Wysing Arts Centre is delighted to announce a 10-week residency opportunity supporting two Japan-based artists whose practices or activity play a role in supporting or sustaining other artists. Taking place on-site at Wysing, in rural Cambridgeshire, the artists will be able to make use of Wysing’s extensive resources including studio space, recording and ceramics studios, fields, woodlands, and the networks and expertise held across the team. They will also be supported to undertake research and exchange knowledge with other artist-led projects, art workers and artists in the UK. This opportunity will suit two artists who are engaged in critical conversations about artist-led activity in Japan and/or engaged in thinking about ways to improve working conditions and create new opportunities for artists. 

The opportunity: 

The residency will provide the selected artist with the chance to: 

• Develop research and participate in critical conversations with artists, art workers and organisations in the UK 
• Time and space for reflection, ideas and rest
• Experiment with new approaches and materials
• Take risks without the expectation to create anything
• Receive curatorial support and development from Wysing’s team
• If of interest, engage with ideas generated across Wysing’s team about new models of organisational practice based around social / environmental justice

DEADLINE: 31 October 2024

Interviews: Week commencing 11 November 2024

Resources:

During the residency period at Wysing Arts Centre artists will have access to: 

• Free accommodation (including space for dependants / support workers / family members where needed) 
• Ceramics studio 
• Recording studio 
• Bookable space to experiment and make work 
• Meeting space 
• 11 acres of land 
• Curatorial support and critical feedback (Rosie Cooper, Director, Amy Jones, Curator, Ruth Dorber, Assistant Curator and Michaela D’Agati, Young People’s Coordinator) 
• Environmental expertise (Brendan Cervuti, Site and Environmental Futures Manager) 
• The Farmhouse Library
• On-site parking 

Structure:

• The residency will take place over 10-weeks on site at Wysing.
• The structure and dates of the residency period are flexible between April 2025 and March 2026, and will be responsive to the individual circumstances of the selected artist. 

Budget:

The opportunity includes: 

• A bursary of £4000 
• UK travel budget of £750
• Return travel from Japan to the UK 
• Free and accessible accommodation at Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridgeshire during the residency period. 

Eligibility: 

• Only available to artists based in Japan. 
• Not open to artists currently in formal education, including postgraduate study. 
• You can apply as an individual or duo but this opportunity is unable to accommodate groups or more than two members of a collective. 
• Applicants must be able to evidence their own artistic practice as well as their active engagement in activity supporting other artists. 

Relevant activity can include: 

• Running studios or a project space
• Running a publishing project or record label
• Developing exhibitions or public programmes 
• Advocating for or creating improved working conditions and practices for artists working in Japan

This is not an exhaustive list 

Application process:

Applications should be received by 31 October 2024 via Submittable. It is important that applying artists fully research Wysing Arts Centre to see, if successful, what kind of context you would be entering.  

In your application, please provide the following: 

• Artist Statement (up to 200 words or a 2 minute video statement)
• A short statement about your interest in the residency, highlighting why it is relevant to your practice at this moment, and how you would approach engaging with Wysing Arts Centre (up to 300 words or a 3 minute video statement)
• 10 images, clearly captioned in the image title, with short descriptions of each image if necessary (up to 75 words per image).
• Video/audio links (Optional. Up to 3) *Excerpts preferred.
• CV / resume of no more than 2 A4 pages.

Selection: 

An internal selection panel at Wysing will be responsible for creating a shortlist of a maximum of 10 applications. These will then be assessed by team members from Wysing Arts Centre and with an external Japan-based artist advisor. From the shortlist, four artists may be invited to an informal 30 minute conversation.

Access: 

If your application is taken forward to an informal conversation, we will invite you to share details of any access requirements you may have, or any other forms of support you may need in order to participate in your interview or the residency. Wysing Arts Centre has a dedicated access budget that can be used for adjustments as required.

Timeline: 

DEADLINE for applications: 31 October 2024

Interviews: Week commencing 11 November 2024

The main responsibilities of the Artist Advisor are to support the cohort of ten Syllabus artists with programming advice, mentoring and facilitation. The Artist Advisor will work very closely with the Syllabus Coordinator throughout the programme but will offer a perspective from outside the partner organisations.
 

