OPEN CALL: Arts Catalyst launches 2020 Instagram artist residency opportunity in partnership with Museums Sheffield

Monday, September 30, 2019 – 16:30Residency runs from mid January – mid February 2020 (dates flexible)

Minimum content: 1 post/accompanying description per day for three weeks with one preparatory week in advance

Fee: £500, plus £300 for materials / expenses

Application deadline: 10am, Friday 1 November 2019 PROJECT DESCRIPTION Following the success of two previous Instagram artist residencies in 2017 and 2018, Arts Catalyst is delighted to announce a new opportunity for artists based in Yorkshire for 2020, in partnership with Museums Sheffield. Over four weeks in January/February 2020, Arts Catalyst invites a visual artist to take over our Instagram account with a research focused project that incorporates an exploration of Sheffield’s collection and archive.  The selected artist will be expected to present a series of visual posts (photographs, drawing, video, audio, text etc.), which might feature work-in-progress, research, documentation of a new work/project, or visual experiments within the context of Instagram, using/interrogating the platform itself to experiment with new ways of making work. During the residency, the selected artist will be offered an introductory tour and two full days to make use of specific areas of Museums Sheffield that are relevant to their research interests and practice, with the added resource of relevant curators to speak with on these agreed days.  Museums Sheffield cares for Sheffield’s collections of art, natural science and human history and is custodian of the Guild of St George’s Ruskin Collection. We are particularly interested working with artists who would to engage with a number of areas of Sheffield’s holdings in particular the Natural Science, Social History and Ruskin collections. The Natural Science collection records the region’s historic and contemporary natural environment. Comprising scientific data and specimens covering Botany, Entomology, Geology, Osteology and Zoology, it offers a unique insight into landscape, species and climate change. Museum Sheffield also manages one of the oldest running weather stations in the UK. The Ruskin Collection was created as a source of inspiration for the metalworkers and craftsmen of Sheffield. It reflects John Ruskin’s interest in art, architecture and natural history and includes a wealth of drawings, watercolours, prints, paintings, illuminated manuscripts and minerals. The Social History collection is a unique chronicle of life in Sheffield from 1500 to the present day, celebrating local identity and connecting Sheffield’s diverse families and communities through shared and individual experience. Artists from a wide variety of disciplines, working in any medium are encouraged to submit a project proposal.  On completion of the residency, the selected artist will be invited to participate in a public event reflecting on their project through the format of a talk, conversation or performance etc. We are particularly interested in hearing from individuals with a proactive, demonstrable interest in transdisciplinary artistic inquiry that connects with science in society, and from those who have a specific interest in themes of ecology and environment, economy, migration, ancestry, race, mental health, biometrics and systems of control. This residency opportunity forms part of Recentring Attention, a new, exploratory strand of programming in Sheffield that builds on the relationships and knowledge Arts Catalyst has begun to form in the Yorkshire region ahead of its relocation to Sheffield in late 2020.  HOW TO APPLY Interested parties should complete the application form, downloadable here (+ supporting info/imagery if relevant), a CV/portfolio and equal opportunities form to opportunities@artscatalyst.org by 10am on Friday 1 November 2019.  Please note, ALL DOCUMENTS MUST BE IN PDF or MICROSOFT WORD – do not copy and paste your application into the body of the email. EXPECTED OUTPUTS / REQUIREMENTS ● The selected artist will be expected to post at least once per day within the agreed time-frame as part of the residency along with accompanying descriptive text.● They will also be expected to help maximise digital audiences by working with Art Catalyst’s communications officer to utilise agreed hashtags etc.● Participation in the form of a public event/intervention in the months following the residency end. ● Applicants must be based in the Yorkshire region and able to travel to the Museums Sheffield’s collection store. Please notify us if you have any access requirements.● Applicants must be at least one year out of full-time, undergraduate education (for graduates from further education this year does not apply) and must have exhibited work previously / be able to supply a professional portfolio. RESOURCES ● Meetings and regular contact with curatorial and collections staff.● Access to Arts Catalyst’s networks (e.g. scientists, academics, and artists from major institutions and potential access to scientific spaces).● Possibility of future opportunities for collaboration.● £300 to spend on materials (which could include time from guest speakers). PAST In 2017, artist Korallia Stergides was selected and used the opportunity to develop a new research-based project focused around a species of fish typically eaten in Cyprus and commonly referred to as ‘kourkouna’ in Cypriot dialect and ‘prosfigopoulla’ in Greek dialect (Προσφυγοπουλα ). Stergides documented her research on Instagram, conducting both visual and text-based experiments, and has since gone on to develop the project further, presenting research as part of performances with Siobhan Davies Dance among other institutions. Revisit the residency via the Arts Catalyst Instagram feed. In 2018, Clementine Edwards documented her project Ponies, Sand, Ponies!, an investigation into the relationship between sand, dredging and land reclamation in the Netherlands in relation to its contemporary eco-reputation; and how these questions might relate to its colonial past. Throughout the takeover, Edwards interspersed on-site and archival images with half-feral artworks made of material sourced from the Meijendel dunes to visually articulate the unfolding research. ABOUT ARTS CATALYST Arts Catalyst is a non-profit contemporary arts organisation that commissions and produces transdisciplinary art and research. Through working with artists, scientists, communities and interest groups the organisation produces projects, artworks and exhibitions that connect with other fields of knowledge, expanding artistic practice into domains commonly associated with science and specialist research. Over 25 years, Arts Catalyst has commissioned more than 170 artists’ projects, including major new works by Tomás Saraceno, Aleksandra Mir, Critical Art Ensemble, Jan Fabre and the Otolith Group, and produced numerous exhibitions, events, performances and publications, collaborating with major arts, science and academic organisations. Arts Catalyst’s Centre in King’s Cross, London, is a hub where, working nationally and internationally, the organisation can develop new projects and co-inquiries connecting local interests with wider planetary issues. In 2020, the organisation will relocate its central base to the city of Sheffield. Find out more here. ABOUT MUSEUMS SHEFFIELD Museums Sheffield is the charity responsible for three of Sheffield’s museums and galleries: Millennium Gallery, Weston Park Museum and Graves Gallery. Its vision is to provide inspirational museums and galleries where people can reflect upon the past, question the present and imagine the future. Its mission is to connect with visitors, share stories about Sheffield and the wider world, and care for the city’s collections.  Sheffield’s collections were originally formed in the late 1700s with many items being given to the city through the Sheffield Literary and Philosophical Society which was set up in 1822. These collections subsequently formed the basis for the City Museum when it opened in 1875 with the Mappin Bequest providing the foundations for the city’s art collection in 1887, later augmented by J G Graves’ generous gifts. In addition, Museums Sheffield also is custodian of the Guild of St George collection which was originally created by John Ruskin. Today Sheffield’s collection includes over 750,000 items of Archaeology, Decorative Art, Natural Science, Social History, Visual Art and World Cultures, many of which can be seen in changing displays across the three museums and galleries. Items not currently on display continue to inform a wide range of research, both within the organisation and with external partners, and are available to view by members of the public by appointment.