Wysing Arts Centre Residency Open Call for artists based in Japan

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