The deadline for submission of project proposals is 5pm Friday 30 April, proposals submitted after this deadline will not be considered.

Criteria for shortlisting

1. The proposed activity must be your own original work and that of your collaborators if you are working in partnership with other artists.

2. All intellectual property in the applicant’s work will remain with and belong to the individual applicant artist.

3. The partnership reserves the right to create a digital record of the activity, which maybe used as evidence of completion and to promote the project on our website. The artist will be credited for the artwork and receive a copy of any such material.

4. The partnership reserves the right to publicise and promote the funded project, including individual profiles of the artists, artwork content and project summaries.

5. Successful applicants will be required to actively promote their project, be available for interviews and participate in related press/media activities or launches (under Government guidelines for COVID19 as applicable).

6. With regards to data protection, the partnership will use each entrant’s personal details for the purpose of administering this application. Any data about you will be held securely with access restricted to those involved in dealing with our application in the selection process. Your application will be kept on file for a maximum of six months and then destroyed in a confidential manner.

7. Any costs incurred when putting together your application are the responsibility of the applicant.

8. Any expenditure incurred or committed before any award is made is the responsibility of the applicant.

9. Selection of the projects remains the decision of The partnership, whose decision is final. There will be no recourse to appeal if applications have not been successful. The partnership regrets it will be unable to supply individual feedback on unsuccessful applications.

10. This is an exciting, rare and unique opportunity and we hope that, where possible, interested artists will visit the borough and town centre to view potential sites, including this research in their final project proposal.

Public Art could consider building physical and cultural bridges with the creative community such as Fusion Arts in Eden Street, Kingston Artists Open Studios (a collective of professional local artists), the Rose Theatre in the High Street and Creative Youth a local charity that will take up residence in the Undercroft where the foundations for the medieval bridge are preserved, underneath the John Lewis building. This space will become a ‘Factory of Futures’ for young creatives to programme and innovate.

Kingston’s origins are therefore based on commerce and innovation - from Roman through to medieval times. More contemporary heritage includes aircraft manufacture. The site of the Hawker Siddeley aircraft factory is located to the north of the town centre.

Kingston has a rich music heritage, and many musicians and artists have their roots in Kingston and Kingston School of Art. Nipper Alley commemorates the burial site of ‘Nipper’ - the little dog made famous by HMVs His Master’s Voice logo. Banquet Records is a significant presence in the cultural life of the town centre. A much-loved music promoter and record store, Banquet Records secures A list bands to play more intimate gigs in Kingston at All Saints Church in the Market Place, The Fighting Cocks and Pryzm Nightclub.

Kingston Museum’s Eadweard Muybridge archive is due to be relocated to Town House, Kingston University in summer 2021 to preserve the work of this pioneering Victorian photographer and to provide better public access to the collection. Although Muybridge is a controversial figure, he brings together the world of art and science and his influence can be seen and interpreted in contemporary culture today. Kingston Museum & Art Gallery and Kingston Library on Wheatfield Way occupy another site due for significant regeneration.

The ‘Coronation Stone’ reputedly used in the crowning of seven Saxon Kings (adjacent to the medieval Clattern Bridge), is located on the high street in the grounds of the Guildhall complex.

The location of the Eden Campus on the Hogsmill river on its own ‘green’ island, and its association with trade and industry, is mirrored in the location of the Stanley Picker Gallery, also located on an ‘island’ where a coconut mill once stood. Both sites are connected along the Hogsmill river by a footpath used by local residents and university students.

The riverside from Canbury Gardens to Seething Wells Filter beds has a particularly rich history. Canbury Gardens once hosted the Green Fair. The first fair was held in 1987 to promote and celebrate green thinking and was at the forefront of the environmental movement.

Walking along the riverfront, other notable sites include the entrances to the medieval alleyways such as King’s Passage, Eagle Brewery Wharf (site of Fricker’s Eagle Brewery) and southwards along the Queen’s promenade towards Seething Wells Filter beds. The filter beds and Lambeth Waterworks played a significant role in providing clean water to Soho and defeating cholera through the work of epidemiologist Dr John Snow.

Balletboyz and the Stanley Picker Gallery are both Arts Council England-funded National Portfolio Organisations and are located in close proximity to the town centre. Balletboyz moved from Sadlers Wells to develop their own dance studios, located in Canbury Park Road in an ex-aviation factory. They are one of the most original and innovative forces in contemporary dance - blending film and movement to create a different audience experience.

From its island location on the Hogsmill river, Stanley Picker Gallery at Kingston University is dedicated to commissioning and curating contemporary art and design practice, through a dynamic programme of exhibitions, events and participation activities staged onsite, offsite and online. The Stanley Picker Fellowships support contemporary artists and designers to create ambitious new work and have supported two Turner Prize-winning artists.

The Rose Theatre is also situated on the Hogsmill. Its layout is based upon the original Elizabethan Rose Theatre in London. The theatre is evolving its artistic offer with modern adaptations of theatre and literary classics, alongside supporting more experimental work showcasing diverse and emerging talent. Supported by Kingston Council the theatre is developing its offer as a cultural hub for the community and will play a vital role in the regeneration of the town centre.

Bordering Richmond Park, Dorich House Museum at Kingston University is the former studio home of sculptor Dora Gordine and her husband the Hon. Richard Hare, a scholar of Russian art and literature. Now Grade II-listed, the building was completed in 1936, to Gordine’s design, and is an exceptional example of a modern studio house created by and for a female artist.

Each year the town centre and marketplace host a variety of annual cultural events from Kingston Carnival and the Korean Harvest Festival to the International Youth Arts Festival.

WIDER INFLUENCES

Kingston’s BAME population will grow from 32.5% to 36% by 2021. The borough is home to Europe’s largest Korean population. Second and third generation Koreans are culturally active and organisations like the Korean British Cultural Exchange and the Korean Residents Association organise a range of events to build cultural bridges with the wider community - celebrating their heritage through the arts and food culture. We are also home to a significant south Asian community - reflected in established organisations like the Gujarati School and the Institute for Tamil Culture. Kingston Museum is interested in how to represent this history of migration to reflect the significant contribution different cultures have made to the borough.