Professional Development

About Creative Pathways
Professional Development for SAW member artists

Creative Pathways is a professional development programme that aims to provide tailor-made support for artist members in Somerset to develop their practice and to deliver high-quality work. The programme offers different levels of support throughout the year.

Bursary opportunities usually open in Feb/March for those who wish to develop new work as part of the Art Weeks Festival event or Open Studios event. There will be other art-form specific opportunities open throughout the year. All opportunities will be advertised in our Members’ Newsletter.

Creative Pathways 2018

Thanks for those applied for the bursary this year. The application is now closed, please come back to see other opportunities in the near future.

Applications are now open for the followings:

Creative Pathways 2018: Somerset Open Studios Bursary (NEW!)

Application Deadline: Monday 19 March 2018, 5pm

Bursaries are now available for 3 Somerset based artists in the early stage of their career to demonstrate their developing practices and engage their audiences during Somerset Open Studios Event (15-30 September 2018) in his/her chosen location/venue.

Artists will receive the followings:

• Free entry to the Somerset Open Studios 2018 (we will refund your registration fee, if you have already registered for the event and since decided to take part in the Creative Pathways programme.)
• Free 1 year SAW Emerging Artist Membership (For existing members, free membership for 2018 – 2019)
• Mentoring, advice and support for the artistic development and marketing
• £250 to cover expenses, i.e. materials and transport

Download the full artist brief and application details. Creative Pathways 2018 – Brief

Creative Pathways 2018: ACEarts Bursary (NEW!)

Application Deadline: Monday 19 March 2018, 5pm

A bursary is now available for an emerging artist to develop a new body of work and take part in the Somerset Open Studios (15th – 30th September 2018) at ACEarts, Somerton. 

The bursary will be offered to an emerging artist to share the ACEarts Gallery space with artist Lydia Needle and to develop new work with their chosen materials with the following characteristics in their current or developing practice:

• Working with the community as part of your work
• Working with contemporary art practice, including sound, film, digital or across different disciplines from craft to digital.
• Working in collaboration with other artists and audience and as integral part of your practice.

Artist will receive the following:

• Free entry to the Somerset Open Studios 2018 (we will refund your registration fee, if you have already registered for the event and since decided to take part in the Creative Pathways programme.)
• Free 1 year SAW Emerging Artist Membership (For existing members, free membership for 2018 – 19)
• Up to 10 hrs mentoring, advice and support on artistic development and marketing from SAW and ACEarts
• A bursary of £250 to cover materials and expenses

Download the full artist brief and application details. Creative Pathways 2018: ACEarts Bursary

Creative Pathways in the past

The following artists have benefited from the programme in previous years, with additional support provided by a variety of organisations and projects:

2017

Isobel Adderley, Judy Crosher, Sue Gilmore and Ellie Mawby received bursaries this year to explore the prospect of progressing their artistic practice and widening their audiences, through creating new work in their chosen medium and showcase during the festival in the venue of their choice.
https://somersetartworks.org.uk/2017/06/creative-pathway-bursaries-awarded/

2016

Adam Grose, Liz & Dale (Elizabeth Caires & Dale Perrett), Sarah Hitchens and Veronia Gayle have been selected to create new body of work and to showcase them at the temporary workspaces in Black Swan Arts, The Old Brick Workshop, The Emporium and Contains Art during Somerset Open Studios event. Each artist responds to the theme of ʻMomentumʼ in their chosen medium and with their own interpretation, representing the progression of their artistic endeavors. This year’s programme is made possible by the support of Arts Council England’s Lottery programme and the partnership venues.

2015

we offered 4 bursaries to emerging/graduate artists in Somerset to make new work and to help them reach their audiences. We have also extended the programme to curating and art writing. Selected artists are:

Bursary 1: Critical Writing and curating
Beckie Upton

Bursary 2: Working with heritage and historical collections
Laura Aish

Bursary 3: Marketplace Development for Artists
Sanda James

Bursary 4: ‘Amazing Space: A Celebration of the Dove’
Jennifer Newbury

Our partners to support us to deliver the programme are: Dove Studios (dovearts.wordpress.com), Cavaliero Finn (cavalierofinn.com), Discovery Room artists (www.revealthemuseum.com) and Flock Together artists (flocktogethernews.wordpress.com)

Creative Pathways 2015 is supported by Somerset Creative Industries Development Fund, Arts Council England, Sponsors and Friends of SAW.

For details brief each of the bursary, please visit  somersetartworks.org.uk/2015/03/creative-pathways-programme-2015

2014

‘The Levels & Moors’ Bursaries 2014

Bursaries were offered to 4 artists to develop new bodies of work and take part in the Open Studios 2014 event. Artists developed work in response to the theme of ‘The Levels and Moors’, to represent their relationship to this unique landscape in Somerset. Each artist created work from their chosen materials, showed their making process and talked about their work in their allocated studios. Some work was made to sell during the Open Studios event.  For more information about the project, please visit blog sawcreativepathways.wordpress.com

Lucy Pendrick – Number Seven, Dulverton (Funded by West Somerset NFAS)
Joy Merron – Black Swan Arts, Frome
Andrea Oke – Thornreed Studio, Lower Godney
Mayumi Kaneko – Somerset Guild of Craftsmen

2013

The following artists were selected to receive bursaries to develop new work for the Abundance Garden Trail  during Somerset Art Weeks Festival 2013. More about the project can be found on the blog sawabundance.wordpress.com

Leah Hislop
Bryony Tidball
Gillian Widden
Kitty Hillier

Bronwen Bradshaw – Led and created The Abbots Kitchen Drawing Project, Glastonbury Abbey.

2012

Lucy Lean – A new commission for Slimbridge Wetlands Centre and also at Somerset Crafts as part of Somerset Art Weeks 2012, supported by Bruton School for Girls.
Chris Jelley – Developing digital work, Storywalks 2011-12
Jenni Dutton & Ingrid Hesling – Developing workshop for join exhibition Mother Love at Thelma Hulbert Gallery, 2012
David Davies – Curatorial development and collaborations, a commission of Artist Works for Art Weeks 2012

2011

Jon England – Developing new work at Fleet Air Arm Museum
Simon Lee Dicker – Curatorial development and organisational development of OSR project
Natalie Parsley – Developing new work as part of Art Weeks Festival 2011
Lucia Harley – Developing new work as part of Under a New Sun exhibition at OSR project, part of Somerset Art Weeks Festival 2011
Hannah Bishop – Developing Homecoming exhibition at The Regal Theatre, Minehead, part of Somerset Art Weeks Festival 2011