Wed, 28 May 2025">published - Wed, 28 May 2025
Job Summary
The Lead Artist will be responsible for leading and facilitating a co-created arts project with residents of Higher Folds.
Job Description
Contract: July 2025 - July 2026
The Higher Folds Lead Artist will be responsible for leading and facilitating a co-created arts project with residents of Higher Folds. The goal of the project is to engage the community, support local artists, and enhance the livelihood and wellbeing of participants through creative engagement workshops leading to the creation of a new artwork for inclusion in the Make. Believe. exhibition in May 2026. This is a freelance position between July 2025 - July 2026.
Deep community engagement with Higher Folds residents
We will deliver a programme of visual arts and creative storytelling in partnership with HF Works CIC & Resilient Cities Network. Higher Folds housing estate in east Leigh is an isolated, often misunderstood community and an area of significant deprivation (top 8% in UK). Residents tell us they 'just want to be given a chance'. There is a wealth of creativity within the neighbourhood - from the outsider art of individuals to the collective folklore stories of Marble Woods, the Monkey Tree and the epic tree house created by a local resident out of recycled materials.
The magic of the Higher Folds community shines through its deep-rooted care for one another-where open doors, shared objects, and everyday acts of kindness create a fertile ground for collaborative art-making, powered by a proud DIY spirit and a belief in collective creativity.
Community consultation has revealed the following key themes that residents are keen to explore in the project:
Play, freedom and imagination - Childhood games, street games (Kirby/kerby/curby, footie, manhunt), climbing trees, exploring nature, den making.
Reimagining the environment around you stories from the monkey tree, marble forest, the waterfall.
Community care - Looking out for each other, trade and exchange of objects, open doors, DIY culture, magic in the little things
Job Requirements
We are seeking artists with significant experience in relevant art forms, including but not limited to visual arts and live performance. Applicants should demonstrate a strong track record of collaborative, community-based practice, with an ability to engage diverse groups and co-create meaningful work. Experience in DIY approaches, socially engaged methods, and working within non-traditional or informal settings is highly desirable.
The £10,000 excl. VAT commission fee covers 26 full days of work at a rate of £350 per day, as well as £900 to cover expenses and materials. The 26 full days will include approx. 24 x half days delivering workshops with the community, with the remaining days to be spent on planning and developing the final outcome for display.
Job Responsibilities
* Build strong working relationships with The Turnpike Gallery Team and project partners Resilient Cities Network and HF Works CIC
* Lead on development of the artistic vision for the project in collaboration with participants and the project team, working towards agreed outcomes
* Design and deliver creative opportunities that are accessible and engaging for participants of varying abilities and experience levels
* Collaborate with the Higher Folds Community Producer to showcase the community's artistic outcomes (e.g. exhibitions, events, performances or digital outputs)
* Produce an impactful artistic outcome building on work created by residents to be exhibited at The Turnpike Gallery as part of the Make. Believe. exhibition opening May 2026.
* Contribute towards evaluation of the project working with our project evaluator
* Job Title: Make. Believe. Lead Artist Higher Folds
Please submit a proposal outlining your approach to this project and how you would use your artistic skills to explore the key themes listed above, including a copy of your portfolio/web link with examples of previous projects you have worked on.
Your proposal can be in written format of up to 3 pages, or audio/video format of up to 5 minutes. Proposals will be reviewed by a panel with representatives from The Turnpike Gallery, HF Works CIC and residents of Higher Folds.
Deadline for applications: Sunday 29th June 2025
Shortlisting/interviews: Week commencing 7th July 2025
Start date: July 2025
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