As a result we have made the decision to postpone the Jerwood/FVU Awards 2020: Hindsight exhibition which was due to open on 3 April 2020. The gallery at Jerwood Arts will remain closed until further notice.
We are following the latest government advice and taking the actions outlined below to reduce the spread of Covid-19 and support each other through this global crisis. We will continue to monitor the situation and the advice below will be updated in response. Please take care of yourself and your community.
Latest update: 1 May 2020
Contacting Us
Like many organisations, we have moved our small staff team to remote working and will continue to be available across digital channels. Our office at Jerwood Space is closed for the foreseeable, but you can still reach us on the phone number 07944903993.
Please note that we do not expect to hear from anyone immediately, but if you have any questions or concerns not answered below, please get in touch with your usual Jerwood Arts contact.
During this time we recommend you visit our website and social channels for further content and updates.
Our Funding
Our priority over the next period is to support our beneficiaries, grantees and partners affected by the outbreak of Covid-19.
We will honour existing grant commitments wherever possible, and ensure that all our contracted commitments to freelancers and independent artists are honoured.
We want to be flexible and not add pressure at this difficult time, acknowledging that agreed activities, timelines and deadlines may need to change. We want to listen and encourage open conversations to help us all come out stronger on the other side of this situation.
As a funder with a range of grantees from individual artists, curators and producers through to large national arts organisations, we are aware that each of you will be in unique circumstances and we will work with you to support you as best we can through the challenges ahead.
While our funding will need to remain restricted to the spirit of the original planned activity, we will be as flexible as possible in response to each grant holders’ situation and consider all requests for alternative plans.
We regret that as a relatively small funder reliant on investment income from the stock market, we are unable to make emergency, discretionary funding available.
Everyone currently in receipt of our funding and those who have recently applied to us should hear from us in the next few days. If you have not heard from us please do get in touch with your usual Jerwood Arts contact.
Update on Future Funding and Opportunities
We have made the difficult decision to delay the opening for applications of the Jerwood New Work Fund, which had been due to open on 1 April 2020. The current context for making ambitious and extraordinary art works in the UK is changing rapidly, and we feel that it would be unfair to ask applicants to develop project plans – including to secure support and funding from other partners to continue the work beyond our support – at this time when things are so uncertain. Jerwood Arts remains committed to creating opportunities for artists, curators and producers to thrive in challenging times and there will be further updates in due course about this fund and other opportunities we will make that acknowledges the changing landscape of the arts.
Further rounds of funding and opportunities we were due to offer in 2020 are now under review pending further government advice, the performance of our investments and sector developments.
Update on Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries 2020-22
We received a fantastic response to the launch of the call for Host organisations and received 267 applications, covering all art forms and from throughout the UK. Successful and unsuccessful Host applicants were notified by email on 16th March.
How best to proceed with this programme in the context of Covid-19 is a key consideration given its focus on enabling cohort learning, and empowering early-career artists, curators, producers and creatives to thrive inside leading arts organisations.
Following consultation with our six funders, we are therefore postponing the start of the programme to September 2020, subject to further developments.
Public announcements of the successful Host organisations and revised plans for the programme will be shared in due course.
Update on our Exhibition and Events Programme
We have made the decision to postpone the Jerwood/FVU Awards 2020: Hindsight exhibition which was due to open on 3 April 2020. The gallery at Jerwood Arts will remain closed until further notice.
Jerwood Arts and FVU have decided to take this proactive measure to prioritise the health and wellbeing of the artists, staff, partners and visitors. We are committed to presenting these exceptional new commissions by Guy Oliver and Reman Sadani, and look forward to welcoming you when we reschedule this exhibition.
The rest of our 2020 exhibition programme including Jerwood Solo Presentations 2020 and Survey II is subject to ongoing developments over the next few months and we are in conversation with our artists and partners to make the right decisions for everyone. We will provide further updates in due course.