Self Organisation for artists – how to make your own opportunities

Castlefield Gallery is running a professional development seminar – Self Organisation for artists for anyone wanting to develop and further their practice as a contemporary visual artists on Sunday 5 October 2014 (2:30-6pm) in central Liverpool.

The afternoon seminar forms part of a year long Emerging Artist Programme created and managed by Castlefield Gallery (Manchester) for the Brewery Arts Centre (Cumbria).

The sessions will be of interest to contemporary visual artists looking for inspiration and guidance around making their own opportunities, and will cover self-promotion including PR, artist-led culture, creating alternative workspaces and ‘pop-up’ venues, and peer to peer learning and artist exchanges. The afternoon will include two masterclasses and a World Café.

Who will be speaking?

Leading visual arts PR professional Catharine Braithwaite will share her extensive knowledge of working as an arts publicist. Catharine has high-level experience with clients including Liverpool Capital of Culture, Tate Liverpool, Cornerhouse (Manchester), Channel 4, Art Sheffield, Project Base (Cornwall), Compton Verney, and Liverpool Biennial.  Her masterclass will focus on how artists and artist groups can transfer these skills to get the attention of the press and gain media coverage of their own practice, projects and exhibitions.

Director of Castlefield Gallery (CG) Kwong Lee will lead the second masterclass that will focus on creating alternative workspaces and ‘pop-up’ venues. As a visual art venue and artist development agency, CG has been actively involved with brokering ‘pop-up’ project and gallery spaces for artists, piloted with Urban Splash in Manchester City Centre, including a large scale art exhibition at Will Alsop’s Chips building in 2009 to coincide with Manchester International Festival. The Gallery now runs CG New Art Spaces, pop-up spaces for emerging talent in the North West in which to develop their creative practice at very low cost. Its current portfolio consists of spaces in Widnes, Leigh, Salford, and City Centre Manchester.

Catharine and Kwong will then be one of four table hosts at a World Café session, alongside: Helen Collette, artist and curator based in Manchester, and Kevin Hunt, artist, and co-director of MODEL, Liverpool.

*Due to unforeseen circumstances Helen Collette will replace Maurice Carlin for the World Café session as origionally advertised. Helen Collette is an artist/curator based in Manchester.  She was co-founder and Director of Lionel Dobie Project (LDP). LDP’s programme was made up of 6-month curatorial residencies, plus Cha.let, a series of quick-fire research residencies.

Where?

MODEL, 28-32 Wood Street, Liverpool, L1 4AQ

modelliverpool.com

Places are limited, so please book early to avoid disappointment.

The seminar is free for Brewery Arts Centre EAP artists and CG Associate members but a £5 refundable deposit is required to secure your ticket, which will be returned when you attend the event. The amount will be transferred back into your account no later than Friday 10 October.

Tickets are £5 for all other artists.

If the appropriate ticket type is sold out then please join the waiting list and will be notified when any tickets become available.

To sign up for this seminar, go to: eventbrite.co.uk

If you have any queries please email Jennifer Dean on jennifer@castlefieldgallery.co.uk

In addition to the above afternoon seminar, Castlefield Gallery’s Director Kwong Lee invites delegates to join him earlier in the day for look around Bloomberg New Contemporaries and the Liverpool Biennial’s exhibition at The Old Blind School. Meet Kwong Lee inside the entrance to the World Museum where Bloomberg New Contemporaries is taking place at 11am prompt at World Museum, William Brown St, Liverpool, L3 8EN. Or at 12:25pm inside the entrance to The Old Blind School for a introduction to the Liverpool Biennial. The Old Blind School, 24 Hardman Street, Liverpool, L1 9AX.

*Please note; there is no disabled access to MODEL.  If you have any access issues please contact Jennifer Dean on jennifer@castlefieldgallery.co.uk or 0161 832 8034 in advance of the event.

(Image: Installation by Charma Force & Rafael Perez on the 4th fl of New Art Spaces Federation House, Manchester. © Dan Hancox)