CAS and Unlimited wish to appoint an artist in residence either from the Midlands or the SouthWest region for 8-12 weeks, between Feb and April 2020. The artist will be based at the CAS project space, Chapel Arts Studios where there will be personal studio space and access to a wide variety of resources, equipment and support.

Themes of Life

Working in partnership with the Beautiful Burial Ground project, Unlimited and CAS (Chapel Arts Studio), Themes of Life is an artist’s residency for a disabled artist based in Chapel Arts Studio at the centre of Andover Cemetery.  Throughout the residency the artist will involve the general public in response to the environment, the ecology and the living history, all of which converge in this unique space.

CAS sits right at the centre of the main cemetery in Andover, a unique space, a ‘garden of rest’ if you like, with its boundary edges like any other garden and cared for space, separating it from the world outside. It is a capsule of social history, not only for those buried here but also for living history as locals walk their dogs, young people chat on benches, children cut through on their way home from school, and the homeless community share a drink together.

The environment flourishes within the protection of the boundary walls with plant life and wild life active all around, squirrels running across pathways and trees of many species providing shelter. Andover itself is a mixed community with small pockets of wealth but also areas of significant deprivation. Nevertheless it has much to be hopeful about and many community groups bringing life and vibrancy to the town.

About the Opportunity

We are inviting an artist to be resident in the CAS space, engaging the community around us to respond to this unique environment through art. How this will manifest itself is up to the artist to propose. We have existing partnerships with the Caring for God’s Acre organisation and their Beautiful Burial Ground Project, which is currently running throughout the UK, and which can provide us with workshops around social history and ecology, bringing the environmental landscape of the cemetery, and how to care for that unique environment, to life. 

We are open to a wide range of interpretive responses to ‘Themes of Life’, biological life (of the body or the plant world), social life, notions of time and growth. The work could be digital, sound, performance, temporary – we are open to all proposals.

Duration of residency: minimum 8 weeks, maximum 12 weeks, February-April 2020. 

A successful applicant that cannot commute from their home to Andover will be supported to find suitable local accommodation for residency periods. Travel, accommodation and access costs will be covered on top of your artist’s fee, if relevant, up to a ceiling of £3000.

Supplied by CAS:

•      Full time access and use of the studio over the period of residency agreed

•      Project management support

•      Mentoring

•      Practical support to install and take down exhibition

•      Practical support for living and access arrangements ahead of and during the residency

•      Relationship building support with local groups and organisations in the community, which includes, but is not limited to: a local choir, young people groups, a social prescribing group, a gardening group, WI groups and CAS associate artists

Budget:

Artist fee £8000

Materials/Collaborators budget £1500

Travel, accommodation and access costs will be covered on top of the above, as relevant, up to a ceiling of £3000

Further information and How to apply:

Selection Criteria for CAS:AIR; ’Themes of Life’;

Disabled artist based in Arts Council Areas of the South West or Midlands. This opportunity is only for artists based in these regions, addressing a lower volume of awards within Unlimited for disabled artists based in these areas.

•      Visual arts or cross art form focus

•      Innovative and ambitious idea, with a strong cohesive delivery plan

•      Artist can demonstrate experience in delivering projects involving strong partnerships and/or community engagement

•      A clear thematic focus to the project around ‘Themes of Life’

•      Engagement with the communities local to Chapel Arts, with a minimum of 6 engagement sessions 

 •      Some engagement with young people local to Chapel Arts, whether that be light touch or as an integral part of the sessions

Other required deliverables:

•      Some form of final celebration/exhibition within the chapel space. The space can be open to visitors at various points during the residency, used for workshops, interim shows/screenings/engagement opportunities. 

•      The artist should create an A3 contribution to our Chapters box as a legacy for the project. Chapters is an archive of work by artists who are connected with CAS. Your submission can be photographs, written pieces, actual artwork, and anything that will fit into an A3 box and in an archive sleeve. 

Duration of residency: 

Minimum 8 weeks, maximum 12 weeks, 1st February - 30th April 2020

Budget:

•      Artist fee £8000

•      Additional Materials/Collaborators £1500

•      Travel, accommodation and access costs will be covered on top of the above, as relevant, up to a ceiling of £3000

Application Process:

An Expression of Interest is required which focuses on the idea and ambition of the project, the background of the artist, the intention of the residency, and the framework of delivery. See detailed instructions below.

If shortlisted you will be:

•      Offered an an interview to discuss the project in more detail, and meet the CAS team 

•      Asked for more detail: a budget breakdown, timeline, and proposed partners, to be supplied a week before interview.

Timeline:

•      18th August: callout announced and open to expressions of interest

•      20th October: deadline for expressions of interest 

•      1st November: Shortlist confirmed and applicants notified

 •      Week of 18th November: interviews for shortlisted applicants held at CAS  

 •      December - January: site visit (if applicable), introduction and prep meetings with CAS team 

How to apply:

Create two text documents, either PDF or Word docs as follows;

1. Your CV including contact details and links to any website, social media accounts etc. entitled: YourFirstName-YourLastName-CV.

2. A second document outlining;

•      the idea and ambition of your proposal, 

•      the background of your work as an artist, 

•      how you might engage the community, 

•      and a rough framework of delivery

•      Up to 5 x Images of past work

Entitle this document: YourFirstName-YourLastName-Proposal

Please include both documents, either PDF or Word docs.

We are open to supporting your accessibility needs, e.g. we will accept Expressions of Interest that contain the same information and labelling detailed below. If you require further considerations due to accessibility issues please get in touch.