenottingham.com and followed on Twitter @johnwithbeard

Creative Midlands