The Artist Advisor and Syllabus Coordinator will set the tone of each year’s programme by planning the first introductory gathering at Wysing, facilitating planning sessions with the artists and contributing activity to the online programme and at future gatherings. 

Person Specification  

• You will be a mid-career artist or independent curator with significant experience of creative practice, including working independently and with a range of organisations  
• An interest in developing new models that support artists’ development beyond formal educational structures. 
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills   
• Willingness to commit to key programme dates, including attending the first and final gatherings at Wysing and the majority of onsite/online gatherings.  
• Willingness to work evenings and weekends as required. 
• An understanding and commitment to Health and Safety in the Workplace. 
• An understanding and commitment to intersectional approaches to access and environmental sustainability. 
• A demonstrable commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism 

Wysing Arts Centre (Cambridgeshire); Eastside Projects (Birmingham); Spike Island (Bristol); Studio Voltaire (London); PS ² (Belfast) and New Art Exchange (Nottingham), invite expressions of interest for a new Guest Partner for Syllabus VIII, a collaboratively produced alternative learning programme.
 

Syllabus supports ten artists a year through a roaming programme of gatherings hosted by the partner organisations and an online artist development programme. 

 A landmark grant from the Freelands Foundation has secured the future of Syllabus for the next ten years and has given us the opportunity to expand the programme with new partners and support for participating artists.
 

Our Permanent Partners bring: 

• Creative ideas for supporting artists through physical and online programmes. 
• Knowledge or experience lacking from the current consortium of partners. 
• A commitment to supporting emerging artists. 
• A commitment to positive changes in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. 

Guest Partner
While the above criteria are still important for the Guest Partner, we hope to accommodate a partner who would be unable to commit to Syllabus in the long term. This could include organisations without long term funding, organisations overseas, non-art organisations, biennials, festivals, studios, artist publishing organisations, and individuals - this is not an exhaustive list.  
 

STUDIO AVAILABLE - JOIN OUR ARTIST COMMUNITY! 

We are currently inviting applications for a low-cost accessible artist studio at Wysing. Leases are open ended, with annual check in’s from WACS team. Alongside the studios which are accessible 24 hours, onsite facilities include free Wi-Fi, access to Wysing’s ceramics studio, rehearsal space and music recording studio at a subsidised rate, kitchen and meeting area, and ample parking. There is also the opportunity to apply to an annual Test Space professional development bursary which is only available to Wysing Studio Artists. Studio artists are regularly invited to meet artists who are part of Wysing’s national and international residency programme at social times, such as lunch times, to informally network. This studio is especially suitable for artists with access requirements. 

The studio is on the ground floor with ceiling height windows providing good natural light, electricity, under floor heating, and wi-fi. With access to a shared toilet and sink on the ground floor.  

Cost per month: £91.20 inc VAT per calendar month, plus bills. 

A deposit of £76.00 is required 

Floor area: 12m² 

ABOUT WYSING STUDIOS 

Wysing Arts Centre provides affordable, subsidised studios to artists who support Wysing’s vision, mission, and values. Studios are leased to artists who want to use the opportunity to be at Wysing to move their practice forward. Currently, leases run for five years with the option to extend for up to three years as part of Wysing’s Associates programme.  

There are 20 artist studios at Wysing, which is 10 miles outside the city centre. Public transport infrastructure is very limited. There is free parking on site. The studio buildings are spread across several blocks. Two blocks have heating, one does not; prices are calculated accordingly. The studios are subsidised by Wysing’s core funding from Arts Council England, with the cheapest being £91.20/month (£5.57 per square foot) and the most expensive being £343 (£7.60 per square foot). 

Wysing’s studios are suitable for artists who:  

-See time at Wysing as a developmental opportunity 

-Are committed to a creative practice, and to using their studios regularly 

- Are at a critical point in their careers, when they could benefit from being part of Wysing’s studio artist community with the ability to make full and active use of Wysing’s resources 

-Exhibiting or engaging in opportunities (exhibitions, projects, residencies, workshops) locally, nationally and internationally 

-Keen to allow visitors to the site access to their studio, for example school and university groups and curators  

Studio Meetings 

Wysing Art Centre’s curatorial staff will provide up to two formal review meetings per year to artists with studios. This is an opportunity for critical feedback, professional development, and mentoring. These meetings also include a review of how the studio is being used. 

