Manchester

GMCA Launch 60 £500 Art Commissions – Find Out How To Enter

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The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) are looking to commison 60 pieces of art that incorporate the theme of COVID-19, across all artforms.

The commission, worth £500, includes art in the form of: music, poetry, theatre, short stories, gaming, design, songs and paintings.

The deadline for applications is the 1st of April, and candidates can expect to know the outcome of their application by the 8th of April.

To apply you need to:

  • Fill their form out;
  • Provide evidence of previous work. This can be do through a web link, Dropbox, WeTranfer – showcasing a collection of previous work;
  • Describe your current work in no more than 100 words;
  • In no more than 300 words, describe the piece of work you’d like to create.

The commission was created following advice from sector partners and artists as what would be the most appropriate way to support creatives in the Greater Manchester area, following the ‘lockdown’ due to coronavirus.

To submit an entry, you must live in the Greater Manchester area. Work created will form a permant archive of Greater Manchester’s response to COVID-19.

A panel of independent industry experts, comprising representatives a variety of artforms and disciplines, who will make decisions on who will receive the funds virtually.

Once decisions have been made, artists will be given advanced funds and a month to deliver the commission.

As commissions come in, Manchester’s Culture, Creatvie and Night Time Economy team will share them in an online archive available to all.

The historical and social importance of capturing civic responses to this type of event as and when it happens, to support people to come to terms with and understand an incredibly challenging situation, cannot be underestimated.

Artists will own the rights to their work, GMCA will be able to use and share that work. GMCA endeavour to get payments to successful applicants as swiftly as possible.

Timeline:

Wednesday 25 March – Applications Open
Wednesday 1 April – Applications Close
Wednesday 8 April – Successful and unsuccessful applicants informed of outcome

Eligibility

  • 1) Applicants must be based in Greater Manchester
  • 2) Applicants must have a UK bank account 
  • 3) Applicants must currently make some of their living from creation (we’ll be looking at capturing the broader creative response from our residents over the coming weeks).

To request more information or an application form, contact: cultureteam@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk

About the author / 

Shawna Healey

I'm Shawna, 21, and Welsh studying Geography at MMU. I have varying interests and opinions but usually its all things feminism.

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