The Sunday Round - 11
Artists, cities, society, infrastructure, citizenship and more.
A round up of opportunities and the things we've seen, read or been interested in this week
This week: 4 open call commissions, why people from social housing should build cities, Stormy launches a publishing imprint, the need for critics of colour, how Theaster Gates addresses 'Blackness' through art and city building and more.
1. Stormzy launches #Merky Books publishing imprint with Penguin Random House: encouraging more young people to read, write and get published, Stormzy has partnered with leading publishing house with the hope of supporting young writers to become published authors.
2. Theaster Gates: 'The male, Caucasian world as we've known it is over': In preparation for his exhibition at Kunstmuseum Basel on the theme of the Black Madonna, Theaster Gates reflects on his practice restoring buildings, performing jazz, making physical objects and archiving, in the context of the "black experience".
3. The Problem with white critics critiquing work by Artists of Color: On the importance of acknowledging cultural sensitivities, nuances and significance, Donja R. Love details the need for critics of colour.
4. Architecture: ‘People from social housing should build cities’: With 95% of British architects white and 75% male, a new campaign is encouraging diversity in the profession
5. Fighting Inequality With Data: Bechtel theatre on industry inequality, representation, and sexy, sexy data: "if you don’t have that knowledge [of women/artists of colour/neuro-diverse makers doing exciting work], you shouldn’t be doing the programming. It is not underrepresented theatre makers’ job to educate you."
6. Inventory of Behaviours - finding value in the things artists do when not making artworks: Following a call-out asking artists to submit their ‘preparations, patterns, neuroses, speculations, and procrastinations that surround the production of art in the studio’, hese submissions turned into instructions that were carried out by volunteer artists, students and members of the public.
7. Gloves help blind people to 'see' art: how haptic gloves are helping visually impaired people experience art through a virtual reality kit and haptic gloves.
Opportunities:
Still We Rise, York Mediale: Call for proposals of artworks by a female, non-binary, or femme-identifying artist / collective, which can be categorised broadly as ‘media art’ in its form, and deals with social and / or political concerns relevant to their own context.
CRATE, Curatorial Open: Call for proposals from artists and curators to research, test and create a new curatorial project using Crate’s project space for a four week period between 17th October and 14th November. All proposals must have a strong public outcome and include a Crate Conversations session. Fee, production budget and hospitality costs included.
National Memorial Arboretum, Artist in Residence: The National Memorial Arboretum is inviting applications from artists who wish to develop their practice by working with the site’s collections, landscape and knowledge. The 2018 residency programme forms part of the Arboretum’s commemorations of the centenary of the Armistice and will respond to the theme of ‘Peace and Reconciliation.’
We Are Bearwood, Artist Commissions: are seeking a number of proposals that could cohesively form the main professionally delivered community arts programme, alongside the excellent music stage the Bearwood Promoters volunteers will deliver.