January 15, 2019

Jerwood Arts announces new guidelines and three new funds for artists, curators and producers

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New application guidance is now available for our funding programmes along with three new funds: Jerwood Bursaries for individual artists, curators and producers’ professional development; a Jerwood New Work Fund for artists, artistic groups and artist-led organisations; and a Development Programme Fund for arts organisations.

All of these new funds are to open applicants of all backgrounds and disciplines, have no application fee and aim to support individuals at key moments within the first ten years of establishing their practice.

  • Jerwood Bursaries are now open for application and provide an opportunity for artists within 10 years of graduating or establishing their artistic practice to define and develop their work. This could be used for the costs of researching new work or exploring a new collaboration, mentoring, professional or skills based training, or a combination of these. The deadline is 4 March and up to 30 selected artists will be announced in April/May 2019.
  • Jerwood New Work Fund will open for application for artists, artistic groups and artist-led organisations from 4 March 2019 to undertake the research, development and creation of new work that enables a step change in their practice and profile.
  • The Development Programme Fund will open for application from organisations from 4 March 2019 to deliver specialist programmes that identify and support outstanding artists to thrive.
  • Jerwood/FVU Awards 2020 open for application for artists from 11 February – 8 April 2019 with the theme and title Hindsight, run in collaboration with Film and Video Umbrella. This edition of the Jerwood/FVU Awards offers an increased budget of £25,000 for each of the two commissioned moving image artworks.

We have thought carefully about how to reduce barriers to accessing funding and are investing in the capacity, confidence and skills of potential applicants to apply. There is a new application process, including new guidance, timelines for decision making, and a commitment to providing support to apply and feedback on applications where requested.

Part of Jerwood Arts’ push for greater openness, increased national reach and broadening of its ‘taste’ is to appoint a large number of discipline experts – Artist Advisors – over the next year. We will be inviting Artist Advisors with the skills and expertise to contribute to identifying talent, and support selection and decision making processes with specific art form and discipline knowledge.

Since arriving in early 2018, Director Lilli Geissendorfer has undertaken a strategic review of the organisation, working with staff and Trustees to refresh its values and develop a new vision to support the development of artists across art forms nationally. The guidelines and funding announced today have come out of the new Strategic Plan which runs from 2019-2022, with 2019 a pilot year for these new ways of working.
Lilli Geissendorfer, Director, Jerwood Arts said:

“Our vision remains to be dedicated to imaginative and responsible funding of the arts, with a particular focus on discovering, developing and promoting the most outstanding artists, curators and producers of all kinds and backgrounds.

We provide transformative awards, opportunities and programmes, empowering artists to explore their practice, make ambitious new work and develop with integrity.

We’re committed to listening and responding to the needs of artists and arts organisations, and to continually interrogating how and what we fund, so we can grow and change with the sector, rather than outside or atop it. We’re excited to pilot working with our Artist Advisors and start learning from these new funds.”

Jerwood Arts will continue to collaborate with partners to co-commission artists to make ambitious and significant new works, alongside curating and delivering a year-round programme of exhibitions and events at Jerwood Space and on tour nationally.

For 2019 we will continue to work with our current grant holders delivering artist development programmes-leading arts organisations including Royal Court, Young Vic, Arvon and Yorkshire Dance; as well as announcing three poets for the second edition of the Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowships; delivering the final development events and launching an employers’ toolkit for inclusive recruitment for the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries 2017-19; and delivering the series of visual arts Awards and programmes which were announced on 3 December 2018.

And we have changed our name to simply Jerwood Arts, moving away from the less widely understood term ‘Charitable Foundation’ to better communicate the nature of our work.

Work by Rachel Young. Image: Marcus Hessenberg