Who can apply: Current a-n Artist members and Joint (Artist and Arts Organiser) members.
What: Bursaries of £500 to £1,500 for continued professional practice.
When: Activity taking place between 1 February 2022 to 31 December 2022.
Applications open: Monday 13 September 2021, 12 noon.
Deadline for applications: Thursday 14 October 2021, 12 noon.
Overview
a-n The Artists Information Company is offering bursaries of £500 to £1,500 to Artist and Joint (Artist and Arts Organiser) members wishing to engage in a period of self-determined professional development. We know that it continues to be a challenging time for artists so the bursaries are designed to support the continuation of artistic practice and to help alleviate the financial pressures that may have arisen through the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
We encourage applications from artists working in all visual arts disciplines that reflect innovative and ambitious thinking, and those that demonstrate pivotal ideas during a critical time.
Deadline for applications: Thursday 14 October 2021, 12 noon.
How to apply
Applications are submitted via an online application form.
Please read Further information and Application guidance below, before starting your application.
You must be logged in to your a-n membership to access the form. Only current Artist members and Joint (Artist and Arts Organiser) members can apply.
We advise you to first write your application offline and to then transfer your answers to the online form. Upon submitting the form, you will be emailed a final version for your records.
You will be asked to provide:
- Your contact details
- Your area of visual arts practice
- A short overview of your proposed bursary (up to 40 words)
- An outline of your artistic practice (up to 100 words)
- A full description of your proposed bursary activity (up to 150 words)
- Why is the opportunity crucial to your professional development at this time and how will the activity benefit you in the short and long term? (up to 150 words)
- Amount applied for (£500 to £1,500)
- Additional disability access costs (up to £500), if required
- Details on any other sources of income, if applicable (up to 100 words)
- A detailed breakdown of your expenditure budget
- Start and end date of your bursary activity (to take place between 1 February 2022 to 31 December 2022)
- A list of your most recent solo exhibitions (up to 250 words)
- A list of your most recent group exhibitions (up to 250 words)
- A list of any other key achievements that support your application (up to 250 words)
- A list of any relevant work experience (up to 250 words)
- A list of your education history (up to 250 words)
- A link to your website, online portfolio or other means of viewing your work online
- Equal opportunities monitoring information (this information is separated, anonymised and does not form part of the selection process)
The application form will be accessible until Thursday 14 October 2021, 12 noon.
We regret that we are not able to provide advice on developing individual applications. However, should you need any technical support or have questions about the application requirements, including access requirements, please contact us by email at [email protected]
Further information
1. Who can apply?
a-n Artist Bursaries are open to current a-n Artist members or Joint (Artist and Arts Organiser) members who are practising visual artists at any stage of their career, based in the UK with a UK bank account. We encourage applications from artists working in all visual arts disciplines.
Check your a-n membership type
We are not accepting applications from:
- Arts Organiser or Student members
- Members who are students (directly or indirectly) in statutory education, further education or higher education (undergraduate or postgraduate) for activities directly linked to their formal course of study
- Members who are undertaking any full-time study during the bursary period
- Members living outside of the UK
- Members within 12 months of completing an undergraduate course
2. What activity can be supported?
a-n Artists Bursaries 2021: Time Space Money are intended to support the professional development of your artistic career, particularly if your practice has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. A bursary through this programme could support you by offering Time, Space, or Money to help stabilise your practice, to enable it to thrive in new ways in the future. This could be through the development of new skills, knowledge or networks that will benefit your career in the short and long term. We are open to considering any ideas that constitute a self-determined professional development opportunity, including those that combine several different activities.
Bursary activity might include, but is not limited to:
- Learning new skills through professional training, courses, peer-to-peer learning with visual arts or non-arts experts.
- Mentoring, coaching or curatorial feedback.
- Networking with artists, galleries, organisations or other groups of interest.
- Research and development costs for a new way of working or collaboration.
- Visiting national conferences, biennials, exhibitions, organisations, cities or any other specific location or event relevant to your practice.
- Time to rethink/recreate your creative space.
- Market development.
- Website development as a way to present your work.
- Portfolio development.
- Professional memberships.
- Tools for business development in relation to your artistic practice.
- Expert consultations (e.g. for business development, modelling, planning associated with your practice).
Reference to loss of earnings and other economic hardships can also be included as part of your proposed bursary activity. This might include, but is not limited to:
- Studio or workshop rent.
- Outgoings such as mortgage or rent.
- Lost income such as cancelled contracts for future work.
In addition to the activity itself, a-n Artist Bursaries 2021: Time Space Money can also support:
- Associated national travel costs, accommodation and subsistence.
- Contribution to caring costs and any access needs.
- Reasonable fees for your own time.
Examples of activity that can’t be supported include:
- Applications made only for the purchase of materials or equipment, however this could be included as part of a broader application where learning through making is vital and clearly beneficial in the long-term. Material or making costs should be no more than 50% of the total amount asked for.
- Applications made solely for loss of earnings and other economic hardships such as studio or workshop rent, outgoings such as mortgage or rent, lost income such as cancelled contracts for future work. However, this could be included as part of a broader application that includes professional development activities. Such costs should be no more than 50% of the total amount asked for.
