The NewBridge Project Gallery is currently closed.
Are you open to new experiences and ideas?
Interested in communal activities?
Keen to develop personally, creatively, and professionally?
Do you want to adapt and think longer-term about your creative practice?
The Collective Studio is for you!
THE COLLECTIVE STUDIO
10-month Development Programme
FOR EARLY-CAREER PRACTITIONERS
OCTOBER 2021 – AUGUST 2022
The Collective Studio is a development programme for early-career artists and/or recent graduates, and creative practitioners across a range of different practices.
The Collective Studio provides support, guidance and space to test out ideas and experiment within a nurturing and critically engaged community at The NewBridge Project.
The Collective Studio provides affordable studios and workspace, and a programme of training, events, mentoring, socials and opportunities to exhibit work, open to a diverse range of practices (see Who Is It For? below) tailored to each cohort.
The Collective Studio has a very broad definition of art and artistic practice. Perhaps you’ve just left university or finished a masters, you might not have been to university, but are searching for like-minded people, maybe you are returning to a creative endeavor after life got in the way for a while.
The Collective Studio has a flexible approach and evolves year on year. The structure and content of the programme is shaped by and for its members with support from The NewBridge Project’s Artist Development Programmer and other staff. It is set against the backdrop of our evolving public programme, which explores big topics like climate change and methods for collective solidarity that can help us imagine and live new futures.
It is run by The NewBridge Project in partnership with Newcastle University and its Institute for Creative Arts Practice.
10 month events programme and subsidised studio provision between October 2021–August 2022.
You will be inducted in the building from 1st October, BEFORE the intensive 2-dayer, and your membership of the Collective Studio will end at the end of August.
3 Intensive 2-day workshops on:
13th & 14th October
12th & 13th January
13th & 14th April
(Intensives are 12 noon–6pm plus evening socials)
Programmed events every month (Wednesday afternoon / Thursday evening):
It is recommended you put these dates in your diary now as attendance will give you the fullest experience of the Collective Studio.
Individual Studio (Small – around 5m2) – £50p/m
Shared Studio (2 people in around 5m2) – £30p/m
Co-work/Hot-desk – £20p/m
Associate Membership
(Non North-East based practitioners only) £60p/y
(Virtual access to most activity)
The Collective Studio is about much more than subsidised studio space. The programme includes:
Crits, events & workshops
Invited local and national workshop leaders
Socials
Access to production and project spaces (including wood workshop, darkroom, print studio, ceramic studio)
Works-in-progress exhibitions
Field trips
Mentoring
Studio & workspace
Budget allocated for the cohort to collectively use, providing the opportunity to exhibit work and/or programme events.
Peer-led activity
If you are interested in a studio space and not the programme, then have a look at applying for a studio on the Become a member page.
The Collective Studio operates through a membership model providing different types of space membership including:
Individual studios (£50 per month – about 5m2); shared studios for up to 3 people (£30 per month – 2 people sharing a 5m2 space with own desk); co-working and hot desking (£20 per month); associate membership for non-regional practitioners (£60 per year / £5 per month – some activity accessible remotely).
Through this membership you also have access to a broader range of events and development opportunities through NewBridge’s ongoing artistic programme and Practice Makes Practice (our wider member-led development programme).
Along with studio and workspace, Collective Studio members will gain access to a regular and flexible curriculum of support, including events, socials and mentoring. The structure will be shaped around three 2-day workshops in October, January and April, monthly events with invited guest practitioners and regular socials and peer-led activity.
The Collective Studio will be based at The NewBridge Project in Shieldfield, Newcastle.
The NewBridge Project is looking for any early-career practitioners and creative graduates to be part of The Collective Studio cohort from mid-October 2021 to August 2022.
The Collective Studio is open to all creative disciplines including (but not limited to):
We have a number of different ways to apply for The Collective Studio:
Please send your application to applications@thenewbridgeproject.com with
‘YOUR NAME_The Collective Studio Application’ in the subject line.
(Save the file as Your_Name_Collective_Studio_Application)
Please include:
1. Statement
(Max. half page of A4 or 2-3 minutes via video or audio). This is the most important part of the application, and the following prompts will help you to complete your statement:
2. Bio/Artist Statement
(Max. half page of A4 / 2-3 minutes video or audio), including information about who you are (the bio), what your creative practice is and why you do it (artist statement). Don’t worry if you aren’t happy with this. That’s a common feeling and we will be developing this as part of the programme.
3. Brief CV
(Max. 1 page A4 / 2-3 minutes video or audio) focussing on your practice and any relevant experience (include an up-to-date address, contact phone number and email address (non-university). You won’t be selected based on your CV but it helps with background info.
4. If you have been to university, please state which subject course you have completed, the year of graduation and what institution you attended, or provide equivalent information. We welcome applications from people who haven’t undertaken a formal degree course, so this isn’t mandatory.
5. Weblinks or images of recent work (up to 3 items). This is to give us an indication of your work, it’s subject matter and medium – which will help us to plan the programme.
6. Please include what type of space membership you would like to apply for (individual, shared, hot-desk, associate), and let us know your first and second choice for this!
7. Equality and Diversity monitoring form (download below, complete and return with your application).
Deadline: Thursday 15th July, 12 noon
Successful applicants will be notified by 26th August.
We want The Collective Studio to be open and accessible to everybody, and as such are offering a number of bursaries for free membership to support people who would otherwise be unable to participate.
We are offering 2 x Associate Membership bursaries and 2 x Hot-desk bursaries for Collective Studio membership for those who face barriers associated with race, disability, age, gender identity, sexuality and/or class.
Additionally, we will offer 1 x Studio Membership bursary for an individual space for a disabled emerging artist, as we recognise that the cost of a studio in addition to access costs may be a barrier for some to participate. Please see FAQs for more details on access.
Please state in your application if you would like to be considered for one of these bursaries, and under what circumstances.
If you’d like to find out more about The Collective Studio and chat to NewBridge staff members – please come along to one of our open days:
Tuesday 6th July (IN PERSON) open day – 1-5pm
Thursday 8th July (ONLINE) open day with introductory talk – 3-5pm
This will be an opportunity to see the space and chat to staff. There will be a booking system, so you can let us know you are coming and we can follow up-to-date government guidelines about social distancing and provide you with information about visiting the space.
To find out more about the open days and book a slot, please visit the event page →
Please note we are planning for several eventualities in relation to the global pandemic which will be responsive to government and local guidelines.
We highly recommend contacting Dan Russell, Artist Development Programmer on d.russell@thenewbridgeproject.com if you have any questions about The Collective Studio, the application process or would like to chat more about the opportunity to see if it is right for you.
The NewBridge Project is supported by Arts Council England, Newcastle Culture Investment Fund, Newcastle University’s Institute for Creative Arts Practice and the North of Tyne Combined Authority.
