INTO THE WILD 2023 CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS
Watch/listen to the video/audio version of this information on our Instagram here.
Don’t know what is going on in the world right now let alone how to be an artist? Let’s work it out together! We are now inviting applications for Into the Wild 2023 – a free, alternative, artist development programme for recent BA graduates and those at a similar stage in their creative practice.
Contents
Into the Wild is led and designed by and for artists with first hand experience of the inequalities that exist within the art world. Artists who seek to create supportive communities, who work towards making art more equitable and accessible, and who want to build different kinds of art worlds as a result. This programme is for early career artists that connect with or relate to these experiences and aims.
Into the Wild is about learning from and collaborating with each other, as well as the stellar line up of artists leading workshops and talks. Therefore, we are looking for artists to participate who are:
We want artists that:
Artists selected will be expected to commit fully to the programme, attending all scheduled sessions and group projects from January to September 2023. This is approximately the equivalent of 1 day per week of your time throughout the programme.
We get that participation looks different for different people, and so we are imagining a blended programme of online and offline engagement. The day-long intensives will take place primarily at Chisenhale Studios near Mile End, East London but can also be recorded/streamed where appropriate. If you must miss a session you can catch up by engaging with any materials and/or documentation related to that session. See the ‘Accessibility’ section for more on how we will support participants to take part in ways that suit them.
Who can apply:
Practising artists based in England who have completed an arts based BA degree course in 2019, 2020 or 2021 (you must have graduated at least 1 year ago, and no more than 3 years ago). We will also consider artists who don’t have an arts BA but have undertaken an equivalent level of training/education and/or who have been working on their art practice (making work, experimenting with materials or formats, exploring ideas, sharing their work with others) for the same length of time i.e. approx. 3 years. We will not consider artists who are studying for or have completed an MA, or another similar alternative arts development programme. We do accept applications from duos.
About the Programme:
Into the Wild is designed, led and facilitated by artist Sophie Chapman in collaboration with Chisenhale Studios. Now in its eighth year, this free course supports and challenges artists in the early stages of their careers by offering opportunities for creative exploration and practical advice. You will take part in fun, educational, provoking and experimental: workshops, peer exchange, talks, trips and group projects. You’ll learn from a wide range of insights and experiences from established artists and cultural practitioners, sharing first hand knowledge of:
There will also be paid for group trips to visit the art scenes and spaces in Manchester, Eastbourne and Amsterdam, as well as a weekend residency at Wysing Art Centre in Cambridge.
Into the Wild 2023 begins with a two-day intensive at Chisenhale Studios (14th - 15th of January, 11am - 5pm with breaks) where you will meet our team and each other, explore your interests, needs, and how you want to work together as a group. The taught course will then run from January to June 2023, with day-long intensives every 2 weeks. We will do everything that we can to accommodate access needs for disabled, d/Deaf, blind or partially sighted, chronically ill, and neurodiverse artists.
Following the taught course, artists in the programme will be given support and a group budget to lead your own series of activities for one another. Additionally you will receive 1:1 mentoring (with studio artists, previous ITW participants, Sophie & an artist of your own choosing), opportunities to contribute to MESH Wiki online resource for emerging artists in the UK, present work at Chisenhale Studios and Grow Hackney, as well as encouragement to create self-led projects and events.
There is additional mentoring for artists of colour and artists that identify as disabled from Zuleika Lebow, artist, cultural producer and educator based in London. She has worked with Peckham Platform, Disability Arts Online, Dada Fest as well as consulting and mentoring on Into the Wild since 2021.
Into the Wild is financially supported by Arts Council England and the artists at Chisenhale Studios who each pay a levy and give their time. There is no fee required to participate in or apply to Into the Wild.
Dates:
Accessibility:
The programme is based in the ground floor Education Room at Chisenhale Studios, Chisenhale Art Place, 64-84 Chisenhale Rd, London E3 5QZ. The room is fully wheelchair accessible and has an accessible, gender neutral toilet. Chisenhale Studios can be accessed on public transport via Mile End tube station (which does not have a lift), from there it is a 20 minute walk or short bus ride on the 277 up Grove road (5 minute walk between Mile End station and the bus stop, and 5 minutes between the bus stop and Chisenhale Studios). We are happy to advise on alternative routes. Chisenhale Studios is close to the local amenities on Roman Road, including cafes and corner shops, it is a 10 minute walk to the nearest pharmacy. There will also be occasional travel to other local sites and paid trips outside of London, which we will give notice of well in advance and work with anyone who has access concerns to arrange appropriate care measures for them to attend.
