Application deadline: October 9, 2017, 5pm
We are seeking applications from emerging artists to join the fifth year of Open School East (OSE), an independent, self-directed and outward-facing artist development programme.
About Open School East
Founded in 2013 in East London and relocated to the costal town of Margate in 2017, Open School East is a space for artistic learning that is experimental, versatile and highly collaborative. We run two mutually reinforcing strands:
–A free, year-long learning and studio-based programme for emerging artists—the Associates Programme
–A multifaceted programme of events, activities and training, free of charge and open to all
Open School East works to develop the talent of artists at an early stage of their career and equip them with the tools to become resourceful and self-sufficient. Central to OSE’s approach is a commitment to foster cultural, intellectual and social exchanges between artists and the broader public. We do this by opening our programmes outwards, responding to our locality and providing an informal environment for the sharing of knowledge and skills across all communities.
Associates Programme overview
The associates programme is run according to principles of collaboration, experimentation and openness, and welcomes practitioners who engage with these notions in different ways. We provide a unique environment for artist-led learning through:
–Shared studio provision, accessible 24/7
–Weekly tuition and mentorship from internationally renowned practitioners, theorists and curators
–Critical, pastoral and practical support
–Seed-funding to develop, research or initiate a project
The associates come together two days a week to receive tuition, meet their mentors, work and collaborate on projects, and plan public activities. Tuition is delivered through a combination of workshops, seminars, group crits and excursions, a number of which are open to the public. While at OSE, the associates share their practice via open studios and develop new work to be presented at a final group exhibition. In lieu of paying fees, each associate gives the equivalent of one day every month to devise, run or assist with public events and activities.
The associates programme is structured around three terms. Term 1 is about immersion and the realisation of a project through collective learning. For this, we invite an artist to conceive the curriculum. In contrast, Term 2 and 3 are shaped by the associates who self-direct their learning around their practice and shared interests, and formulate a programme of public workshops and events. Throughout the year, opportunities to participate in public projects led by guest artists and to respond to invitations from external organisations are offered to the associates.
In 2018, the curriculum for Term 1 will be developed by artist Marguerite Humeau, whose work combines prehistory, archaeology, occult biology and science fiction to resuscitate the past, conflate the subterranean and subcutaneous, all the while updating the quest genre for the information age. We, as a studio, will go on a three-month quest to design unknown and invisible worlds. We will excavate evidence and attempt to prototype unreachable ecosystems: define the protagonists, their interrelationships, triggering points, their origins and their ends. Involving a number of guest workshop leaders from a range of disciplines, the adventure will result in a collective project that will be produced / assembled/ performed by us at the end of the three-month expedition.
Each year, six mentors provide one-to-one support in the development of the associates’ practice and projects, as well as to lead theoretical and practical group sessions. The mentors for 2018 are: Matthew Darbyshire, Paul Maheke, Sophie Mallett, Sally O’Reilly, Trish Scott and Maki Suzuki.
How to apply
To find out more about OSE, application requirements and the selection process, please visit: www.openschooleast.org
