Just announced: Energy House 2.0 artist residencies, Graduate Scholarship Programme, Mishka Henner AIR & more in latest newsletter
Cedar Point Oil Field, Harris County, Texas, 2013-2014, Mishka Henner. Image courtesy the artist.
It has been a busy start to the year at the University of Salford Art Collection. Some Days I Feel Triangle continues in our New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery, and following a successful launch in Liverpool, our touring exhibition Craig Easton: Is Anybody Listening? travels next to Blackpool School of Arts, opening on the 11th of April. Alongside this, artwork from our Collection is on display across Greater Manchester, with works from Hilary Jack and McCoy Wynne included in Bury Art Gallery's recently launched exhibition For Man Is Coming, and Lu Xinjian's City DNA/Salford and Manchester on display in the newly opened Manchester Museum.
Following on from our open call for the first Energy House 2.0 artist residency last year, Mishka Henner has been appointed as the first of two artists-in-residence. It has been great working with Mishka as he makes the most of the facilities available on campus. Work from Mishka is currently on display at our Media City campus for Go Green Salford, alongside a showcase of work from Peer to Peer: UK/HK 2022.
And perhaps most excitingly, we are pleased to share our two current opportunities. It's the time of year again for our annual Graduate Scholarship Programme, run in partnership with Castlefield Gallery. Each year we are thrilled to offer a number of bespoke scholarships to graduating students of the University of Salford School of Arts, Media, and Creative Technology. Plus, applications are now open for our second Artist Residency at Energy House 2.0 in partnership with Open Eye Gallery and Castlefield Gallery. Find out more about both opportunities below.
With all this, and even more happening behind the scenes, you can always stay up to date with the latest news from us on our blog and social media platforms.
Rowan Pritchard
Art Collection Team Assistant
Image: Mishka Henner, 2023. Courtesy the artist.
Announcing: Mishka Henner appointed as first artist-in-residence at Energy House 2.0
Henner will spend 18 months at the new state of the art research facility, developing new work on themes of the climate crisis, net zero research, and the future of housing. He will work alongside leading scientists, specialists, researchers and industry partners as well the wider university community, considering ‘the different ways we can see energy, and how climate catastrophe haunts our present condition’.
This residency builds on the success of a pilot residency programme at Energy House 1, in collaboration with Open Eye Gallery which saw photography duo McCoy Wynne create a series of photographs which have since been toured to galleries in the North West
Mishka was selected from an open call in Winter 2022. The residency will be showcased at LOOK Photo Biennial in Liverpool in 2024, Castlefield Gallery in 2025, and on campus at a future date.
We are now accepting applications for the second Energy House 2.0 Residency, in partnership with Castlefield Gallery and Open Eye Gallery.
For the second Energy House 2.0 residency, we are inviting expressions of interest from visual artists, based in the North of England, who work in any medium except photography. It is anticipated that the successful artist will have the opportunity to work with scientists, technicians and other specialist staff to make new work which explores positive solutions to the climate crisis, net zero research and the future of housing.
-18-month residency (July 2023 – December 2024)
- £20,000 artist fee
The selected artist will be supported by the Art Collection team and curatorial staff from both Castlefield Gallery and Open Eye Gallery. They will also have access to other academic staff expertise and facilities across the University – from the Maker Space to the Library. We will encourage the artist to connect with the first artist in residence, Mishka Henner.
We are also delighted that our annual Scholarship Programme for final year BA and MA students at the University of Salford School of Arts, Media, and Creative Technology is now open for applications.
The Scholarship Programme is heading into its 10th year, having been established in 2014 to support exceptional artists in the crucial first year after graduation. The Scholarship is run by Castlefield Gallery, in collaboration with our professional partners: Hot Bed Press, Islington Mill, Paradise Works and Redeye, The Photography Network.
Each year, a number of bespoke scholarships are awarded, with the offer including up to £1000, studio space at Paradise Works, Islington Mill, and Hot Bed Press, professional coaching, mentoring and guidance, Castlefield Gallery Associates membership, 1-2-1 sessions with the team at Castlefield and much more.
Craig Easton: Is Anybody Listening?
11 April - 31 May 2023
Blackpool School of Arts
Craig Easton: Is Anybody Listening? presented by the University of Salford Art Collection opens at Blackpool School of Arts on the 11th of April and runs until the 31st of May.
The touring exhibition showcases two award-winning series of photographs by the University of Salford alumni, Thatcher's Children and Bank Top, alongside an exciting engagement programme for young people: Our Time, Our Place.
