Take it Outside - Open Call

Take it Outside
Artist development programme for Arts in Public Space
supported by Jerwood Arts Developing Artists scheme

OPEN CALL
Deadline for expressions of interest applications: 28th June 2023

Overview

Take it Outside is a new artist development scheme aimed at supporting extraordinary early-career artists, typically with less than ten years of professional practice that are aiming to develop work for outdoors and public space. Through this scheme, we want to support six artists to lead innovation and artform development over the next decade, creating work of international quality for outdoor contexts.

Participants will take part in number of supported residencies at 101 Outdoor Arts between September 2023 and September 2025 and will be able to take to take full advantage of the centre’s unique rehearsal, fabrication and living facilities. Over two years, participants will receive a bursary plus support for mentoring and project development. Although Take it Outside is not a commissioning scheme, each artist will identify a project or approach to making a new work that they would like to develop over the two year programme leading to a sharing at the end of the programme.

Take it Outside will be hosted by 101 Outdoor Arts – a unique 20,000sq ft centre on the former USAF Greenham Common airbase which hosts a programme of residency and professional development opportunities for artists working in public space.

Take it Outside is supported by Jerwood Arts Developing Artists scheme.

Image: Autin Dance Theatre residency for Parade at 101 Outdoor Arts 2023

The Programme offer
Take it Outside will provide a number of elements to support individuals across the 2 year period. These include:

A £4500 bursary for your time, materials and associated expenses
Up to £500 for mentoring/specialist artist development support
Four 1-2 day facilitated group residentials at 101 plus travel
At least four weeks total residency time at 101 with rehearsal, creation, fabrication space and accommodation included
Advice and support from the 101 team
Support for a sharing of the residency process with a public/peer/professional audience


The Programme dates

Dates for group residentials:
18-19  September 2023
5 February 2024
November 2024 (exact date tbc)
September 2025 (exact date tbc)
September 2025 - Project development/sharing’s to be completed

Application dates

Deadline for EOI applications: 28 June
Notification of shortlisted participants: 5 July
Deadline for full applications: 19 July
Successful applicants notified: 26 July

Take it Outside location
The residency elements of the scheme will take place at 101 Outdoor Arts just outside Newbury. The 20,000 sq ft space comprises large, high ceilinged riggable rehearsal spaces and smaller studio spaces. We have a fully equipped metal and wood fabrication workshop along with support for other making processes. The space can also offer a range of sound, lighting, staging and other equipment as well as technical and producing expertise. 101 has on-site accommodation for up to fifteen people in ensuite cabins.

Who is Take it Outside for:

We are looking for 6 individuals who are interested in developing their practice and a new work as part of this 2 year support scheme. We want to support artists who are interested in working outdoors and in public space – including those that are working across performance, music and interdisciplinary practise. Whilst we are interested in more visual forms of artistic practice – including installation work – this is a scheme primarily focussed on performative outcomes.

Participants should all have the following attributes:

Have been creating work professionally for a minimum of three years and maximum of 10 years (not including full-time education).

Have a specific project idea that you would like to explore during the residency that represents an innovation in your practice or in the artform.

Be committed to working in outdoor or public space contexts although not necessarily with an extensive track record

Be at a pivotal point in your career where this residency opportunity could make a difference to the quality, scale or direction of your artistic practice

Be able to commit to attending the five group residential days and to undertaking an individual residency at 101.

Not already be the recipient of Jerwood Arts funding.

Be based in the UK

We particularly welcome applications from those currently under-represented in the arts and cultural industry as a result of barriers arising from social, gender, financial, ethnic, cultural, geographic or educational disadvantage or disability.

What do I need to produce?

The purpose of this residency is to provide a supportive platform for the development of your work and practice – the final outcomes will therefore in the main be led by your needs and goals. We are looking for each artist to contribute 3 elements as part of the scheme:

Sharing

At the end of the residency, we will ask all individuals to share the outcome of their work over the two year process at 101 (or a mutually agreed venue/ space). We envisage that the shape of this outcome will be different for each artist and could take a number of forms – including those with the public and/or sector peers.

Documentation

Participants will also be required to document their journey through the residency through blog/imagery/video – for both personal development, sharing with others in the scheme – and in some cases for public view.

Evaluation

Participants will also be required to complete a final evaluation to provide a wider insight into their actions and activities over the 2 years – and feedback on their experiences here. This will be used to support our work in this area.

Access Considerations

101 Outdoor Arts aims to be an accessible and inclusive organisation. Our venue is a converted industrial building and the whilst the majority of our rehearsal spaces are fully accessible we are happy to discuss any specific access issues and to endeavour to put the necessary support in place to enable individuals participation in the programme. We wouldn’t want circumstances beyond your control preventing you from applying for this opportunity. If you need additional support to help you attend please let us know in your expression of interest how we might be able to help. You can find more information on the facilities at 101 here https://101outdoorarts.com/res...

