Goole Museum and Art Gallery has £3,000 funding for an artist or maker to create new work in response to the collections, landscape and history of the town of Goole to celebrate 200 years since the town was created by the Aire and Calder Navigation Company. This commission forms part of an Arts Council England funded series of annual commissions to bring new work into the collections of East Riding Museums Service for display and acquisition into the permanent collection of the service over the next three years.

Aims

·        To provide contemporary artists and makers the opportunity to display work in distinctive heritage settings.

·        To support the creative careers of emerging artists and makers.

·        To acquire contemporary works by artists and makers for the long-term collections of the museum service.

·        To attract new audiences to Goole Museum in the town’s bicentenary year as an inland port and inland navigation hub.

What

We are seeking an artist or maker to create a new work for display in the museum galleries inspired by the museum collections, Goole’s historic townscape and its current communities.

The museum has regular community co-curated exhibitions sharing new aspects of the town’s social and industrial history. It also holds the largest collection of pierhead artist, Rueben Chappell.

The created work should be engaging for family audiences and have an aspect to support the bi-centenary celebrations planned in 2026.

All media are welcome, including textiles, sculptures, ceramics, paintings, installation, and audio visual. The work must fit the space intended and be of a material and construction that can be cared for as a permanent addition to Goole Museum and Art Galleries collection.

The completed work will be displayed in the museum for a minimum of two months. It is to be accompanied by at least one artist talk for the public about the work and its creation.

About Goole Museum and Art Gallery

Goole Museum is located at the Centre of the port town of Goole in East Yorkshire.

The most inland seaport in the country (50 miles from the sea), Goole was constructed on the River Ouse as a purpose-built port town by the Aire and Calder Navigation Company in 1826.

In the 150 years following its founding, Goole and its population grew on international maritime trade and shipbuilding as well as number of other traditional industries, including clothes manufacturing at Burton’s factory.

In contrast, the surrounding hinterland remained rural and agricultural, ensuring that Goole remains ‘a port in green fields’.

During the late 20th century, changes in technology and the economy caused a decline and eventual loss of Goole’s traditional industries. In recent decades, the town has struggled and has been marred by unemployment, poverty and a loss of identity.

Yet, Goole currently stands at a crossroads. The port, which is still fully operational, has recently been designated a free port, new large industries have arrived, and funding has been acquired to regenerate areas of the town.

Furthermore, increasing cultural diversity in recent years has brought in new skills and enterprise. The year 2026 marks the bicentenary of Goole’s founding. Throughout the year the people of Goole will celebrate their rich heritage but will also look forward to the next 200 years of the town’s story.

Goole museum opened in its current location in 1972 on the upper level of the library building, which was originally constructed as a furniture shop in the early 1960s.

The museum’s permanent exhibits tell the story of Goole, from the early development of the port and town to the maritime activities that took place in and around the docks.

The galleries also cover the social history of Goole, and explore the lives and experiences of working-class people, both at home and work, and through the World Wars.

East Riding museum’s catalogue contains over 12,000 records of objects held at the museum.

The collection comprises a varied body of material covering the social, cultural and maritime history of Goole.

Notable themes are clothing and costume, craft and industry, health and medicine, household and domestic, clubs and societies, sports and recreation, military and wartime, photographs and documents.

Within the wider museum collection, are several key collections. This includes a body of material gathered by Goole antiquarian Harold Garside (1894-1967). 

This collection contains books, military and commemorative medals, paintings, documents, photographs, maps and objects relating to the history of Goole. Alongside, these items are number of general ‘curiosities’ from various world cultures.

The museum is also home to the largest collection of ship portraits painted by the Goole-born pierhead painter Reuben Chappell. Chappell is considered amongst the most accomplished and prolific of the pierhead painters, and during his career he produced more than 12,000 paintings.

In contrast, the Shand Collection contains many toys, games, models and books, mainly dating from the early 1950s. The objects belonged to Phillip Shand (1943-2019), who served for many years as a community Doctor in Goole.

Further details about the museum can be found at: https://www.eastridingmuseums.co.uk/find-a-museum/museum/?entry=goole_museum. It is managed by East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

Commission Timetable

·        Expression of interest closing date: 30th May 2025

·        Shortlist of three artists for research visit (travel bursary of £150 each) and final proposal: 14th June 2025

·        Research visits: between 16th June and 30th June 2025

·        Final proposal submission: 21st July 2025

·        Final artist selection: 28th July 2025

·        Delivery and Installation date – by 1st December 2025

·        Marketing and artist talk dates to be agreed and confirmed January 2026

Application and Selection Process

The commission has a three-stage tender process starting with an initial expression of interest call. Following this, three shortlisted artists and makers will be invited to a research visit with reimbursement for travel costs up to £150.

After submission of final proposals, a panel of museum and art professional staff from East Riding of Yorkshire Councils cultural team will review and select the successful proposer for the commission.

Your expression of interest should include the following:

·        What attracted you to this opportunity and why you should be shortlisted.

·        Has your work explored this subject matter previously?

·        If so where does this commission fit within your development or expand on previous work.

·        If not, how will this commission impact the development of your work?

·        What aspects of the museum, collections, or narratives you would like to explore and research further.

·        If known at this stage, an outline proposal of what direction the work might take, what might be produced and how.

·        Your experience of engaging audiences with your work.

·        A CV with images and examples of previous work.

Research Visit

Three shortlisted artists and makers will be invited for a research visit to support the preparation and submission of final proposals.

The visit will be an opportunity to experience the museum and explore our collections, and to discuss your expression of interest with curatorial staff. Reimbursement of travel costs up to £150 is available.

Fee and Payment

£3,000 for artwork to include all materials.

Additional funding for talks of £400.

Paid with an initial start-up fee of £750 upon agreement of terms with a remainder of £2,250 invoiced no later than 16th January 2026.

General Requirements of the Artist

·        The commissioned artist will be freelance and will be responsible for their own tax and national insurance or be part of an arts/cultural organisation.

·        Be ICT literate, approachable and self-sufficient.

·        Attend required planning and liaison session(s) in person or virtually.

·        Be prepared for giving a talk about your work to the public.

·        Provide appropriate information for evaluation process and attend an evaluation meeting upon completion of the commission.