If you have a personal assistant to support you, they are welcome to attend the programme with you. We will have an ongoing dialogue about support with anyone with specific access requirements throughout.
We have £5,800 to go towards the cost of access support requirements for participants. This can contribute to extra travel costs, accommodation or personal assistants etc, and will be divided between participants accordingly. We will also have a part time Access Support Worker assisting with the whole programme.
Access Riders: We encourage applicants who have specific access requirements to send us their access riders along with their applications. For guidance on access riders and formatting, Disability Arts Online has a free access rider template here: https://disabilityarts.online/magazine/opinion/access-rider-open-template/
Travel: For non-London based artists we offer a travel bursary to assist in paying for the cost of your journey coming to Chisenhale Studios. Please state on your application if you would like to be considered for this, and take into account whether travel to the programme will be feasible from where you are based. We have £1,750 to divide between all artists that need a travel bursary. We will pay for the cost of travel for trips separately.
Covid Measures: We will monitor the situation as ever with Covid and take precautions accordingly, such as taking tests before sessions if numbers increase, or agreeing to all wear masks indoors etc. If anything changes on a local or national level in terms of the government's guidance (such as lockdowns) we will make alternative measures such as moving activities online. We are well practised in this from the previous years and will adapt the programme so that it is still as enjoyable as possible!
Online Programme:
All in-person sessions will be recorded where appropriate and put on our YouTube channel (with closed captions) and the monthly Wednesday talks are open for all (not just participants) to join online via zoom. So if you are not selected for the in-person programme - you can still learn from what is shared on Into the Wild in your own time remotely.
How to apply:
We accept written, video and audio applications.
Choose ONE of the following options:
All applicants should send their supporting images/media document to us at [email protected] (with your name in the file title (i.e. Jane_Smith_Supporting_Material) once they have completed an application form.
If you have an access statement, please email us that as well.
If you have any questions about applying, please email [email protected].
Deadline: midnight Sunday 20th November 2022.
Once you have completed the form and sent us your attachments please fill in this equal opportunities survey.
Application Questions: NB please don’t feel you have to pitch yourself as with university or job applications. Answer as yourself, try not to use jargon and be honest! We want to get a sense of who you are, how you would benefit and what you might bring to the group. It’s fine to bullet point your answers if you want to. Suggestions with each question are for guidance and it’s not essential to answer all of the bullet points.
1. Why do you want to take part in the Into the Wild programme & why is now the right time for you to do so?
(max 300 words) Your response could include:
Supporting images/media: In addition to answering the questions above, please include in your application a sample of: text, media links and/or images from previous/current creative projects, pieces of work, ideas for future pieces, current research or works in progress. We understand that you might not have been able to make a lot recently so it really can be anything like notebook pages, voice notes, scraps of paper, mind maps, however you work.
No more than three combined A4 pages, with a file size no larger than 5MB. It may be useful to make short annotations on your examples with captions to give context i.e. name of the work, if it is finished, when it was made, what your thought process was, if it was shown anywhere. We will only view/listen to one minute of a media content per application, so please give extracts or note which part you want us to look at/listen to. Make sure to put your name in the file name.
The panel looking over applications will comprise of:
More information on previous years of Into the Wild can also be found on our dedicated website here.
Watch/listen to the video/audio version of this information on our Instagram here.
Don’t know what is going on in the world right now let alone how to be an artist? Let’s work it out together! We are now inviting applications for Into the Wild 2023 – a free, alternative, artist development programme for recent BA graduates and those at a similar stage in their creative practice.
Contents
- Who we are looking for
- Who can apply
- About the Programme
- Dates
- Accessibility
- Online Programme
- How to Apply
Into the Wild is led and designed by and for artists with first hand experience of the inequalities that exist within the art world. Artists who seek to create supportive communities, who work towards making art more equitable and accessible, and who want to build different kinds of art worlds as a result. This programme is for early career artists that connect with or relate to these experiences and aims.
Into the Wild is about learning from and collaborating with each other, as well as the stellar line up of artists leading workshops and talks. Therefore, we are looking for artists to participate who are:
- Open & supportive of others.
- Interested in being in critical dialogue with their peers.
- Up for actively participating in group work & making the programme all it can be!
We want artists that:
- Have some kind of ongoing, critical engagement in their art practice - whatever that looks like to you / however much you are managing to make right now
- Want to question, wonder, test & try new things.
