Visual arts

A Europe-wide project for refugee artists has opened for applications.

In from the Margins offers artists from refugee and migrant backgrounds residencies at one of five print studios across Europe.

Funded by Creative Europe, the €178,000 project will support 30 artists and culminate in a group exhibition in Edinburgh in spring 2023.

Edinburgh Printmakers will lead the programme, helping artists network, engage with local communities and develop their practice.

“The emphasis of the project is to platform artists, bringing them from the margins to the heart of mainstream cultural programming,” Edinburgh Printmakers CEO Janet Archer said.

Applications are open until November 12, with residencies scheduled to start in January.

A new fund to improve the diversity of London’s public spaces has been announced by London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Untold Stories will offer community-led organisations between £1,000 and £25,000 to develop new murals, street art, street names and programmes.

Recent research into London’s sculptures found huge gaps in representation. More than a fifth of London's statues are dedicated to named men, whilst only 4% are dedicated to named women. Just three of almost 1500 public monuments depict named women of colour.

Khan said London’s statues, street names and buildings have shown a limited perspective of the city’s history for “far too long”.

“I’m determined to do everything I can to ensure our public realm presents a more complete picture of everyone who has made London the incredible city it is today.”

Untold Stories opened its first application round Thursday (October 21), with a deadline of January 12.

A giant box bearing the slogan "break in case of arts emergency" has appeared in London as part of a campaign highlighting inequalities in the arts.

The boxes showcase artworks by young people involved with charity Arts Emergency as well as statistics on the arts workforce. 'Break the glass' is a euphemism for joining the mentoring network.

Only 4.8% of people working in music or the visual or performing arts are from a Black, Asian or ethnic minority background and only 12% are working class, Arts Emergency reports.

The box has debuted at the Museum of London and will tour several local venues before arriving at Liverpool's World Museum in time for its 2022 launch event.

The campaign is supported by organisations including the BFI, Whitworth Gallery, Strawberries and Creem Festival and professional website Linkedin.

The number of adults engaging in arts and culture in Northern Ireland has fallen once again.

Continuous Household Survey data for 2020/21 shows 81% of adults engaged in arts and culture in the last 12 months, compared to 87% in 2019/20. 

This year's figure represents the lowest recorded for engagement in arts and culture since 2008/09.

Despite the overall decrease, the number of adults using public libraries increased from 23% to 28%.

The number of adults visiting a museum or science centre remained stable at 37%.

This year's report is the first to record engagement against deprivation. 84% of adults living in Northern Ireland's least deprived areas engaged in arts and culture compared to 78% living in the most deprived areas.

The Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS) has distributed £5.6m in payback royalties to 86,000 visual artists this year.

The Payback scheme pays photographers, illustrators and artists annual when their artworks are published in UK books and magazines or on TV.

DACS said the scheme gave artists a "reliable source of income" during the tumult of the pandemic. 

It has paid out over £65m through Payback since its inception in 1999.

Visual artists interested in joining the scheme can register at DACS' website to be notified when it reopens in January.

An immersive art installation opening this weekend will mark the UN's Convention on Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow.

Polar Zero, a collaboration between the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), British Antarctic Survey, engineering consultants Arup and the Royal College of Art, includes a glass sculpture encasing Antarctic Air from 1765 and an Antarctic ice core drilled out of a glacier.

The centrepieces are significant because they provide scientific evidence of the earth's temperature before the industrial revolution - a turning point in global warming - and the state of the atmosphere now.

AHRC Executive Chair Professor Christopher Smith said Polar Zero "epitomises the power of the arts and arts s research to tackle pressing contemporary issues such as climate change".

“It translates crucial but complex scientific research in a way that will resonate deeply and emotionally with diverse audiences to inspire lasting change."

Polar Zero opens at Glasgow Science Centre on October 2.

Research by art marketplace Artfinder has ranked Salisbury as the top art buying location in the UK.

The Wiltshire city ranked number one with 515 artworks bought per 100,000 inhabitants. Oxford and Cambridge placed second and third, with 478 and 471 art sales per 100,000 residents respectively.

The research also found UK art buyers purchase paintings more than other kinds of art, with oil and acrylic paintings the most popular.

Salisbury based artist James Earley said the city was an “ideal” place to practice and show art.

"It is a huge compliment to the city and to those who have pushed art to the forefront through opening studios and exhibitions. It is now one of the pillars of the city and I truly believe this to be a celebration for Salisbury’s diversity."

Educational arts charity Art UK has opened an auction fundraiser which will split proceeds equally between all participating artists.

Buy Art To Help Art UK features a live auction at London's Cromwell Place on September 29 and an online auction, now open for bids until September 30.

The auctions include work from over 140 artists priced from £50 to £50,000, but proceeds will be split equally between the artists.

Art UK Director Andy Ellis says the charity's share of sales will go towards increasing access to its national art collection, expanding its learning resources and telling the stories of underrepresented artists.

“Please support us if you can by buying a great piece of art or telling your friends about what’s on offer."