A poet, a visual artist and a musician have each been awarded £25,000 to each create a brand new piece of art for Cumbria over the next 10 months.
More than two hundred artists from across the UK submitted applications as part of the Catalyst creative residencies in Cumbria project, a unique collaboration between Art Gene in Barrow, the University of Cumbria, and Cumbria Arts and Culture Network. The call out was launched on 5 February.
Funding is being provided by Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (CLEP) as a way of promoting the county, its nature, industry and heritage through the creation of a new piece of art or experience.
Following a rigorous selection process focused on a brief of interpreting modern-day Cumbria, and raising the visibility and profile of the county as a unique, innovative and creative place to be based and develop a creative career, three artists have been selected.
Emma McGordon is originally from West Cumbria and is a multi-award-winning poet and performer. She says:
“Being awarded the residency confirms for me that opportunities for artists are starting to open up in Cumbria. I’m glad to be part of this journey and interested to see where it takes us all. My work has been around poetry and spoken word. I am going to use this residency to do something a little bit different and get the people, the words and the landscapes that have been dominant features of my work, on film.”
Azraa Motala is a visual artist with a base in Preston and Greater Manchester. She says:
“I am thrilled to have been awarded one of the Catalyst creative residencies. The support will be critical to the development of my career as an emerging artist. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to share my work with communities in Cumbria and for the support, time and resources the award offers. This will enable me to make work that resonates across various layers of society, hopefully fostering meaningful impact and dialogue.”
Jack McNeill is a Kendal-based orchestral musician, solo clarinettist and musical director. He says:
“After investing a lot of time and energy into the proposal, the selection process has been an emotional ride! I am thrilled to be given this opportunity, and bristling with new energy. It’s the turning of a key in terms of returning home to Cumbria after working away, and now working creatively here. My project places Cumbria at the heart of a global drama, from a future just around the corner. Cumbria is a privileged place in so many ways, and one where our collective voices can animate the landscape, ringing for change and empathy.”
Above: Jack McNeill, who has been awarded a Catalyst: Creative Residency in Cumbria. Picture: Mark Battista
The three artists were selected through a rigorous and highly competitive process. Applications were received from 235 artists from all over the UK. A panel of experienced cultural leaders and artists created first a longlist of 30 artists, and finally a shortlist of 20, 11 of whom were called for interview.
Kate Parry, Chair of the Selection Panel said:
“We were absolutely delighted with the response to our call for proposals. It was an incredibly rewarding and rich experience to read them all, and extremely challenging to narrow it down to 11 artists to interview. The final panel decision was unanimous, however, and we’re really excited now to support three such ambitious, different artists on their Catalyst creative journey. This is a chance for each artist to uniquely interpret Cumbria.”
The three artists will begin their residencies this month, culminating in presenting their new work in early 2025. To stay up to date with their progress please stay in touch with the Cumbria Arts and Culture Network via their newsletter which is free to sign up for on their website (see below).
The panel members:
Chair: Kate Parry, Chair of Cumbria Arts and Culture Network
Dr Colette Conroy, University of Cumbria
Maddi Nicholson, Artist/Founder & Director, Art Gene, Barrow
Andrew Deakin, Programme Director, Full of Noises, Barrow
Fiona Venables, Director, Milton Keynes Arts Centre
Sui Annukka, London-based, award-winning writer
The organisations involved:
Cumbria Arts and Culture Network www.cacn.co.uk
Art Gene https://www.art-gene.co.uk/
University of Cumbria https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/
Cumbria LEP https://www.thecumbrialep.co.uk/