- Have a desire for new inspiration, to learn from practices & perspectives that might be different to your own.
- Want to engage as fully as they can in this 9 month programme.
Artists selected will be expected to commit fully to the programme, attending all scheduled sessions and group projects from January to September 2023. This is approximately the equivalent of 1 day per week of your time throughout the programme.
We get that participation looks different for different people, and so we are imagining a blended programme of online and offline engagement. The day-long intensives will take place primarily at Chisenhale Studios near Mile End, East London but can also be recorded/streamed where appropriate. If you must miss a session you can catch up by engaging with any materials and/or documentation related to that session. See the ‘Accessibility’ section for more on how we will support participants to take part in ways that suit them.
Who can apply:
Practising artists based in England who have completed an arts based BA degree course in 2019, 2020 or 2021 (you must have graduated at least 1 year ago, and no more than 3 years ago). We will also consider artists who don’t have an arts BA but have undertaken an equivalent level of training/education and/or who have been working on their art practice (making work, experimenting with materials or formats, exploring ideas, sharing their work with others) for the same length of time i.e. approx. 3 years. We will not consider artists who are studying for or have completed an MA, or another similar alternative arts development programme. We do accept applications from duos.
About the Programme:
Into the Wild is designed, led and facilitated by artist Sophie Chapman in collaboration with Chisenhale Studios. Now in its eighth year, this free course supports and challenges artists in the early stages of their careers by offering opportunities for creative exploration and practical advice. You will take part in fun, educational, provoking and experimental: workshops, peer exchange, talks, trips and group projects. You’ll learn from a wide range of insights and experiences from established artists and cultural practitioners, sharing first hand knowledge of:
- What to charge/being self employed
- Staying motivated/self care
- Building networks/collaboration
- Making accessible work
- Working with people
- Working with institutions
- Writing applications/funding bids
- Critical/political practice
- + much much more
There will also be paid for group trips to visit the art scenes and spaces in Manchester, Eastbourne and Amsterdam, as well as a weekend residency at Wysing Art Centre in Cambridge.
Into the Wild 2023 begins with a two-day intensive at Chisenhale Studios (14th - 15th of January, 11am - 5pm with breaks) where you will meet our team and each other, explore your interests, needs, and how you want to work together as a group. The taught course will then run from January to June 2023, with day-long intensives every 2 weeks. We will do everything that we can to accommodate access needs for disabled, d/Deaf, blind or partially sighted, chronically ill, and neurodiverse artists.
Following the taught course, artists in the programme will be given support and a group budget to lead your own series of activities for one another. Additionally you will receive 1:1 mentoring (with studio artists, previous ITW participants, Sophie & an artist of your own choosing), opportunities to contribute to MESH Wiki online resource for emerging artists in the UK, present work at Chisenhale Studios and Grow Hackney, as well as encouragement to create self-led projects and events.
There is additional mentoring for artists of colour and artists that identify as disabled from Zuleika Lebow, artist, cultural producer and educator based in London. She has worked with Peckham Platform, Disability Arts Online, Dada Fest as well as consulting and mentoring on Into the Wild since 2021.
Into the Wild is financially supported by Arts Council England and the artists at Chisenhale Studios who each pay a levy and give their time. There is no fee required to participate in or apply to Into the Wild.
Dates:
- Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th of January 2023 (11am - 5pm) - intro weekend
- Every other Monday 23rd of Jan to the 3rd July (11am - 5pm) - taught programme
- Online talk - last Wednesday of every month, open to public too (7pm - 8.30pm)
- Wysing residency - 2 days (over a weekend in April)
- Manchester & Eastbourne trips - 1 day each (weekday, tbc between Jan & July)
- Amsterdam trip (over 2 nights on a weekend in June tbc)
- July/Aug/Sept - mentoring, presentations & events at Grow Hackney & Chisenhale Studios.
Accessibility:
The programme is based in the ground floor Education Room at Chisenhale Studios, Chisenhale Art Place, 64-84 Chisenhale Rd, London E3 5QZ. The room is fully wheelchair accessible and has an accessible, gender neutral toilet. Chisenhale Studios can be accessed on public transport via Mile End tube station (which does not have a lift), from there it is a 20 minute walk or short bus ride on the 277 up Grove road (5 minute walk between Mile End station and the bus stop, and 5 minutes between the bus stop and Chisenhale Studios). We are happy to advise on alternative routes. Chisenhale Studios is close to the local amenities on Roman Road, including cafes and corner shops, it is a 10 minute walk to the nearest pharmacy. There will also be occasional travel to other local sites and paid trips outside of London, which we will give notice of well in advance and work with anyone who has access concerns to arrange appropriate care measures for them to attend.