Application process
Interested applicants are asked to complete the form below (or submit a short video covering the questions asked) as part of an initial Expression of Interest. These will be assessed by the 101 Outdoor Arts Team – and a smaller number of applicants will be taken forward to submit a fuller proposal. These fuller proposals will also be assessed by the 101 team together with colleagues from Jerwood Arts.

Our timeline for the application process is as follows:
Deadline for EOI applications: 28 June 
Notification of shortlisted participants: 5 July 
Deadline for full applications: 19 July 
Successful applicants notified: 26 July 

About Us

101 Outdoor Arts:
www.101outdoorarts.com
101 is a national centre for arts in public space based on the former USAF Greenham Common. Opened in 2014 it has hosts over 60 creative residencies with approximately 300 artists each year on a fully residential basis. 101 runs a programme of artists development for work in public space that comprises labs, symposia and online programmes.

Jerwood Developing Artists Scheme:
https://jerwoodarts.org/programme/jerwood-developing-artists-fund/
The programme is funded by the Jerwood Developing Artists Fund which provides grants for arts organisations to deliver sector-leading development programmes for early-career artists, makers, curators and producers in all artforms across the UK.

FAQ’s

What is my time commitment?

We anticipate that participants may spend a total of around a month’s work on their project and participation in the scheme. We anticipate that around half of this would be in residence at 101.

What is the bursary to be spent on?

The bursary award is given to support your time and expenses and those of any additional performers/contributors you want to bring into your process. At the time of shortlisting we will ask for a breakdown of how you envisage the budget being allocated. Accommodation and space at 101 are offered without cost (subject to availability).

What is the mentoring support?

A budget of £500 per participant is available for mentoring/specialist advice. This might be for additional time with someone connected to the residency programme or anyone else that you/we jointly identify.

Should a residency at 101 form a core part of the your proposal?

Yes - the award is designed to support artists and ideas for whom a residency at 101 would make a distinctive contribution to the development of their practice. However, by arrangement this can be based around 101 and use other outdoor spaces that we have access to eg. Greenham Common, Greenham Business Park, Newbury Town Centre, Kennet & Avon Canal and others. Residencies can be more than 5 days but are unlikely to
be longer than 2-3 weeks. Residency periods can be spread over a longer period of
time but we would expect residencies to be completed by summer of 2025

What would my residency at 101 look like?
We anticipate individual residencies would be around four weeks in total but might be spread across the period depending on the needs of the individual and the availability of 101. You will have access to 101 facilities as appropriate and available including large and flexible 6m high rehearsal/production spaces; dance type studios; metal and woodworking fabrication workshops; media studio; on-site accommodation and living spaces and access to outdoor space. A residency at 101 is self-catering and includes shared technical support plus access to advice from the 101 team.

What are the group residentials?

The four group residentials scheduled as part of the programme will be a chance for the programme cohort to come together in a facilitated environment to meet, share and learn from each other. Feedback tells us that it is these types of peer exchange and formal and informal conversations that can often be enormously helpful to participants. Alongside the group discussions there will also be a chance to benefit from the knowledge of experienced producers working in arts in public space.

Do I need to have made an outdoor arts/ art in public space work before?

Not necessarily although we would expect you to be able to demonstrate existing interest/experience in this field and an appreciation of what this might entail. Although we understand that artists and projects may operate across both venue-based and outdoor contexts we will be looking for artists with a clear commitment to realising their project in public space.

Can I bring my cast/company/collaborators?

The financial constraints of the scheme mean that we envisage it will primarily be of interest to individual artists/duos and we will be looking for an identified project lead for each artist who will attend all the group residentials however we welcome the involvement of other individuals in the residency processes and are happy to host their accommodation free of charge (subject to availability).

Can I redevelop an existing work?

The scheme will proritise the creation of new work. You may apply to redevelop an existing work however it should be clear how this will be a significant step-change in your work and how you see the piece working in a public space context.

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

Please email your answers to these question to hello@101outdoorarts.com by 5pm 28th June 2023

Take it Outside: Expression of interest

Your contact details
Name
Phone number
Email
Postal address

You and your practice  – 300 words/3 minutes of video

Tell us about yourself and your practice, particularly in regard to your experience/interest in creating work for outdoors and public space. How do you see your work developing in the future?

Please include up to three links to supporting material which will help us to understand your practice.

Your residency – 500 words/5 minutes of video

Please tell us about what you would like to explore through your participation in the programme and the associated residency/residencies? What questions are you looking to answer? What significant development in your practice would you like to realise and what are the challenges you might have to overcome? What would help you do this?

Why does working outdoors and in public space excite you and what opportunities do you feel that it offers you? - 300 words/3 minutes of video


What is it that has particularly attracted you to this programme? 300 words/3 minutes of video


How is the programme we are offering particularly relevant to you and what elements of it are of the most interest?