Amber Jesson and Jenny O’Sullivan discuss their experiences working as early-career curators in the East Midlands and beyond. The curators talk about their creative roles, themes they are interested in, their routes into the arts, and why they think it is important to collaborate with emerging creatives. This talk may interest those wanting to look at the visual arts from a fresh perspective and networking with a new generation of curators.
Read MoreNo Jobs in the Arts ask ‘What do early-career artists/curators/producers want and need from us?’ with Elizabeth Hawley-Lingham. This talk is a live evaluation of their projects. With this dialogue, they want to think creatively about how they evaluate a project by opening the learning process to others. This event might be of interest to anyone who plans creative events or wants to help shape the future of No Jobs in the Arts.
Read MoreArtist Talk with Sarah Woolf about her video work, Double Crisis, for No Jobs in the Arts Fringe Festival.
Content warning: mental health In this short artist talk, 25mins, we chat to Nottingham-based photographer and artist Sarah Woolf about 'Double Crisis': a series of work that captures and exposes some of the harsh realities facing people with mental health issues during the Covid-19 pandemic, whilst acknowledging the potential for change and ‘recovery’.
Read MoreJo Wheeler reflects on collaboration through the lens of her socially engaged practice and past projects. This talk will be of interest to anyone investigating a position of collaboration in creative practice. Jo hopes participants who attend this talk will take away new ways of thinking about collaborative practice through discovery and conversation.
Read MoreIn this talk, creative practitioners Chris Boote (Surface Gallery) and Jenny McKenzie (The Green Man Gallery) discuss their experience of volunteering in the art industry, and how their experiences have shaped their creative careers. The event covers learning opportunities experienced by the panel and why they continue to volunteer in the arts. This talk may be of interest to those who want to gain experience within the arts.
Read MoreWorking off the idea that you need to do a good few ‘bad’ drawings to get to the one you’ll love; this workshop pushes you to start to ignore the perfect and just go for it. Using a series of drawing exercises, Chloe will help you to follow your instincts and start building the basics of your illustrative style. Drawing exercises will include timed drawing, drawing with abstract shapes and drawing from memory. You should hopefully leave the workshop inspired to look for those happy chances.
Read MoreThis short talk that introduces the Fringe Festival’s two-day programme and its theme: collaboration. An opportunity to find out more about No Jobs in the Arts and UK New Artists. The talk is delivered by Ryan and Charlie, the project co-ordinators for No Jobs in the Arts, with Michelle Bowen, Director of UKNA.
Read MoreUK New Artists is delighted to introduce you to the selected artists for the ‘Sustainability’ residency as part of our City Takeover in Leicester. The artists represent a range of art forms, from photography to cabaret, film to immersive performance.
Thumbnail image: Convex, Photo by Laura Guarch
Read MoreUK New Artists is delighted to introduce you to the selected artists for the ‘Common Interest’ residency as part of our City Takeover in Leicester. The artists represent a range of art forms, from performance to poetry to dance.
Thumbnail image: Niamh Seana Meehan, photo by Jordan Hutchings
Read MoreUK New Artists is delighted to introduce you to the selected artists for the ‘Placemaking’ residency as part of our City Takeover in Leicester. The artists represent a range of art forms, from theatre to drag to socially engaged art, and a breadth of practices, exploring migration; queerness; colour; history; comedy and more.
Thumbnail image: Christian Bell
Read More2020 has certainly been a year to remember. A challenging time for people all over the world, and particularly for the creative industries and we do not underestimate the terrible toll it has taken on lives and livelihoods across the UK. However, from closures and cancellations, new ideas and formats emerged. We have seen the most incredible adaptability and versatility across the creative sector. Artists and cultural communities have rallied together and made some amazing things happen, from online festivals and exhibitions, to campaigns like #artistsupportpledge and #portraitsfornhsheroes, the resilience has been amazing. So as we approach the end of this unforgettable year, we thought we’d share a round up of our 2020 projects and news.
Read MoreWe are pleased to share the third film in this series commissioned in partnership with Eurodesk UK as part of Eurodesk’s Time to Move 2020 campaign. Ryan Boultbee was one of the artists that UKNA took to Shanghai for Artshake 2019 with Yiyuan Tang Museum and Seojung Art Centre, Seoul - what an adventure that was! Hear more about Ryan's search for hidden treasures in the sprawling abandoned factory site in China, as well as Ryan's creative process and practice.
Read MoreUKNA is delighted to share the second in a trio of short films commissioned in partnership with Eurodesk UK, as part of Eurodesk’s Time to Move 2020 campaign.
Here, we meet Producer and Curator Saziso Phiri. Saziso is the Curator for UKNA City Takeover: Leicester 2021; founder of The Anti Gallery; founding member of SHEAfriq Collective; part of the organising team for Nuart Festival, Norway; and has recently been announced as Curator in Residence at City Arts Nottingham.
Read MoreUKNA catches up with spoken word poet and YouTube creator, ClickForTaz, who has been the subject of a recent YouTube 'Spotlight' documentary. In the documentary, Taz reflects on her difficult school years. She returns to her high school 10 years on, to inspire the students in year 7 with a spoken word performance, meeting key inspirations along the way, including Casey Neistat and poet Suli Breaks.
Here, UKNA and Taz discuss the catharsis of writing poetry; the impact of creativity on mental health; and Taz's inspirational message to young people.
Read MoreUKNA is delighted to share the first in a trio of short films commissioned in partnership with Eurodesk UK, as part of Eurodesk’s Time to Move 2020 campaign.
The Art of Working (Internationally) is a series of short documentary films featuring interviews and work from three UK artists. The interviews focus on the influence and impact of having international experiences either through festivals, exhibitions, performances or residencies.
The first film features AJA, who discusses her practice, collaborations, and reflects on her experiences of performing at CTM Festival at Berghain and working with Sounds Queer in Vienna.
Read MoreTo celebrate Leicester Art Week and the launch of The Viewing Room, Michelle Bowen, Director of UKNA is ‘in conversation’ with Curator Garth Gratrix, and Leicester-based artist Jarvis Brookfield.
Garth and Jarvis discuss their work and delve into their first experience of curating and exhibiting in a virtual exhibition. A great opportunity to gain an insight into this new world of virtual exhibitions, and to think about what the future holds for this way of working.
Read MoreThe eclectic neo-folk act Asthmatic Harp announces the new single Limbo on 29th July 2020. The song is a quirky-catchy indie folk song based on a poem by Manchester-based queer writer and performer Roma Havers.
Read MoreRobert Walters Group, UKNA and Saatchi Gallery, have taken the decision to postpone the next UK Young Artist of the Year Award to 2021. This is due to the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the need to ensure the safety of artists and guests.
Read MoreUKNA is delighted to announce the project team and selection panel for our next City Takeover, Leicester 2021.
Read MoreThis is without doubt a difficult time for artists and the creative industries, with many of the ‘normal’ channels, opportunities and work put on hold. To help guide you through we have compiled a list of resources and signposts for artists, covering financial support; health and wellbeing; a selection of online exhibitions, shows and festivals to keep you inspired; some creative and educational resources; and a selection of commissions/residencies that offer a fee to artists.
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