ZOO ART FAIR 09

New Commission and Development
OpportunityDeadline Monday 4 August - 12 midnight
[please note; deadline passed, no new applications being received]

There was an excellent response to the recent call for submissions to the Zoo Art Fair 2009 project. The final selection was recently undertaken by Project Base and the successful artists are: 

Jane Bailey
Joe Doldon
Amanda Lorens
Steven Paige
Stuart Robinson
Oliver Sutherland
Lucy Willow

Project Background
This is an Arts Council England SW supported initiative, managed by a partnership of ProjectBase, University College Falmouth and Creative Skills.

We aim to commission up to seven Cornwall-based artists that challenges the current perception, both within and out of the county, of contemporary visual art in Cornwall, at Zoo Art Fair 2009.

Since 2004 Zoo Art Fair has identified and created a platform for emerging commercial and non-commercial art organisations including galleries, project spaces, artist collectives, curatorial groups and publications during London's Contemporary Art Week. Exhibitors are selected by an independent panel of respected arts professionals.

In 2007 the Fair welcomed over 12,500 visitors including influential local, national and international curators, collectors, critics and artists. Exhibitors achieved over £2.8 million in sales with more to follow offsite as well as exhibitions in key places.

Artists’ Brief
The partnership, led by ProjectBase, will commission up to seven artists currently resident in Cornwall to produce work that responds to Zoo 2009 as a context rather than as a space. The work can be created in any art form, but must be contemporary in nature. The presentation at Zoo 2009 will be curated by Sara Black, Director of ProjectBase.

The commissions depend on the partnership’s application to Zoo Art Fair 2009 & further fundraising being successful. If that application is approved, the successful artists will be formally commissioned in February 2009 to produce new work by September 2009, for installation at Zoo Art Fair 2009 in October 2009.

Commissioned artists will be expected to submit their proposals for the work to be included in the exhibit, by 31 March 2009.

All artists selected will be expected to join an arranged group visit to Zoo Art Fair 2008 between 17th – 20th October, travel will be arranged and paid for by the project

Guidelines for artists
There are two stages to the selection process (see below) and as part of the process of the project, the successful artists will be expected to:

1) Commit to work with the Curator and the other artists, attending a series of scheduled meetings over the course of a year

2) Agree to individual studio visits with the Curator

3) Participate in a professional development programme which will include support and advice on fundraising, exhibition applications, organisational development

4) Participate in a curatorial residency project hosted by ProjectBase providing international dialogue and exchange opportunities

We are looking for artists who will:

1) create works that respond to the above context in any artform

2) work to a commission brief, with a curator, and complete the work for installation by late September 2009

3) work in an inter-disciplinary approach and demonstrate a history of collaboration

4) be able to create a dialogue between each other to form a working group to deliver the project

Notes on the Commissions:
Currently the intention of the partnership to commission up to seven artists with a commission fee of  £1000 per artist. Please note that these commissions are based on the success of a further funding bid. Additional funding needs to be raised by the partnership to cover production costs