Kate Gray announced as co-selector of CG’s next Launch Pad project

Castlefield Gallery is delighted to announce that Kate Gray, director of Collective Gallery (Edinburgh) will be the guest selector for the next CG Associates Launch Pad project.

Collective was established in 1984, and has since been fundamental to the cultural vitality of Scotland by supporting new work by artists at a pivotal stage in their development. Collective’s  programme of exhibitions, walks, events and off-site projects presents contemporary art in all its diversity, creating opportunities for participation, mutual learning and dialogue by opening out processes of art production, connecting with other fields and encouraging new developments. Collective is currently redeveloping the City Observatory complex on Calton Hill, Edinburgh, due to open fully to the public in 2017.

Launch Pads are short projects that punctuate Castlefield Gallery’s main exhibition programme, providing artists and curators with the opportunity to use the gallery as a testbed for the production, display and consumption of contemporary art. They are opportunities for artists to test out new ideas with the support of Castlefield Gallery, and feature emerging talent from the region selected from CG Associate members’ submissions. Launch Pad projects can run for up to ten days and are part of Castlefield Gallery’s artistic programme.

A Launch Pad can be an exhibition; it can also be, for example, a research project, a series of performances or participatory events, a short residency, or the use of the gallery as a project space – as long as there is at least one opportunity for the public to experience the Launch Pad. We are especially interested in proposals that make the most of the specific nature of this opportunity.

At least one artist, or the curator, must be a member of CG Associates for the duration of the application process and the project. The project must be led and proposed by a CG Associates member.

A Launch Pad is more than just an opportunity to show your work in a gallery; it is also an opportunity to develop your practice, for example by commissioning a piece of critical writing or developing new work. Launch Pad aims to provide:

• opportunities for artists to develop their practice both critically and professionally
• opportunities for artists to explore new avenues in their practice
• opportunities for artists to respond to and develop current trends in contemporary visual art.

Castlefield Gallery expects the selected artists to install and de-install their projects with the support of our technician.

Castlefield Gallery will:

• loan equipment where possible
• provide curatorial input as agreed prior to starting the project
• provide advice where needed on any aspect of the project
• publicise the Launch Pad through the gallery’s website, e-newsletter, free listings and social media
• organise a preview with refreshments
• provide a budget of up to £1,000 which successful applicants can divide as appropriate to cover materials, documentation, travel expenses etc
• provide invigilation

To apply for Launch Pad please submit:

• Launch Pad project proposal (500 words max)
• Artist info (250 words per artist max)
• Images: maximum 12, or 4 per artist for group projects
• Breakdown of the proposed budget (the gallery will provide up to £1,000; artists are welcome to supplement this from other sources.)

Please provide all the information and images in a single pdf no more than 10MB in size, which can include hyperlinks to other images and videos. You can make a Word document into a pdf by going to File > Save As pdf. You can also use free software such as Pdf Creator, available from http://www.pdfforge.org/.  There is advice on how to write a proposal and feedback on submissions for the first few Launch Pads in the CG Associates Handbook and in these Notes from the June 2015 Launch Pad feedback session with Matthew Pendergast.

Please send your application to associates@castlefieldgallery.co.uk

Anyone interested in finding out more about Launch Pads and CG Associates should visit castlefieldgallery.co.uk/associates/