Art in Manufacturing Open Call

The National Festival of Making invites applications for two paid artist residencies with manufacturers in Lancashire as part of Art in Manufacturing, its headline commissioning programme. Each residency offers the opportunity to develop new work through research and collaboration within a distinctive manufacturing setting.

Art in Manufacturing invites artists to develop ambitious, contemporary work through encounters with manufacturers and spaces of making. Working alongside skilled workforces, artists can explore materials, processes and lived experiences, opening up unexpected connections and revealing perspectives that are often unseen. With curatorial and producing support, we encourage artists to experiment, take creative risks and extend their practice. We welcome outcomes that may be playful, beautiful, humorous and complex, and which create meaningful opportunities for diverse audiences to encounter contemporary work.

The commissioned artist is invited to spend time in the factory, getting to know the workforce and gaining an understanding of material, process and expertise.

As part of the residency, you will have the possibility of access to materials and/or production hours provided by the manufacturer – the scope of this support is to be agreed between the manufacturer, producing team and artist during the residency period.

Exhibition and Presentation

Resulting artworks are presented as part of the National Festival of Making’s programme in venues from Blackburn’s grandest, historic spaces to repurposed town centre shops and public realm spaces. In-situ talks with commissioned artists take the shape of informal In-Conversation discussions and provide insight into the residency experience, along with workshops inspired by and complementing new works.

The festival weekend is a joyful and exploratory gathering where families try a skill for the first time, established makers work with artisan crafters, music and performance is enjoyed across the town centre, thousands of people make things with their hands, and audiences experience new and contemporary work in spaces previously unknown to them.

Art in Manufacturing residencies often cultivate unexpected and diverse outcomes.