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Jerwood Arts offers new opportunities for curators and museums
Museums invited to host fellowships for people from lower socio-economic backgrounds
Jerwood Arts has launched a remodelled funding programme that includes new opportunities for curators, museums and galleries.
With more than £1m funding to distribute in 2020, the philanthropic foundation is opening up its application process, which was previously invite-only, and expanding its remit to offer new curatorial opportunities.
The funder supports early-career artists through a series of specialist programmes that are aimed at combatting the “low-pay, no-pay” culture in the arts sector.
These include the £60,000 Jerwood Bursaries programme, which is open to individual artists, curators and producers to help them undertake professional development and kick-start new ideas. Applicants can receive up to £1,250. The first round of funding will open on 20 January 2020.
From today, Jerwood Arts is also inviting museums and galleries to apply to be host organisations for its Weston Creative Bursaries 2020-2022 programme.
The UK-wide programme aims to create a “step change” in the cultural sector, supporting early-career artists from lower socio-economic backgrounds to undertake an 18-month placement at 50 cultural organisations.
This year, the foundation has worked with the Art Fund to expand the programme into more collections-based institutions, offering curatorially-focused fellowships tailored to each host organisation's needs, with the aim of addressing the lack of diversity in curatorial practice.
The Weston Creative Bursaries will offer host organisations from different arts sectors the opportunity meet and share their learning and practice.
“There are few programmes of this level that are cross-art form,” said Lilli Geissendorfer, the director of Jerwood Arts. “I think it’s quite unique.”
Host organisations will be supported to enact inclusive recruitment practices, and must commit a line manager, senior team member and trustee to take part in training the fellow.
“Research shows that without buy-in at senior level it’s very hard to ask host organisations to initiate change,” Geissendorfer added.
Prospective host organisations can apply via the Jerwood Arts website. The deadline is 30 January and fellows will be recruited in May/June 2020.