Beginning with a move from East London to Margate, 2017 has been an eventful time for Open School East that has included becoming an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation in the 2018-22 funding round. With the accessibility of art education becoming an evermore vital issue for the visual arts, its co-directors look back on their first year by the sea.
Barby Asante started the year with work featured in ‘Untitled’ at New Art Exchange, Nottingham and is currently part of the ‘Starless Midnight’ show at Baltic, Gateshead. The London-based artist, who was also part of the Diaspora Pavilion in Venice, reflects on a year of career highs and the tragedy of Grenfell.
The Birmingham gallery and artists’ studios was added to Arts Council England’s national portfolio this year, marking a new chapter in its development. Programme director Kim McAleese and associate curator Seán Elder map out the before and after of “a pretty incredible year”.
The London-based artist and winner of the 2017 Film London Jarman Award quotes Shelley, Angela Davis, James Baldwin, Gertrude Stein and more as she reflects on the kind of year it’s been.
The director of Manchester’s Castlefield Gallery looks back on her first year in the role, a period which has seen the organisation renew its Arts Council England NPO status enabling it to push forward with its talent development programme for artists.
London-based artist Larry Achiampong has had a busy year, including commissions for Somerset House, the Jerwood Visual Arts 3-Phase programme and the Diaspora Pavilion during the Venice Biennale. He reflects on a “full on” 2017 that has been tainted by the avoidable tragedy of Grenfell.
Castlefield Gallery and a-n are offering eight bursaries for artists based in the North West of England to participate in an eight-day delegation to Hungary, with four of the places reserved for a-n members.
An open letter has questioned the appointment of Rupert Murdoch’s daughter to Arts Council England’s governing body and called for the decision to be reversed, condemning the appointment as against the stated values of the arts funding body.
The director of the Glasgow-based art organisation, which in 2017 celebrated its 10th year, reflects on the achievement of survival in the current funding climate while bemoaning the car crash of contemporary British politics.
The winner of this year’s Turner Prize has had a busy and high-profile 2017, but while the attention has been welcome she explains that her major achievement over the last 12 months has been finding time to make “a serious amount of new paintings”.
News briefing with national and international stories, including: Iran opens its first museum dedicated to a solo female artist; New York’s Jewish Museum ends its relationship with curator Jens Hoffman.
With support from a-n, the London-based artist has launched an online store offering high quality, affordable, limited edition works and publications by artists dedicated to exploring place. Jack Hutchinson talks to her about online sales and research beyond the art world.
A selection of the best exhibitions over the festive period, including shows in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Gateshead and Edinburgh.
News briefing with national and international stories, including: Documenta artists launch petition demanding new supervisory structure; portrait of bearded woman bought by Wellcome Collection; Guggenheim announces shortlist for 2018 Hugo Boss Prize.
Projects from a-n members selected from a-n’s Events section, including exhibitions and events in Chester, Grimsby and London.
The Scottish government’s draft budget for 2018/19 has allayed fears of significant funding cuts across Creative Scotland’s regularly funded organisations.
a-n’s 2018 programme of professional development opportunities for members launches today with a call for applications to our Visual Arts Coaching Course with RD1st, plus news of 2018 bursaries for members.
Five a-n News writers – based in London, Liverpool and Glasgow – pick, in no particular order, their top five exhibitions/art events of the year.
This month’s featured blogger on the a-n Instagram is Jack Welsh. Richard Taylor talks to the Liverpool-based artist, writer, producer and educator about juggling multiple projects, writing about other people’s work, and his interest in archival research and book making.
The gallery’s chair of trustees, David Dimbleby, says the cuts will jeopardise the future of the organisation which is based in a purpose-built building that opened in 2009.
The winner of the annual award for fine art graduates from the South East region will receive a professional development and mentoring package,plus a bursary of £2,500.
News briefing with national and international stories, including: Activists protest BP sponsorship of British Museum exhibition, plus Louvre Abu Dhabi claims it owns Leonardo’s Salvator Mundi.
This week’s selection of recommended shows includes sculpture at the New Art Centre, Wiltshire, Rose Wylie at the Serpentine’s Sackler Gallery, London, plus a different take on the threat of climate change at the University of Hertfordshire.
News briefing with national and international stories, including: New York art museum refuses to remove painting of girl after ‘voyeurism’ complaint; plus artist alleges photographer Raghubir Singh assaulted her and stages #MeToo performance at his retrospective.