TO APPLY 

Our studios will suit artists who will benefit from having an affordable studio, and who would actively contribute to our artistic community and Wysing’s networks.   

All applications go through a selection process overseen by Wysing’s programming team.   

We will consider studio share proposals, including artists who apply individually as we may connect them with existing studio artists.  

We will ask you for the following:  

-Your name, address and contact details. 

-Whether you would like your application to be considered as part of a shared space. 

-A statement on your practice (300 words). 

- A description of why you would like a studio at Wysing, why access to Wysing’s resources and facilities will benefit you at this moment in your career, and what you would bring to the centre and its community (500 words). 

- Information relating to your personal circumstances, if you feel these have acted as a barrier to you benefiting from similar opportunities or practising as an artist in the past. This might include information on your financial circumstances, your cultural background, gender or sexuality, or details of any access needs. 

-Whether you have any access requirements.  

-A recent CV and up to 5 images of your work or other relevant material. 

Wysing is committed to equity. We acknowledge that certain areas of society are not proportionally represented within the arts sector; we are doing what we can to correct this. We are committed to providing equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of their background. We welcome applications from all backgrounds including, but not limited to, those who identify as from marginalised backgrounds based on any protected characteristic including age, racialization, gender identity or sexuality, disability or long-term health condition, pregnancy, maternity or marital status, religion or belief, and class background or class identity. 

Deadline: Friday 1st November, 2024 at 5pm.

We are currently inviting applications for new members of our Ceramics Studio at Wysing in Cambridgeshire. Our public access programme offers members access to the studio for a 1-day membership (8hrs per week) or a 2-day membership (16hrs per week) with a monthly subscription.

About the Ceramics Studio

Our ceramics studio was originally founded in 2014 by Grantchester Pottery and has a range of equipment including moulds, wheels and two kilns. Historically, the space has been used primarily by Wysing studio and residency artists, but we'd like to invite people who live locally to enjoy the space too. 

The studio will be open to members from10.00am to 8.00pm Tuesday - Friday and10:00am – 6:00pmthe on Saturday – Sunday. You can access the studio for either up to 8 or 16 hours per week depending on your membership. 

The room can support up to a maximum of 5 people working at any one time. 

Some basic materials will be available to buy at cost in the studio, but you can also bring and store your own clay at Wysing as part of your membership. 

If you'd like to come and see the space before applying for membership, please get in touch to arrange a visit by emailing info@wysingartscentre.org. 

About Wysing

Wysing believes in the transformative social and personal benefits of art and creativity, and that a more just world can only be achieved if everyone has equal access to the time and space needed to imagine it. Wysing provides accessible opportunities and resources to think and create, outside the habits of daily life. We support artists to develop their talent; we advocate for the immense value they have in the world, and we work to create the conditions necessary for them to have sustainable careers.

Membership Options

1-day Membership 

£140 per month, paid by direct debit on the first day of the month. Cancel any time with 30 days notice.

£800 for six months, paid upfront

£1,500 for one year, paid upfront.

2-day Membership

£210 per month, paid by direct debit on the first day of the month. Cancel any time with 30 days notice.

£1200 for six months, paid upfront

£2250 for one year, paid upfront.

About How We'll Select Members

The studio will not be staffed by a technician during all of the public access times (although we will have technicians working regularly on firings). Given this, we're expecting all members to have a good level of understanding and experience of working with clay - this includes knowledge about the health and safety within a ceramics studio and the responsible handling of toxic materials (i.e. glazes). 

Although we have four wheels in the studio, we won't be able to get through the firing requirements if we have too many throwers. So we'll need to balance our memberships to include a range of practices. 

How to Apply 

Please use this form to send us some further information about your experience of working with ceramics, the kind of work you make and any information you want to share about how membership to the studio will benefit you and your practice. 

If you would prefer to submit your application in audio or video format instead of written format this can be uploaded.

The application currently has a rolling deadline - you can apply anytime. Spaces are limited, so applications should be submitted as soon as possible to avoid disapointment.

What Happens After I've Applied

The Wysing team will take a look at your application. If you've been selected, we'll be in touch with you to let you know how to book the space and to arrange a health and safety induction first of all. You should be able to access the studio a month after being selected.