The Artist's Journey 3
Thursday 13 & Friday 14 February
Morning session on 13 February: Sheffield Hallam Pennine Theatre, Sheffield City Centre, Sheffield S1 2LW
Lunch, afternoon session & all day 14 February: Sheffield Institute of Arts, The Head Post Office, Fitzalan Square, Sheffield S1 2AY
Free & Open to all
Being an artist can take you to places you never thought were possible, but the paths are unclear and the maps complicated.
Last year the people who we travel with joined us; journeys are enhanced by the people we meet on route, the friends who accompany us and the support of the places we go to.
This year we will not be travelling far but visiting the fringes shedding light on the practices, interests and groups that operate at the edges or outside of the ‘professional’ and formal structures or economies.
The Artist’s Journey is getting longer (we are adding another day). We are pleased to expand our growing partnerships and broaden our conversations during continuing political change and uncertainty. This year Sheffield Hallam University will continue partnerships with YVAN and Bloc Projects and welcome the National Association of Fine Art Educators, Mansions of the Future and the Sheffield Creative Guild.
The event is organised in part by Bloc Projects’ Public Programme Coordinator Sunshine Wong, who also programmed the speakers on day 1.
Day 1: Thursday, 13 February
The first day is made up of invited artist presentations. While ‘professionalisation’ suggests the positive, necessary steps to becoming an artist, there are ‘improfessional’ practices that exist at an off-kilter relation to this imperative. Outside of the professional / unprofessional binary, what else do artists do, feel, or think as they build their portfolio, write their grants, or get on with these obvious tasks? And as both a direct or dissonant response to our art-making lives, what modalities of survival and thriving do we develop? How do we – or don’t we – maintain the balance, health, and motivation necessary to keep going as supposed art professionals?
The presentations will explore these questions in two thematically-based sessions: improfessional organising (morning) and improfessional trajectories (afternoon). The morning session will focus on ways of organising, with contributions from institutional as well as artist-led perspectives. The afternoon session will turn to the different pathways that artists have made for themselves.
9:30 – 10:00 Registration
10:00 – 10:15 Welcome and introduction
Morning session: Improfessional organising
10:15 – 11:45 Presentations from Eelyn Lee (filmmaker and convener of Social Art Network), Symrun Chatha (musician and co-founder of Café Redhaus) and Anna Santomauro (Programme Curator, Arts Catalyst). Panel discussion chaired by Clee Claire Lee (artist, Material Voice collective)
11:45 – 12:00 Break
12:00 – 13:00 Artist talk by Tram Nguyen (Assistant Curator, Tate and member of Asia-Art-Activism) with response and discussion chaired by Sam Vardy / Paula McCloskey (artists, researchers, and co-founders of ; a place, of their own)
Afternoon session: Improfessional trajectories
14:00 – 15:30 Presentations from Zoyander Street (artist, researcher and critic), Manish Harijan (artist) and Lady Kitt (artist, researcher and drag king). Panel discussion chaired by Dan Russell (artist and committee member of The NewBridge Project)
15:30 – 15:45 Break
15:45 – 16:45 Artist talk by Renata Minoldo (artist and educator) with response and discussion chaired by Sunshine Wong (art researcher and Public Programme Coordinator at Bloc Projects)
17:00 - 22:00 Join Sheffield Creative Guild and Sheffield Hallam University at Sidney & Matilda for an informal event at which you’ll have the opportunity to chat to a variety of small creative business owners and freelancers over a drink or two and some tunes. Meet illustrators, independent book sellers, digital artists and graphic designers and take part in a craft workshop run by our friends at Girl Gang. The workshop and stalls will run from 5pm – 7.30pm after which attendees will be welcome to stay on to mingle to their hearts’ content (or until 10pm). The evening will include a techno performance by Epiploke, a live coding collaboration between artists Heavy Lifting and Yaxu.
Below is a selection of audio recordings of presentations on Day 1.
Day 2 : Friday, 14 February 2020
The 2nd day is the result of a new partnership between Sheffield Hallam University and the National Association of Fine Art Educators and consists of a series of presentations selected from an open call by NAFAE (National Association for Fine Art Education) relating to the theme of ‘Improfessional’ practices.
