Artist-in-residence opportunity with Creative Darlington in collaboration with the Middlesbrough Art Weekender. Proposals are now being sought for an artist-in-residence opportunity at Darlington library and archives. This residency will be a satellite project of the Middlesbrough Art Weekender, generously supported by Creative Darlington and located at Darlington Library and Crown Street Gallery. Artists applying should be from or based in the North East of England.

Artists wishing to apply for this residency opportunity are encouraged to consider the history of public space / libraries, their users and how publics engage with these spaces and what futures these interactions may have.

It is envisaged that the artist will work in Darlington Library for 3 days per week over a period of four weeks. This may include engaging with the library institution, with the archive collections, affiliated groups or general library users. The proposed projects should have some form of public facing process that makes use of the Crown Gallery space within the library during the residency, as well as culminating in a performance/exhibition/project occurring at Crown Street Gallery, Darlington which is located inside the library.

There is an artist fee of £2.5K plus a project budget inclusive of travel up to £2.5K attached to this project. Additional tech support can be supplied by the The Middlesbrough Art Weekender.

Dates: 12th August to 12th September

Context

The Library:

Darlington Borough Council has been promoting a conversation and seeking public views on how the library service at Crown Street could look in the future. Crown Street Library itself plays host to a number of regular well-attended groups including a Knitting Circle, local history events, book festivals and readings.

Gallery / Activity Space:

There is a gallery called the Crown Street Gallery situated within the library - a large single-room space that would benefit as a site of the artist’s ongoing activities with (or accessible by) the public whilst in residence and as a final exhibiting / performance / installation space. A flexible approach will be needed in working around other events taking place at times during the residency period.

Archive:

The archive is a wondrous labyrinth of donated works from various eras. The archive can act as an inspiration and resource for the residency and/or as possible material to be used and even exhibited in some manner.

There is a local studies collection of over 40,000 images of local people and places, some of which are oil paintings and watercolours. There is also a historic and contemporary poster collection.

Note: there is currently an embargo on filming or photography in the spaces within the subterranean archive spaces and other non-public areas of Darlington Library.

Middlesbrough Art Weekender 2019:

This year, the Middlesbrough Art Weekender 2019 looks at autonomy as the overarching theme of the festival programme. An opportunity to engage with the festival through an artist talk also forms part of this call.

Useful links:

Creative Darlington: https://creativedarlington.org.uk/

Middlesbrough Art Weekender 2018: https://middlesbroughartweekender.com/

Library website: https://www2.darlington.gov.uk/web/arena/welcome

Images of Crown Street Gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/darlingtonboroughcouncil/albums/72157638373975645