Artist Commission: PUB CULTURES

Artist Brief
Southampton Forward wishes to commission up to nine artists to collaborate on an exciting new project, PUB CULTURES, celebrating the role of pubs as important places for sharing culture, creativity, community, connectivity and conversation.

We want to hear from artists who are experienced in working collaboratively as part of their practice and are energised by the opportunity to explore this further in Southampton. We will pair each artist with a pub in Southampton and its community, providing a unique opportunity to co-create and develop ideas for a permanent art installation that reflects the pub’s stories and spirit.

Project Background
Pubs have long been at the heart of British culture – evolving into communal spaces that serve many social, cultural, community and economic functions. As community hubs, they provide a focal point where communities can thrive and come together. They form cultural landmarks providing a link in time as buildings and places of historical events.  Pubs have long been part of a vibrant live music scene and have played a significant part in the continuity of local folk traditions.  PUB CULTURES will explore the role of these spaces in our cultural history by creating bespoke art installations inspired by the unique identity of each pub and its patrons.

The artworks will be created through a collaborative process, but imagine a mosaic welcoming visitors at the entrance, a mural bringing the pub’s walls to life, pavement art inviting people inside, or a sculpture in the garden celebrating Thursday darts night. We would also be interested in approaches which consider digital, photography, film or performative elements that are documented in different ways. Each artwork designed and created with local people will resonate with their stories and become a unique tribute for years to come.

Brief Overview
We are looking for artists to:

• Collaborate with one of nine diverse pubs across Southampton in creation of a new artwork
• Host community workshops and conversations to uncover stories, themes, and ideas that inform the artwork.
• Create a permanent artwork that is unique to each pub and its community.

Final commission requirements

• Medium: Any medium suitable for public art, including but not limited to sculpture, painting, textiles, murals, lighting, illustration, photography, film, digital and performative elements that are captured as a physical output.
• Co-curation: the process of creating an artwork must have a co-curated approach embedded from the beginning.
• Engagement workshops: working with pubs and the wider community you will host workshops to ensure that local people can help shape the creative process.
• Launch event: selected artists will be involved in a launch event in March 2025.

Timeline/Key Dates

• Application deadline: 9am Monday 9 December 2024
• Artists selected: Monday 16 December 2024
• Community workshops: January 2025
• Creation period: February 2025
• Launch of artworks: March 2025

Fee
The artist fee is £1,000 (incl. VAT).

In addition to the fees, the following budget allocations are also available for each pub:

£300 artwork production costs and materials

£300 for workshop costs

How to Apply
If you’re interested in applying, you must be

• An artist currently living or working in Southampton
• An artist experienced in co-creation as part of your practice

Please send us:

• A CV (no more than two pages) or list of projects you have recently completed that are relevant to this opportunity.  This should include your experience of living or working as an artist in Southampton. You could also record this as a video or audio file
• Two examples of projects that you have delivered with communities (max 2 sides of A4 or video/audio file) clearing outlining:
  • The community you worked with
  • The approach to co-creation you took
  • What artwork was produced
  • What you learned from the experience
• A brief outline of how you would approach this commission, including your interest in pubs in Southampton and your approach to co-creation (max. 500 words or video/audio file).
• Images of your public art or place-based work or up to three weblinks of your work (max. one page).

Send your application in a Word, PDF or video/audio file to info@southamptonforward.org.uk by 9am Monday 9^th December 2024.

This is an incredible opportunity to celebrate the role of pubs as cultural and creative landmarks, and we look forward to seeing how you will work with local communities to bring a new creative lens to these much loved spaces.