9:00 – 10:15 Registration
9:30 – 10:00 NAFAE AGM chaired by Paul Haywood and Linden Reilly
10:15 – 10:45 Introductions by Paul Haywood and Rose Butler
10:45 – 11:15 The Artist's Journey: Partner Presentation: "On Curating, Care and Pedagogy" by Kerry Campbell (Mansions of the Future)
11:15 – 11:30 Break
11:30 – 12:00 "Approaching Affective Zero" Andrew Bracey
12:00 – 12:30 "Artivism and/as Communities of Practice: Precarious Workers Brigade (UK) and The Consortium for Postartistic Practices (Poland)" Dr Marsha Bradfield
12:30 – 14:00 Lunch break & a workshop led by Womp Space's Hannah Lamb and Lucy Lound at Hygge Café
14:00 – 14:30 "Temporary Totalities: Reimagining the world through collective fictioning in a contemporary art practice" Lesley Guy [HPO Café] // "FLΔG – A student art collective past, present and future" Katrine Hjelde [MA Studio]
14:30 – 15:00 "The S Project - a 'by proxy' proposition. (two women walking towards each other)" Gudrun Filipska (Arts Territory Exchange) [HPO Café] // "Failing Positively: Cross disciplinary collaboration as an approach to creative freedom" Dr Carla Rees and Caroline Wright [MA Studio]
15:00 – 15:15 Break
15:15 – 15:45 "Routine, Regulation, Resistance: What do the behaviours of artists tell us?" Jo Addison and Natasha Kidd [HPO Café] // Les Monaghan workshop [MA Studio]
15:45 Discussion
The Artist’s Journey conferences were founded through a partnership with the Art and Design department at Sheffield Hallam University and Yorkshire & Humber Visual Arts Network (YVAN). The conferences provide an annual discussion between individual artists and small-scale, artist-led collectives and organisations addressing (but not limited to) recent graduates and early career practitioners. The conferences build on support, guidance and critical discussion, offered as part of existing courses, within the local creative communities but also concerning national debate. By working in partnership we broaden the conversation, provide a rich, informed and sustainable way forward to enhance the many different routes we might take to establish ourselves as artists.
Art and Design at Sheffield Hallam University is an amazing, diverse community of artists – where staff, students and partners work as equals to deliver real innovation and creativity. Sheffield is home to the UK's largest practicing community of artists and designers outside London, bringing a constant flow of creative energy and activity. We are an integral part of the vibrant and creative city of Sheffield and have a well-established professional development programme.
Bloc Projects is a not-for-profit creative organisation based within Sheffield city centre supporting artists at key stages in their careers through an acclaimed artistic programme of events, workshops, exhibitions and public commissions. Bloc Projects work with other local art organisations, universities and charities to ensure our activities welcome a diverse and intergenerational demographic, removing barriers to access across to all elements of our programme.
Mansions of the Future is an arts and cultural hub in Lincoln brought to life through a public programme of free talks, workshops, communal lunches and family activities, alongside national and international artistic commissions. Working with artists from inception to delivery alongside local communities, the three year programme privileges social, site-specific and collaborative ways of working.
NAFAE is the Subject Association for Fine Art education in the UK. We advocate the interests, promotion and cultural relevance of Fine Art education at Foundation, BA, MA and PhD levels. The Association aims to be instrumental in anticipating and shaping decisions that impact on the enhancement and future development of Fine Art by engaging with a range of constituencies.
YVAN works to be a voice and advocate for the visual arts sector in Yorkshire & Humber, delivering a programme that effects change in the profile, reputation and sustainability of the visual arts and artists in Yorkshire & Humber, and is part of the national Contemporary Visual Arts Network.
Sheffield Creative Guild is a membership cooperative for anybody who enjoys creativity and has a passion for the arts. We enhance the visibility, resilience and sustainability of the region's creative communities through a programme of events including workshops, talks, socials and networking events. We offer advice and peer support, and advocate on behalf of our members' interests.
Images & audio courtesy of Peter Martin and Bloc Projects