The Thackray Museum of medicine is looking to employ an artist to co-create a piece of art for a temporary exhibition on menstruation with the Vagina Museum, Freedom4Girls and community partners.

Introduction to Thackray Museum of Medicine

The Thackray Museum of Medicine has recently reopened after a major redevelopment project which has seen the launch of 11 new galleries exploring historic and contemporary medicine. The museum seeks to inspire and empower visitors in their own medical, health and wellbeing journeys.

Background to the project

The Thackray Museum of Medicine hosts an exciting array of temporary exhibitions alongside the 11 permanent galleries in the museum. One of our upcoming exhibitions will be opening in January 2022 in conjunction with the Vagina Museum, London. We’ll be hosting 'Periods, a brief jaunt up North' a touring exhibition created by the Vagina Museum. We will be supplementing the exhibition, which centres around histories and experiences of menstruation, with our own collections, activities, programmes and a community art project.

Scope of works

The museum requires the services of an artist to provide the following for the exhibition:

Work with museum staff, Freedom4Girls (a Leeds based period poverty charity) and local people to create artwork for the exhibition to cover a wall space up to 8m. The central theme is 'what I wish I’d known about periods' and will draw on experiences from people in our local communities. The exact nature of the piece will be agreed by the museum, freedom for girls, community partners, representatives from the Vagina Museum and the artist. It is likely to be a piece of wall art, although alternative proposals will be considered.

The artwork must represent a range of views and include space for participants and visitors' comments. The artwork but be accessible, eye catching and be a fun way to convey some quite serious messages. It also needs to be suitable for all ages, although the exhibition is predominantly aimed at teenagers and adults.

Co-Creation Workshops

Working with TMM staff, deliver 4 workshops with community groups, including young people, to gather ideas and input for the artwork. This will also be an opportunity to gather stories and information to feed into other areas of the exhibition. Applicants should have experience of working with people with lived experience and be willing to include their stories in the artwork. Resources to be provided by the museum with prior agreement.

Artwork

The workshops will feed into an artwork for the gallery. It is likely to be a piece of printed or wall mounted art (up to 8 metres). Artists can discuss with the museum possible alternatives such as film, digital art or sculpture. The artwork must be accessible and suitable for mixed audiences, including children, reflect a diverse range of voices and people and say something about experiences of menstruation.

We would also like the artwork to include possibilities for visitors to add their own thoughts, this can be built into the piece or stand alone as agreed by the museum.

Artwork should be in suitable digital format for reproduction/printing if necessary.

There will be scope to liaise with a graphic designer to agree a format.

Events

The artist will be involved in delivering 3 programmed public events during the exhibition, the format and content will be developed with the museum.

Commissioner's Licence and Rights

The copyright in and the ownership of the Work will belong to the Artist, subject to the following licence of rights, in perpetuity.

TMM secures exclusive exhibition and commercial rights, commencing on delivery, of the Work. TMM shall be entitled without additional payment to the Artist to make (or authorise others to make) any photograph, film or video of the Work (and/or to use any part or excerpt thereof) and to include this in publicity material (in any medium) to promote the museum or reproduce it for commercial purposes.

Insurance & DBS

You are required to have your own employer and public liability insurance. Insurance should cover multi-site working, including venues that are not Thackray Museum of Medicine. Please provide a copy of evidence of these prior to starting work.

Timescale

Workshops to take place by end of September 2021

Design sketches submitted by end of October 2021

Final design submitted by end of November 2021

Artwork installed w/c 4th January 2022

Exhibition launch 8th January 2022

Programme events to be agreed with the museum, they will take place between 13th January and 10th April

Exhibition close 10th April 2022

Fees and Expenses

For the research, workshop and programme delivery, artwork, (and install if a hand-painted mural) and all expenses and resources/materials the sum available is up to £4000.

Invoices should be presented to TMM:

40% After the workshops and with first design sketches

60% On completion of the project

Next Steps

If you are interested in working with us on this project, please submit a proposal via CuratorSpace to include:

Your suggested approach

Suggested timings

Suitable examples of your work

Experience of co-creating artwork and delivering public engagement workshops

Budget breakdown

By: 5pm 6th September