- Applications made solely for goods or services e.g. paying a contractor for a website to be built, unless this is part of a broader application where other learning or skills building for the artist is included.
- Applications that fund the making of new or unfinished work or projects for exhibition, art fair or sale, however this could be one element of a broader application.
- Applications that are dependent on other unsecured funding.
- International travel.
- Higher education tuition fees and associated costs.
- Activities that do not meet current government guidelines for Covid-19.
3. How much can be applied for?
£500 to £1,500
4. How many times can I apply?
Each member is eligible to make one application to a-n Artists Bursaries 2021: Time Space Money.
5. If I previously received a bursary from a-n, am I eligible to apply?
Yes, however you must demonstrate that you have made progress in your professional development and propose activities that are distinct from previous applications.
6. What is the selection process?
Applications will be reviewed by a selection panel made up of a combination of a-n staff, a-n Artists Council members, and artists. a-n Artists Bursaries 2021: Time Space Money will be awarded at their discretion. All applicants will be notified of the outcome by January 2022.
7. Feedback
We are expecting a very high volume of applications. We are unable to give feedback on applications that have not been awarded funding.
8. Reporting requirements.
Bursary recipients will be required to complete a Final Activity Report form at the end of their bursary activity by 9 January 2023 in accordance with the Terms and Conditions when accepting the bursary.
Application guidance
Please find some notes below to support you when you fill out your application form. Applications exceeding the word count will not be considered.
Provide a short overview of your proposed bursary (up to 40 words).
This short outline should communicate the most important aspects of your proposal – what is it you want to do?
Please provide an outline of your artistic practice (up to 100 words).
Don’t assume the panel is familiar with your work. Use this opportunity to introduce what you do, and how and why you do it. Share your interests, motivation and process in a clear and concise way.
Provide a full description of your proposed bursary activity (up to 150 words).
You don’t need to repeat the information you provided in your outline. Expand on this information to tell us more about your proposed activities.
Try to be as specific as you can. For example, if you want to undertake research and development, tell us why, where and how the research will take place. Who will you meet or network with, how will you make this happen under the current physical limitations? What course do you want to do, or whose expertise will you consult and how? If you are applying for a bursary to cover studio rent, what will you work on during this period?
You may wish to draw on several different activities together to form a bespoke plan that makes the most of the bursary to suit your needs during current circumstances.
Why is your proposed bursary activity crucial to your professional development at this time? How will the activity benefit you in the short and long term? (up to 150 words)
Tell us why your proposed activity will make a significant difference for you now.
Try to be as specific as possible. We want to know why this is the right time for you to be taking on this period of professional development. Tell us how these activities will impact on your current position. What new opportunities could it open up for you that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to do without the bursary?
Link the activity to your ongoing practice so we can understand why what you’re proposing is vital to your artistic career.
Amount applied for
You can apply for between £500 to £1,500.
You may also apply for additional costs relating to disability access requirements of up to £500. Please list details and state the amount (£) for each cost.
Income (up to 100 words)
If you will be supplementing the budget with your own funds, other secured financial support or in-kind support please clarify this here. Please note this is not mandatory.
You can use an a-n bursary as match funding for seeking further funding.
Expenditure
Please provide details on how the bursary might be spent on professional development activities. Try to break down and itemise the amount by separating out different costs under the headings provided. Please complete all the categories which are relevant to your application and enter ‘not applicable’ if you do not need to use a category.
Your expenditure budget must total the amount you are applying for.
a-n is committed to ensuring artists are fairly paid for activities they undertake. Please see our guidance to include a reasonable artist fee for yourself or anyone else you work with in your budget.
Date of activity
Please state your activity start and end date. These dates must be between 1 February 2022 to 31 December 2022.
Achievements and Experience
Provide details of any achievements and experience that support your application in the categories below. Please complete all the categories which are relevant to your application and enter ‘not applicable’ if you do not need to use a category.
Most recent solo exhibitions (250 words)
List any relevant and most significant solo exhibitions within the last ten years
Most recent group exhibitions (250 words)
List any relevant and most significant group exhibitions within the last ten years
Key achievements that support your application (250 words)
List any relevant achievements including, for example, prizes and awards, publications, presentations, residences etc.
Relevant work experience (250 words)
List any relevant work experience you might have and whether it was full or part time, voluntary, etc.
Education history (250 words)
If applicable, list your educational achievements.
Add a link to your website, online portfolio or other means of viewing your work online.
If you do not have a website, alternative ways to share examples of your practice could be a shared folder of images via Google Drive or a link to a video on YouTube (if applicable).
Please do not include links to personal social media accounts, unless they are solely dedicated to your artist practice and present only your own artwork.
Equal opportunities monitoring information.
Please complete the Equal Opportunities monitoring form. This information is separated from your application, anonymised and does not form part of the selection process.
Submit your application
Artists Drop In: Artists Bursaries 2021
Join Wing-Sie Chan, Head of Programmes at a-n, for a free advisory session focussed on applying to Artists Bursaries 2021: Time Space Money.
Friday 17 September 2021, 12.30pm – 1.30pm