Artist Development Event at Hub
July 5 @ 11:00 am - 3:30 pm
Free
Free event, a limited number of travel bursaries available. Book you place here.
Get expert guidance on:
- Funding your creative business
- How to work successfully with galleries and creative organisations
Also:
- Network with regional artists
- See Made in the Middle at Hub
Drinks and light refreshments provided. Bring your own lunch or use Hub’s café.
Travel
Directions to Hub are available here.
Car Share: helping each other and the planet
Would you like to join a temporary WhatsApp group to self-organise a lift? You can indicate your interest when booking.
Travel Bursaries
We recognise that not everyone has equal access to live events and that the cost of travel is a barrier to some people.
We have five travel bursaries of up to £75. We can offer these on a first-come-first-served basis.
A travel bursary is for you if you have financial barriers that would mean that you would not attend without this support. We will not ask for any proof of circumstances, but will need cost of travel.
You can request a travel bursary when booking.
Access
Please inform us of any access requirements when booking. If you would like to discuss your access requirements, please contact us at [email protected] or on 0121 608 6668.
Venue access information can be found on the Hub website.
Schedule
11.00am – 11.15am Tea and coffee, welcome and introduction
AM – Guidance on funding and generating projects for your creative business
11.15am – 11.30am Amelia Lawrence, Sector Support Manager, Crafts Council
Amelia will present an overview of different funding opportunities across the contemporary craft sector. Alongside this she will provide an insight into Craft Council’s maker and sector support.
11.30am – 11.45am Richard Foot, Events and Exhibitions Lead, Design Nation
Richard will present an overview of Design Nation. He will cover how the organisation works with artists, highlighting a few of the events, shows and projects Design Nation participates in including Collect, maker retreat and exhibitions.
11.45am – 12.00pm Dr. Bharti Parmar, Artist and Academic, What happens to the work afterwards?
Bharti will be discussing her major commission Khadi at the British Textiles Biennial 2021. She will provide a ‘behind the scenes’ view of how it was conceived, funded, installed, the partnerships made and most importantly – legacy i.e. what happens to work when the exhibition ends.
12.00pm – 12.15pm Opportunity for questions and discussion
12.15 – 1.15pm Lunch
PM – Working with galleries and creative organisations
1.15pm – 1.30pm Joshua Lockwood Moran, Exhibitions Manager, Hub
Joshua will discuss how the Hub works with artists and makers across its programmes; including exhibitions, education, the shop, and wider activities, as well as the different ways artists can connect with organisations.
1.30pm – 1.45pm Varuna Kaur Kollanethu, Director, Ruup & Form Gallery
Ruup & Form is a London gallery shaped by the love for materiality and storytelling. Presenting via Zoom, Varuna will share what she’s learned about working with artists. She will offer honest, practical advice for navigating the gallery world with ease and understanding.
1.45pm – 2.00pm Emma Daker, Exhibitions and Project Development Manager, Craftspace
Craftspace is a non-venue, craft development organisation based in Birmingham. Emma will discuss how Craftspace works with artists: how they find them, where they promote opportunities and how they work with them.
2.15pm – 2.30pm Opportunity for questions and discussion
2.30pm – 2.45pm Refreshment break
2.45pm – 3.30pm Collaborative networking and peer support session and event feedback
3.30pm – 5.00pm Opportunity to view and discuss the Made in the Middle exhibition
Speakers
Dr. Bharti Parmar
Dr. Bharti Parmar (she/her) is a UK artist and academic with a practice of 30 years. Her focus is upon vernacular crafts and systems. She makes prints, photographic installations, sculpture and embroidery. Her current research interests are cotton and Indian independence.
Parmar studied Fine Art Printmaking at the Royal College of Art and has a PhD in material culture studies. Her work is represented in numerous institutional collections such as the Crafts Council, The Whitworth Gallery and the Government Art Collection.
She has supported numerous institutions as a trustee including Midlands Arts Centre Birmingham, Meadow Arts, Coventry Biennial of Contemporary Art and has been an Artistic and Quality Assessor for Arts Council England.
She is currently Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, co-editor of Colour, Vol. 4 of the Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of World Textiles and serves on Arts Council England’s Museums Designation Panel.
Photograph courtesy of Huckleberry Films.
Joshua Lockwood Moran
Joshua (he/they) is a curator and artist currently working as the Exhibitions Manager at Hub, Sleaford, a National Centre of Craft and Design. He also sits on the MIMA Advisory Board and works as a freelance curator. Previously, he was Deputy Curator at Bonington Gallery, where he curated exhibitions by Osheen Siva, Emily Andersen, and Andrew Logan, and was Co-Director of TG gallery (2014-2023).
Amelia Lawrence
Amelia (she/her) has worked in the craft sector for over 20 years. Previously having worked at Craft Potters’ Association and Embroiderers’ Guild. She is Sector Support Manager at Crafts Council where she has been working for coming up to 10 years. In her current role she manages the Crafts Council directory and sector network Craft UK.
Varuna Kaur Kollanethu
Varuna is the Founder, Director, and Curator of Ruup & Form, a London-based gallery specialising in contemporary, material-led art, design, and
craft. With a background enriched by diverse curatorial experience and formal training, Varuna approa
ches her work with a distinct, multifaceted perspective. Relocating from India in 2005, she holds MAs in Journalism and Curating Contemporary Design. Established in 2019, her gallery reflects her belief in art’s transformative potential for cultural preservation and social progress. Varuna’s curatorial approach centres on rigorous artist research and in-depth exploration of conceptual themes and artistic expression.
Richard Foot
Richard’s fascination with the world of Craft was ignited through his sister, Helen Foot, a talented woven textile designer. On visits to her whilst she was studying at the Royal College of Art and in assisting her at various Craft Shows, Richard was struck by the number of talented Makers and their beautiful creations.
An opportunity presented itself through the Crafts Council’s Hothouse scheme, which Helen participated in 2011. Together with my friend Arron, we produced a film featuring her for the open film submission for The Power of Making exhibition, held at the prestigious V&A in London.
This marked the birth of R&A Collaborations, a venture that has spanned over a decade, during which they crafted short films of makers in their studios, sharing their stories and promoting their incredible work. Their adventures took them across the United Kingdom and beyond, London, Paris, Milan and Goole, immersing us in the vibrant world of Craft Makers.
However, as 2023 unfolded, change beckoned, and the time came for R&A Collaborations to conclude. From this point, Richard’s new solo venture, #CRAFT🧡, was born. Richard has worked with a few makers on new projects and at the end of 2023 he began working part time for Design-Nation as their Events and Exhibitions Lead organising group showcases such as Collect at Somerset house.
Emma Daker
Emma (she/her) is Exhibitions and Project Development Manager for Craftspace and co-curator of Made in the Middle. Emma has 20 years’ experience of managing and curating touring exhibitions. Recent touring projects are ‘We are Commoners: Creative acts of Commoning’ and ‘Radical Craft: Alternative Ways of Making’ in partnership with Outside In. She also leads on strategic work around migrant and refugee women including managing Shelanu: Women’s Craft Collective and the Women’s Maker Movement project.
Refreshments
Drinks are provided. There is a café onsite for lunch, or you can bring your own.
Made in the Middle
Part of the Made in the Middle exhibition programme. The exhibition will be on show in the main gallery.