SYLLABUS III
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS
DEADLINE: SUNDAY 23 APRIL

Wysing Arts Centre, Eastside Projects, Iniva, New Contemporaries, S1 Artspace, Spike Island and Studio Voltaire, invited applications from artists for Syllabus III; a peer-led alternative learning programme in its third year that supported ten artists across ten months.

Starting in September 2017, Syllabus III provided selected participants with a series of intensive sessions led by each of the partners. Syllabus III was co-developed with the artists selected to participate who, with the support of staff and artists working with each of the partner organisations, had the opportunity to bring forward ideas to the programme and actively contribute to its delivery.

Syllabus III aimed to reach artists with a range of practices and artistic approaches and bring together individuals from across the UK. As organisations that seek to support artists from all backgrounds, we welcomed applicants who identify as gender non-binary, or who come from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, and those who identified as disabled.

PEOPLE

The individuals and organisations who developed Syllabus III, and who were involved with the programme across the ten months, were Ruth Claxton, Eastside Projects; Melanie Keen, Iniva; Louise Hutchinson, S1 Artspace; Laura Harford and Nicola Wright, Studio Voltaire; Helen Legg, Spike Island; Donna Lynas and Chelsea Pettitt, Wysing Arts Centre and Kirsty Ogg, New Contemporaries.

We were pleased to announce that artists Jesse Darling and Harold Offeh had been invited to lead the programme for Syllabus III.

The Syllabus (2015) and Syllabus II (2016) involved contributions from many artists associated with each of the partner organisations and applicants to Syllabus III will have the opportunity to access similar networks. Contributing artists have included Ruth Beale, Celine Condorelli, Andy Holden, Richard Long, Pil and Galia Kollectiv, Katrina Palmer, Rosalie Schweiker, Richard Wentworth, Jonathan P. Watts, Keith Wilson and Rehana Zaman. With additional input from Benedict Drew, Marie-Anne McQuay, Kathy Noble, Eddie Peake, Marinella Senatore and Mike Sperlinger. Artist Milly Thompson and curator George Vasey have been leading Syllabus II, engaging with and supporting the artists over the course of the programme.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

The programme was structured around a series of sessions which all participants were required to attend. Some of these retreats lasted up to four days whilst others were shorter and in new locations. At the first retreat at Wysing, artists and curators connected to the organisations worked with the selected participants to devise and structure a curriculum that supported individual and collaborative artistic development, and offered access to networks and knowledge.

During periods between sessions, texts and reading lists were uploaded onto a shared drive allowing discussions and curriculum development to be continued remotely.

The benefits of the programme included:

• The opportunity to shape and develop a collaborative, reflexive learning experience.
• The opportunity to develop a supportive network of peers.
• Contact with staff at the partner organisations and access to the artists they work with.
• An intensive programme of sessions at partner venues that offer time to come together to discuss work and practice.
• Connections with arts organisations, communities and networks in host cities across the UK.
• Opportunities for one to one support and discussion throughout the programme

PROGRAMME TIMETABLE

21-24 Sep 2017
Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridgeshire
A four-day retreat, with onsite shared accommodation and food provided, that introduced participants and their work to one another. This session included an introduction to Syllabus III alongside introductions from staff from the partner organisations. The majority of this session included presentations on participants' work and by the programme leads and forward planning of the curriculum for Syllabus III as a group.

3-5 November 2017
New Contemporaries, Newcastle upon Tyne

8-10 December 2017
Spike Island, Bristol

2-4 February 2018
Eastside Projects, Birmingham

27-29 April 2018
Studio Voltaire (non-London location)

25-27 May 2018
S1 Artspace, Sheffield

22-24 June 2018
Iniva, London

20-22 July 2018
Final retreat at Wysing Arts Centre

COSTS

The Syllabus cost approx. £3,000 per artist to deliver. We secured Arts Council England funding to cover much of these costs in 2017/18 so the cost to each artist was £500 for the ten-month programme. The £500 could be paid in monthly instalments and payments are made to Wysing Arts Centre who are coordinating the programme on behalf of the partners. Additional costs to participants included travel and some accommodation which was estimated at an additional £500 per person. Efforts were made to ensure that low cost rail fares and accommodation were booked well in advance. The partners were happy to write letters of support for participants who wished to make applications for professional development or travel grants.

APPLICATION PROCESS

• Applicants should have been out of formal education for approximately 4 years and we are interested in hearing from applicants who have not progressed through formal art training routes.
• We aimed to establish a cohort that represents a diversity of cultural perspectives and artistic practices and would welcome applications from a wide geographic spread across the UK.
• We were looking for applicants who wanted to both develop their own work and actively contribute to the development of the curriculum for Syllabus III
• Syllabus III was open to artists based in the UK
• Applications were made via video or audio, to support those with dyslexia, rather than written form.

To apply, applicants provided:

• A statement describing why they would like to participate in Syllabus III (max 500 words);
• Initial ideas for potential contributors or content; what this could bring to Syllabus III and why it is important to them and their work (max 500 words);
• A general statement on their work (max 500 words);
• A current CV;
• A selection of 10 images or a 5 minute showreel of relevant material. Please also provide links (vimeo/You Tube/soundcloud etc) to full length versions of AV work and/or websites where additional visual material can be found.

Applications that are not made via this process were ineligible.

The deadline for applications was 12 midnight Sunday 23 April. Interviews for The Syllabus took place on 22 May in Birmingham, 23 and 25 of May in London.