Easton won Photographer of the Year (2021) at the Sony World Photography Awards with his series Bank Top, a collaboration with writer, poet and social researcher Abdul Aziz Hafiz, examining the representation and misrepresentation of northern communities. Commissioned by Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery, the work focused on a small, tight-knit community in Blackburn.
He also took second place in the documentary category for Thatcher’s Children, which explores the inter-generational nature of poverty and economic hardship as experienced by three generations of one family across the Northwest.
For more details about the exhibition in Blackpool, and the rest of the tour, click here.
Recent Collection Commissions on Display at Bury Art Museum
Bury Art Museum's For Man Is Coming is a major new exhibition, exploring man’s impact on climate change.
Two recent commissions from the University of Salford Art Collection are included in the exhibition. Images from McCoy Wynne's series Are You Living Comfortably, acquired by the Collection after the first artist residency at Energy House, are on display, alongside Hilary Jack's Unsettled Ground, commissioned for the You Belong Here exhibition in 2021.
Image: Installation view of Unsettled Ground by Hilary Jack at Bury Art Museum, 2023. Courtesy Susan Lord.
City DNA/Salford and Manchester by Lu Xinjian on Display at Manchester Museum
City DNA/Salford and Manchester was commissioned by the Collection in 2016, and presents a graphic view of the topography from the University of Salford campus to Manchester city centre. Working from aerial views from Google Earth, the painting began as a series of sketches, which were then made into a stencil using Adobe Illustrator. The final design of lines, curves, squares and circles was hand-painted. What is given in lieu of an accurate cartography is a sense of place – the vibe, rhythm or tempo of the area where Salford and Manchester meet.
The Xinjian painting is on display in Manchester Museum's Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery. The new gallery draws from historical and contemporary links between Manchester and China and a wide range of Chinese perspectives, offering a diverse and dynamic understanding of Chinese culture.
Image: Lu Xinjian, City DNA / Salford and Manchester, 2015, painting. Courtesy the artist. Photography by Museums Photography North West.
Last Chance: Join Gwen Riley Jones for a lunchtime tour of Some Days I Feel Triangle
12:30pm, 25 April 2023
New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery
Join Artist Gwen Riley Jones and Assistant Curator Stephanie Fletcher for an informal lunchtime tour of the current exhibition Some Days I Feel Triangle, a collaborative project with Salford Youth Council which focuses on creativity and wellbeing.
Some Days I Feel Triangle combines artwork from the Collection, selected by the Youth Council members, alongside stories and images from the group’s projects – plus prompts, cards, badges and stickers for visitors to take away.
Some Days I Feel Triangle closes on the 28th April, so be sure not to miss this final tour of the exhibition. To reserve your free place on the tour, click here.
Image: Salford Youth Council at the Allotment for Veterans, Eccles. Courtesy Gwen Riley Jones.
From Our Friends & Partners
Opening Soon: Archives at Play 2 at Castlefield Gallery
Archives at Play 2 is the second in a two-part series of exhibitions inviting an exciting roster of artists to delve into Castlefield Gallery’s archive. These exhibitions are part of a process of reflection as the gallery approaches its 40th year in 2024 and looks ahead to the next 40 years of working with artists.
The exhibition runs from the 26th March until 4th June. Saturday Slow Preview: Saturday 25 March.
Click here to visit Castlefield Gallery's website for more details.
Former Graduate Scholar Tara Collette Solo exhibition at HOME closes April 2nd
Last chance to see Tara Collette's brand-new solo exhibition Gentrification is Class War, on display at HOME's Granada Foundation Galleries.
Gentrification is Class War explores the impact of gentrification and the lack of affordable housing in our city which has seen many local communities priced out of the city centre and neighbouring areas. Tara’s work urges us to question the difference between gentrification and regeneration and reflect on the impact it is having on communities.
Tara Collette participated in our 2017/8 Graduate Scholarship Programme. Click here to find out more about the exhibition and Tara's work.
Image courtesy Tara Collette.
Job Opportunity: Weekend Front of House Assistant at Salford Museum and Art Gallery
Salford Museum and Art Gallery have an exciting position available for a Front of House Assistant whose role is to provide high-quality customers care and assist in the operation of the museum.
The deadline is 5pm, Friday 7th April.
Click here to visit the Salford Museum website for the details and how to apply.
Job Opportunity: Curator at Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool
Open Eye Gallery is seeking a Curator (£26,000 – £28,000, depending on experience) to join the team in producing and delivering a relevant and diverse programme of exhibitions, projects, and events.
The deadline is 4th April, and interviews 17th April.
Click here to visit Open Eye Gallery's website for all of the details and how to apply.