If you have a personal assistant to support you, they are welcome to attend the programme with you. We will have an ongoing dialogue about support with anyone with specific access requirements throughout.
We have £5,800 to go towards the cost of access support requirements for participants. This can contribute to extra travel costs, accommodation or personal assistants etc, and will be divided between participants accordingly. We will also have a part time Access Support Worker assisting with the whole programme.
Access Riders: We encourage applicants who have specific access requirements to send us their access riders along with their applications. For guidance on access riders and formatting, Disability Arts Online has a free access rider template here: https://disabilityarts.online/magazine/opinion/access-rider-open-template/
Travel: For non-London based artists we offer a travel bursary to assist in paying for the cost of your journey coming to Chisenhale Studios. Please state on your application if you would like to be considered for this, and take into account whether travel to the programme will be feasible from where you are based. We have £1,750 to divide between all artists that need a travel bursary. We will pay for the cost of travel for trips separately.
Covid Measures: We will monitor the situation as ever with Covid and take precautions accordingly, such as taking tests before sessions if numbers increase, or agreeing to all wear masks indoors etc. If anything changes on a local or national level in terms of the government's guidance (such as lockdowns) we will make alternative measures such as moving activities online. We are well practised in this from the previous years and will adapt the programme so that it is still as enjoyable as possible!
Online Programme:
All in-person sessions will be recorded where appropriate and put on our YouTube channel (with closed captions) and the monthly Wednesday talks are open for all (not just participants) to join online via zoom. So if you are not selected for the in-person programme - you can still learn from what is shared on Into the Wild in your own time remotely.
How to apply:
We accept written, video and audio applications.
Choose ONE of the following options:
- If you wish to submit a written application, please complete this form here: written application form
- If you chose to send a video or audio application, please complete this form here: video or audio application form. Then email us at [email protected] with the video or audio file.
All applicants should send their supporting images/media document to us at [email protected] (with your name in the file title (i.e. Jane_Smith_Supporting_Material) once they have completed an application form.
If you have an access statement, please email us that as well.
If you have any questions about applying, please email [email protected].
Deadline: midnight Sunday 20th November 2022.
Once you have completed the form and sent us your attachments please fill in this equal opportunities survey.
Application Questions: NB please don’t feel you have to pitch yourself as with university or job applications. Answer as yourself, try not to use jargon and be honest! We want to get a sense of who you are, how you would benefit and what you might bring to the group. It’s fine to bullet point your answers if you want to. Suggestions with each question are for guidance and it’s not essential to answer all of the bullet points.
1. Why do you want to take part in the Into the Wild programme & why is now the right time for you to do so?
(max 300 words) Your response could include:
- what you imagine you’d like to learn from the programme and your peers
- what you would contribute to being a part of it
- how it’s themes or approach relates to your own work or experience
- questions you might have about how to be an artist
- ambitions you have for the future
- examples of things you have done to date
- what you feel your practice needs or is lacking right now.
- finding peers or a place/context for your practice
- personal challenges
- reflections on inequalities within the art world or wider society
- feeling tokenised for these discriminations
- or any other obstacles you are facing to developing your work
- things you have read, listened to or watched that got you inspired to make stuff
- exhibitions, films or artistic influences
- a story, an experience, or something you’ve been a part of
- a research theme, format or material you are playing with
- a project you are looking into or anything else that makes you want to create!
Supporting images/media: In addition to answering the questions above, please include in your application a sample of: text, media links and/or images from previous/current creative projects, pieces of work, ideas for future pieces, current research or works in progress. We understand that you might not have been able to make a lot recently so it really can be anything like notebook pages, voice notes, scraps of paper, mind maps, however you work.
No more than three combined A4 pages, with a file size no larger than 5MB. It may be useful to make short annotations on your examples with captions to give context i.e. name of the work, if it is finished, when it was made, what your thought process was, if it was shown anywhere. We will only view/listen to one minute of a media content per application, so please give extracts or note which part you want us to look at/listen to. Make sure to put your name in the file name.
The panel looking over applications will comprise of:
- Sophie Chapman (Facilitator of Into the Wild)
- Raju Rage (previous ITW artist workshop leader)
- Andrea Davidson (Director at Chisenhale Studios)
More information on previous years of Into the Wild can also be found on our dedicated website here.
