Launchgrad news, events and opportunities September 2021

 Hello, and welcome to September 2021 Launchgrad blog post.  This month’s blog post includes a selection of events and opportunities, newly open funding streams for creatives and advice on how to apply for funding for your creative project. We also look forward to the Graduate Outcomes survey, which will soon be sent to you if you graduated from one of our undergraduate programmes in 2020. 

To find out more about other Launchgrad activities, please check out our webpages. These include current information about Graduate Associate Membership and the current Launchgrad offer.  

News

Graduate Outcomes Survey – calling all 2020 undergraduate leavers 

If you graduated from an undergraduate course in 2019-20 please keep your eyes open for an email or message from the Graduate Outcomes team in your inbox. This survey offers HCA valuable information that we use to develop our programmes and it helps us enormously if you complete it. Thank you in advance for your completion. 

More information on the Graduate Outcomes Survey Website 

Graduates in Residence  

Huge thanks to all the graduates who applied to our Graduates in Residence scheme. Applications for 2021 are now closed and we hope to be in touch with all applicants with the results before the end of September.  This is a pilot scheme, and we will update you of any future schemes through our newsletter and blog posts in Spring/Summer 2022. 

You can read more about the pilot scheme on our GiR web pages. We regret that as a small team we cannot respond to individual email queries about the scheme.  

Graduate Associate Membership 

We are pleased to be able to offer Graduate Associate Members bookable access to the library at college road.  We hope to expand the offer through the academic year subject to the course of the pandemic.  The start of the new academic year is particularly complex with regulations around on-site lateral flow testing and more, and we thank you for understanding. Launchgrad will keep you updated through newsletters. If we have further news in-between newsletter publication dates, then we will flag this on our website and through Instagram. To find out how to book a library slot please visit our website.
 

If you are interested in signing up to become a Graduate Associate Member, email reception@hca.ac.uk   

Opportunities  

Nuneaton Museum & Art Gallery exhibition programme 

Nuneaton Museum & Art Gallery is calling for artists, photographers, craft makers and history-groups to exhibit as part of our exhibition programme for 2022. 

Applications close Friday 1 October 2021. 

Application Packs which include further information, along with Terms & Conditions, can be downloaded via their website: www.nuneatonandbedworth.gov.uk/museum 

Alternatively email them at museum@nuneatonandbedworth.gov.uk or call 024 7637 6158 for more information. 

Exhibition Space in Alpha Works 

Alpha Works is a contemporary-styled co-working space situated on the 20th-22nd floors of Birmingham’s iconic Alpha Tower. 

They are offering West Midlands-based visual artists free exhibition space for wall-based works on their 22nd floor on a rolling basis. Their exhibition space is located along a corridor with high footfall. The space is 2.63m high and 16.1m wide. With regular social events for their members, Alpha Works can offer an opening for the exhibition and promotion via their social media channels. 

If you are interested in exhibiting your work or would like more information, please contact Georgia Peglar Georgia@alphaworksb1.co.uk with a CV and web link showing examples of your work. 

FUTURE FOCUS OPEN CALL. 

 FUTURE FOCUS is an Open Call for submissions aimed at graduates from UK based BA Degree courses who graduated in 2020 and 2021 – during the Covid-19 pandemic – who were unable to exhibit their final work, or were limited in opportunities to show work. 

Deadline for submissions is October 2, 11:59pm (BST) 

For full information and to apply: https://contests.picter.com/future-focus-2021
 

Open call: Bees Don’t Make Lemonade – Kitchen Gallery Exhibition 

Zest Hall provides a free opportunity for emerging and professional artists with the Kitchen Gallery Open Call, their first in-person exhibition. 

DEADLINE: Friday 1st of October, at 12 noon GMT. 

For full information and how to apply: https://www.roundlemon.co.uk/the-kitchen-gallery 

It’s also worth looking at the other opportunities for artists on the Round Lemon webpage. 

The Courtyard Hereford seeks makers for a new retail space 

To find out more about the space, find out whether you align with their ethos and values and to apply/express interest, look on their webpages. 

 Funding & Careers  

 Advice on applying for funding 

If you’re wondering whether you’re reading to apply for grant funding for your project, have a look at ‘When to apply for Grants’, an excellent article from Artquest which talks you through what you’ll need to critically consider before downloading that application form. 

Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants 

National Lottery Project Grants supports thousands of individual artists, community and cultural organisations. Until 30 November 2021, the fund will focus on the needs of smaller independent organisations and individual practitioners. 

More details on the Arts Council website 

PAUL HAMLYN FOUNDATION: IDEAS & PIONEERS FUND 

Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Ideas and Pioneers Fund awards grants of up to £15,000 to support people with a vision of a better society to explore their ideas for change. 

Find out more on their website 

Old Possum’s Practical Trust  

Old Possum’s Practical Trust makes grants to projects which fall within artistic, aesthetic, literary, musical and theatrical criteria. All applications must demonstrate a high level of sustainability and contextual impact. Priority will be given to those which have an impact on future literary work and display enterprise in their artistic endeavour. 

More information on their website. 

ARTCRY  

 ARTCRY is a new fund which aims to encourage artists to create bold political work with funding in seven days to enable fast action. ARTCRY aims to encourage artists to create bold political work, with fast-turnaround funding to enable fast action.  

For more information and criteria see the ArtCry website. 

Funding for PhD’s 

Find out about doctoral loans (government funding) on the government’s website. 

Funding for doctoral level study in the Arts and Humanities is generally made through the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Look at the AHRC website for more details. Alternatively, you can use specialist websites like ‘Find a Phd’ which currently show application windows open for arts and humanities doctorates from UAL and Loughborough, amongst others.  

Should I do a Masters? 

If you’ve graduated with a first or upper second class degree award and are considering further study it’s worth looking at this useful article from Prospects, the graduate career platform. Although not specific to arts graduates, it offers useful statistics about the value of further study and outlines some of the pros and cons of considering this route. 

The Next Generation 2021 

This super-helpful series of articles from It’s Nice That offers up-to-date information and advice for creative graduates, including around networking in a pandemic world and what to charge for projects. 

Careers Advice  

We are very pleased to be able to offer graduates who have graduated within the last 18 months the opportunity to apply for free careers advice with HCA’s careers advisor, Gail Kilminster. There will be around 16 tutorial opportunities with Gail each month. To book one please email G.Kilminster@hca.ac.uk. Slots will be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis. This is a pilot offer and will be reviewed regularly. 

Herefordshire Council Funding Update  

This local funding directory offers great guidance around local and national current opportunties. Launchgrad keeps flagging this up as it offers up-to-date advice and guidance on local sources of funding for small projects.