MAKING MOVES - Resident Artist Opportunity, FINAL CALL Leamington Spa

MAKING MOVES Resident Artist Opportunity, Glasshouse Studio, Jephson Gardens, Leamington Spa Warwick District Council and Coventry University are seeking an experienced designer maker or artist whose work has a strong resonance with contemporary craft for a residency in Leamington Spaas part of the Arts Council funded Making Moves project. The residency will take place in The Glasshouse Studio attached to the Temperate House in Jephson Gardens, Leamington Spa’s centrally situated historic pleasure gardens.

The residency will start in January/February 2012 and be completed by April 2012. Inspiration for the residency comes from the unique, captivating & sometimes hidden (hi)stories both past & present that have contributed to the culture & heritage of Leamington Spa & its diverse communities, and we are especially interested in artists whose work stretches conventional thinking and making. Drawing on a wealth of research material and supported by the WDCArts Development Officer & the Making Moves Co-ordinator, the appointed artist will have space and R&D time to further their own practice in response to the residency. The artist will also be asked to work with community groups which may include people from migrant communities and/or recently arrived young migrants, and to offer high quality making sessions to stimulate critical discussion and an understanding of creative practice through making. A shadow artist placement will also offer a recent graduate the opportunity to observe and learn from the resident artist in order to develop their artistic practice and their skills in working with communities. A sharing event/exhibition at the end of the residency will include activities which can be opened out to the wider community and potentially facilitated by community participants sharing their new skills.

Following the residency the artist will be commissioned to create a new work which will feature in an exhibition showcasing all 9 residencies that will tour throughout the West Midlands from June 2012 – May 2014. There may also be the opportunity to exhibit the work at Leamington SpaArt Gallery & Museum.

We are asking for a commitment of 20 days between January/February and April 2012. The fee is £5,000 inclusive of travel & VAT, with a £1,000commission fee for the production of the final piece for exhibition.

Making Moves is a craft development initiative which builds on a seven year partnership between Staffordshire County Council and Craftspace. In this new two year phase the partnership has evolved across the West Midlands pairing four HE institutions with a range of Local Authority Arts Development Services. The programme comprises 9 residencies, a touring exhibition, opportunities for students, graduates & professional makers, & explores commissioning models.

Deadline for applications: Friday 16 December 2011 Interviews will be held in the week commencing 9 January 2012 Planning meetings will be held before the residency starts & during the period of the residency For information pleasecontact: Mair Evans, Arts Development Officer, Warwick District Council, mair.evans@warwickdc.gov.uk, 07846542123or Anne Forgan, Making Moves Project Coordinator, anne_forgan@yahoo.co.uk, 07770674552