50+ artists to receive support in Liverpool City Region-wide commissioning programme
51 artists have been selected to receive funding to support their work in a city region wide project led by St Helens arts organisation Heart of Glass and involving partners from across Merseyside.
A response to the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown, the programme provides small amounts of money for artists responding to the theme of “care”.
The Home Work programme invited artists to apply to create a short piece of artwork that could be created and shared from their own home.
The £300 opportunity was open to artists in any field and ideas were invited in any form from performances to sound pieces, online masterclasses to zines.
Applications were especially welcomed from anyone identifying as disabled, working class, LGBTQ+ or with refugee status – groups who are at the heart of the Heart of Glass programme and who might be disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
The programme has been supported by partners across the city region: the Bluecoat, Culture Liverpool, Halton Borough Council, Knowsley Council, Rule of Threes, Sefton Libraries, and St Helens Council Cultural Hubs Arts in Libraries programme.
Over 100 applications were received, and the 51 artists chosen include visual artists, writers, performers and producers from across the city region. Proposed projects include an online session exploring how to care for yourself when exposing yourself to media news on COVID-19, an audio collage of sounds collected in lockdown and a zine exploring working class strategies and languages of care. The full list can be viewed here. Projects will be shared and spotlighted by Heart of Glass and partners websites and social media channels.
The work produced will be collated into a “Compendium of Care” which will be shared with communities as a document of the many ways in which we are thinking, valuing and putting care into practice in this moment and beyond.
Emily Gee, Producer, Heart of Glass, says:
“It has been a privilege to be introduced to so many artists, writers, producers and creatives through this call. Care is a central element of our programme at Heart of Glass and our programme only happens because we work with people who care – artists, community workers, producers, activists…. We also know that incredibly relevant, powerful and meaningful work can originate and unfold in our domestic spaces, that periods of isolation are not new for everyone, and that the kitchen table can be a space of radical possibility!”
Patrick Fox, Director, Heart of Glass, says:
“We wanted to create a way to support artists and quickly. When it became quickly apparent that there was a widespread interest, we reached out to friends and colleagues across the Liverpool City Region to see if we could extend the opportunity and support more proposals. We were delighted with the response from our partners and appreciate that each of them are juggling various personal and professional commitments at this time but still found time, and crucially the funds, to support our community of artists across the region at the time.” – Ends –
For more information, images, interviews, please contact:
Lucie Davies lucie@heartofglass.org.uk or Lauren Wilson lauren@heartofglass.org.uk
Home Work is a city-region wide project produced by Heart of Glass, in partnership with the Bluecoat, Culture Liverpool, Halton Borough Council, Knowsley Council, Rule of Threes, Sefton Libraries, and St Helens Council Cultural Hubs Arts in Libraries programme.
Supported by Arts Council England, Creative People and Places.