Artist in Residence
Job Description
Artist in Residence Focusing on the Ceramics Collections
The Burton at Bideford would like to support an Artist in Residence to develop contemporary work relating to our collection.
Title of post: Artist in Residence
Accountable to: Exhibition and Collections Manager
Conditions: The terms of the contract will vary depending on the artist. The duration of the residency is 25 Days and ideally will be completed by Spring 2024
Location of residence: Burton at Bideford, Kingsley Road, Bideford, Devon, EX39 2QQ. (Other areas TBC)
Fee: £3000
The artist will be contracted on a freelance basis and will be responsible for paying their own tax and national insurance. __________________________________________________________________________
Aim
The residency provides a great opportunity for an artist to continue exploring and developing their artistic narrative in depth with our collection of ceramics. We would like the successful applicant to take inspiration from the RJ Lloyd Collection of North Devon Slipware, ceramic items within the Burton’s Collection and the heritage of this local industry.
This creative exploration will result in work/s that will have the potential to become part of the permanent collection, form part of a new exhibition scheduled for the exhibition programme 2024/2025, lead a new series of educational and community workshops and form part of the schools programme.
The successful artist will have access to items in the Collection held at The Burton at Bideford and use of space (where available) to do preliminary work. Due to the nature of the building we cannot offer a workshop space.
Activity
The Artist in Residence programme is flexible and will be developed and defined depending on the art form area and the artist’s level of experience and expertise. All areas of ceramics and interpretation will be considered and we encourage applications from underrepresented groups.
Developing Own Work
• There will be opportunities to research, develop and present work as it progresses with support from the staff at Burton at Bideford and external advisors.
In addition the Artist in Residence may be expected to
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Give talks about their work
Participate in the evaluation of the residency
Provide documentation on the residency experience for use in reports, presentations and social media.
Work alongside the Education & Engagement manager to engage the process with learners.
Positively represent Burton at Bideford.
Experience
- This post is open to emerging artists, mid-career artists and highly experienced artists. Applicants should be professional artists with a proven interest in creating contemporary works.
- Artists must be based in the South West or willing to travel. No accommodation is provided during the residency.Applicants will be expected to show a broad understanding of the work of the Burton at Bideford and the demographics of users of the gallery.Skills and attributes• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong interpersonal and team working skills
• Excellent organisational skills
• Proven interest in creative approaches to interpreting cultural works of art/objects.EvaluationFollowing the first month of the residency, the Artist in Residence will be invited to present the initial ideas. This meeting will also provide an opportunity for the Artist in Residence and the Burton at Bideford to discuss and resolve any issues that have arisen during the ‘settling in’ period.Copyright and OwnershipThe copyright and all intellectual property rights in the created works and/or documents will remain vested in the Artist in Residence or the person responsible for their production.About the Burton at BidefordThe Burton Art Gallery and Museum is over 70 years old. With its friendly team of staff and volunteers, it has been celebrating, exhibiting and nurturing all kinds of artists since being established on 31 October 1951 by local businessman Thomas Burton and Hubert Coop, a successful artist.The Burton is a community venue for everyone to love and access freely and has art galleries, a shop, a French bistro café, museum, and workshop rooms for hire. The building itself was opened to commemorate the sad and untimely death of Burton’s daughter, Mary, who died of cancer in 1949 at the age of just 44. She was a talented artist in her own right and her father wanted the gallery to be a lasting memorial to her. In 1994 the gallery was extended and refurbished, increasing its capacity to four times its original size. It now has
three exhibition spaces, a museum, a craft gallery, a shop, an education space and a café.
After sitting within the Culture and Leisure department at Torridge District Council for over 50 years, in April 2016 The Burton became a company limited by guarantee with charity status and we have Arts Council England funding for the Visual Arts as a National Portfolio Organisation 2018-2026.
The Burton at Bideford is a gallery and museum of international note, in a unique setting of a historic port on the north coast of Devon.’ We deliver a world class creative destination that can both inspire and challenge people. The Burton at Bideford will be known nationally as a place to visit for a quality experience with exceptional
service, accessible and welcoming to all.
Burton at Bideford’s Key Activities:
- The Burton at Bideford’s Development Programme nurtures, supports and encourages artistic excellence by offering a range of opportunities to national as well as Devon based artists and producers.
- The Burton at Bideford’s Creative Learning Programme works in partnership with schools, local authorities and other creative centres to support pupils, teachers and other educators’ creative development.
- The Burton at Bideford’s Audience Development Programme includes a range of practical initiatives that enrich our engagement with audiences and enhance the reputation of the work being created nationally and locally through an effective marketing and communications strategy.
- The Burton at Bideford’s Policy Development activity aims to ensure we are strategically placed to understand and respond to cultural, political, social and financial issues that affect the children and young people’s performing arts sector and advocate on its behalf.
For further information and how to apply
Please apply in writing using no more than four pages of A4 including information about your experience to date, why you have been/are now interested in making work for contemporary audiences, your initial ideas for the residency and how you propose community engagement. You can include appropriate supporting material to demonstrate the quality of your work – e.g. photographs, video clips/written material.
Applications should be emailed to: [email protected] with the heading ‘Ceramic Artist Residency’.
Applicants will need to provide two references.
For further information please contact:
The Burton at Bideford, Kingsley Road, Bideford, EX39 2QQ. Tel: 01237 471455
Application Deadline: 1 November 2023
Interviews will be held at Burton at Bideford in Bideford, Devon in November with a proposed start date of December 2023.