Call to artists and venues: Independents Biennial 2023: 10 June – 17 September

Deadline: 21st May 2023

Independents Biennial 2023 is calling on all artists, makers, performers, and producers, to submit events towards a combined programme of visual arts this summer.

Launching on 10th June alongside Liverpool Biennial, the festival is coordinated by Art in Liverpool in collaboration with Convenience Gallery and will publish details of exhibitions and events right across Merseyside to highlight the creative talent of our region.

We are particularly passionate about creating a programme that actively links artists to one another, as well as audiences and venues, so will be hosting regular artist meetings, public talks, and screenings through the programme. So, as well as submitting your exhibition and event ideas, we’d love to know if there are other artists, galleries, or collectives you are keen to work with.

What we’re looking for:

Independents Biennial 2023 will begin life as a listings programme in June. Artists and independent venues can submit their events for inclusion in the festival programme.

Any artist based in, or with connections to, Merseyside can submit events and ideas for them to us. Anything is possible, just let us know your thoughts and how we can help.

Throughout the festival, we will be hosting talks, screenings, and meetings to connect artists. Subject to funding, we will offer artists, collectives, and producers space to share developmental work in whatever setting suits them.

• Artists with events, exhibitions, or publications planned between 10 June and 17 September 2023.
• For artists without a venue already lined up, we will try to source venues.

We’re also looking for venues, whether they’re studios, galleries, theatres, or pubs who are looking for artists to exhibit or produce events between 10 June and 17 September.

• Independent studios and galleries will be engaged as part of the programme and invited to be part of critical talks and events.
• Other venues who don’t ordinarily work with artists will be asked to contribute to the time of artists matched to their space.

From 10 June to 17 September, we will host weekly events in rolling venues. If you’d like to offer your space for artist and public events, let us know.

Background:

This year’s programme is unfunded, and therefore we can’t offer financial support to artists, but we are seeking funds in order to pay artists through the programme, and beyond.

We know this is disappointing to artists, as well as ourselves, but we’re not letting that stop us. Our ambition for this year’s festival is to create a coherent and vibrant independent voice across Merseyside that makes our presence unavoidable.

This initial call for event submissions and ideas will build a programme that shares existing work, but if we are successful in our search for funds, those events can be upscaled, and we will make sure that every artist has opportunities for funding, as well as significant developmental support from August onwards.

Criteria & Selection:

Independents Biennial is open to artists at all stages of their career. All we need is an outline of your idea, any CVs or background can be sent with your submissions but isn’t necessary. 

You can submit events and ideas whether they are fully formed, or an initial idea, but we need to be able to add them to listings by the beginning of June, even if your proposal is for a series of talks or you haven’t fully confirmed a venue. We’ll do our best to push things along and make them happen.

Selection:

All artists and venues who submit ideas and events will be kept up to date with the process, and we’ll build a programme that reflects Merseyside’s independent cultural scene back at itself. 

There is no formal judging criteria as there are no funding criteria to meet, but we will be assessing the quality of ideas, and the likelihood of the work or venues, to present Merseyside artists in a positive light.

How to Apply (Artists):

• Email your ideas, however complete, to patrick@artinliverpool.com
• DEADLINE: 21st May 2023
• For informal inquiries please call 07354189596 Monday-Friday. 
• Please include up to 5MB of images, text,  film, or audio to represent your work.
• If you have a venue confirmed for events between 10 June and 17 September 2023, please include details and contact information for the venue.
• If you do not have a venue confirmed, please explain what you (or your collective) will need to make your idea happen (if that includes finance, let us know and we will keep you informed of our funding situation).

How to Apply (Venues):

• Email your ideas, however complete, to patrick@artinliverpool.com
• DEADLINE: 21st May 2023
• For informal inquiries please call 07354189596 Monday-Friday. 
• Please submit event listings with as much information as possible, and any links or images to provide background.
• If you have artists confirmed for events between 10 June and 17 September 2023, please include details and contact information for them.
• If you do not have artists confirmed, please explain what you are looking for, as well as details of the size and nature of your venue so we can connect artists to you.