Eleni Maragaki 11................................................................................................... Audrey Roger 12........................................................................The Artist Support Centre 13.................................................................................................. Daria Koltsova

@eleni__maragaki

@audrey_roger

The Artist Support Centre was founded by Samantha Y Huang (BA/MFA Fine Art) because questions about what it actually means to be a working artist are still not being answered within the education system, nor are they being adequately discussed outside of them.

TASC is run by a small team headed by Samantha Y Huang. The team consists of Amit Rai Sharma (BA Fine Art, MSc Psychology, practicing sound artist), Mark Tamer (BA/MA photography, practicing artist), and newest member Kieran Cook (recently graduated NUA Photography BA).

Our mission is to have more and more artists and creatives able to work and sustain their livelihood through their creative careers. And contrary to what a lot of knowledge out there will lead you to believe, there is no ‘insider knowledge’ with ‘quick tips’ or ‘hacks’ to help you ‘make it’ as an artist. And those who have sustained a career in the arts for a little while know this all too well.

What Samantha does differently with The Artist Support Centre is to have TASC act more like a companion rather than a one-stop shop. And what TASC does differently is to appreciate the ‘whole’ you. As artists, our lives impact our work, whether directly or indirectly, but they do affect it. One size simply cannot fit all when everyone has such unique approaches to living life. What TASC aims to do is take working knowledge from each artist we work with and distill it and let it inform approaches and methods to share with artists and the arts community, so that we may create necessary impactful change in the lives of artists.

Drawing on personal experiences in arts education and working in the creative industries, each member of TASC understands how difficult it is for a creative soul to follow a "typical" work and life path. Collectively as TASC we've come to realise that while university is great for developing your artistic skills, it's not where you'll learn how to set yourself up as a self-employed artist, nor learn how to pursue a career as a working artist.

Each member of the team has had to find this out the hard way. Which begs the question; why isn’t there any other way, other than the hard way?

The Artist Support Centre exists to help guide artists on their path into the creative working world. TASC are taking small, but steady steps, and are developing the resources for artists that will make the journey easier.

This August The Artist Support Centre (TASC) is hosting a number of events over 9 days in the heart of West London, at our London Home - The Muse Gallery! Followed by a three month online exhibition and collateral online events with art students and graduates around the globe.

At our real-world location, we are showcasing both the artists we have worked with in the past alongside fresh-faced art students and recent graduates who are only just beginning their artistic journey.

An exhibition is a necessary platform for artists to showcase their work, engage with the public and find supporters, but the heart of what we do is building a community within the arts where we can pass on practical and useful working knowledge from one artist to another.

We would like to welcome you to join us this August to celebrate the art and creativity that brings us together at The Muse Gallery from 17 - 26 Aug. Talks and workshops will take place on 20/21 Aug. Please visit our website for further information: www.theartistsupportcentre.com/tascathand2022

[ Participating Artists ] Practicing Artists: Julie Derbyshire, Gosia Łapsa-Malawska, Eli Cauley, Kevin McCollum, Vinni Kiniki, Mark Tamer, Oliver Campbell, Kashmirwala, Greg Patel-Harris.

Art students and recent graduates (2020, 2021, 2022): Abbie Horberry, Annie Ashwell, Edyta Lang, Violet Maimbourg, Takudzwa Chandiwana, Eva Andronikidou, Toby Tobias Kidd, Carla Ceylan, Qing Xuan Pud, Karina Synytsia, Tommy Lee Grimmer, Vladyslav Riaboshtan, Lorraine Wiseman, Daria Koltsova.