SUPPORTING EARLY CAREER ARTISTS

From the moment an artist commits to a career in their chosen practice, whether on a full or part time basis, finding opportunities, securing fair rates of pay, a regular income stream, a space to work and grow their practice and building a collaborative support network are just some of the challenges faced.

Moving into the realm of public art through 2D murals creates opportunities to help overcome many of these challenges. Artists gain exposure, a new platform for their work, an opportunity to work at a larger scale in the public realm and connect with like-minded creatives. For communities, the improvement to public spaces from small through to large scale installations, promotes a sense of place and identity.

Artist-led projects often help strengthen the bonds of the community, especially through engagement activities. Installations create conversation, which may be positive and negative and spark imagination of what else could be achieved.

For the artist, gaining the early experiences is often the greatest barrier as briefs set by commissioners generally ask for examples of previous relevant experience.

Appendix II: Support for Emerging Artists offers specific guidance aimed at early career artists or artists interested in translating or upscaling their work into murals or 2D art. Researched by Emmeline North and with input from established artists as well as those earlier on in their career, it aims to highlight best practices for all parties and shares valuable input from working artists as to how communities and organisations can support and value the work. These conversations have highlighted where to find existing networks and how skill sharing can be of mutual benefit and contribute to the strengthening of the creative network in the town or district, and hopefully generate interest in more future projects. These findings plus research carried out across an index of over 30 case studies have influenced the following recommendations.

Recommendations

Embed opportunities for early career artists to collaborate with established artists

What better way to gain experience, knowledge and skills than by working alongside an established artist. Both parties can benefit from the pairing.

The lead (established) artist benefits from additional support potentially including design development, community engagement, carrying out the installation, cleaning up and having a colleague to secure the site during breaks, help with working at heights safely and engaging with passers-by. It can also be extremely rewarding to see people develop and flourish in their own right.

In exchange for their commitment to assisting in as many aspects as possible, the support (early career) artist gains valuable insight throughout the design process, engagement, and the installation - from priming the site, methods of scaling up designs, types of paint and painting techniques or other materials, troubleshooting and overall growing in confidence and being part of a strong network.

It is recommended that a bursary is built into projects to support early career artists, valuing their time and commitment. The commission brief and lead artist budget should account for the established artist providing the support required.

The pairing should be initiated once a lead artist is appointed so that they can help to select the artist. This could be facilitated through an open call out for expressions of interest or a more targeted approach via a local or regional network such as Creative Wakefield, The Art House, or connecting with Further and Higher Education institutions.

Act as a facilitator

Consider how you can help the artist to realise their ideas on a practical level. For example, you may find that the artist needs support in finding a space to work from such as an empty shop or warehouse. You may be able to help them make connections and facilitate opportunities to network. You may be able to draw on your contacts to lever in kind or discounted support for materials or equipment. You may be able to draw on your experience to act as a sounding board for their ideas and bring practical knowledge and advice.

Develop their portfolio

If all parties agree, the support artist should be able to use the experience and their role in the project as part of their portfolio, the intellectual property of the work is retained by the lead artist unless otherwise agreed. You may be able to pay for professional photos or video documenting the process and final outcomes to enhance their portfolio. Credit the support artist within promotion and offer to provide a testimonial.