the residency
Bruntwood Artists in Residence
Grand Union and Bruntwood are working in partnership to offer opportunity for Artists to be in residence in Bruntwood’s Cornwall Buildings in Birmingham city centre.
Now in its third year, the scheme provides a free and specially designed studio space for artists who would be interested in working in residence within the frame and environment of another organisation.
As Birmingham approaches an unprecedented surge in growth, it is vital that the city’s arts and culture scene continues to be supported, as well as developing the city’s home-grown talent. Bruntwood is a leading property developer across the North of England and Birmingham. As a group, Bruntwood has a long-term commitment to creating thriving cities, and recognises that both arts and culture are key components to a city’s quality of life, as well as being powerful economic drivers.
Grand Union is committed to providing access to spaces for supporting and advocating for artistic practice in Birmingham and wider social contexts. This artist residency and studio space initiative, in partnership with Bruntwood, further compliments Grand Union’s existing provision of 12 artists’ studios and Modern Clay, a ceramics facility offering open access to artists and community groups in the region.
The artists in residence benefit from the following:
– 24-hour access to a free, shared workspace for 12 months.
– Mentoring from Grand Union’s curatorial team.
– Integration within the wider Bruntwood community, and introductions to their clients and customers.
– An open invitation to take part in wider Grand Union social and studio events.
– An exhibition hosted by Bruntwood in one of their buildings.
During the 12 month residency, the following would be expected of each artist;
– To use the Cornwall Studio as their main place of work.
– To host at least one open studio event.
– To hold at least one workshop on a subject of their choice.
– To take part in at least one Digbeth First Friday event.
– To create one unique artwork in response to a brief and budget developed in discussion with Bruntwood and Grand Union. The budget will be provided by Bruntwood and must be used to cover material and manufacturing costs. The resulting artwork would belong to Bruntwood to be showcased in one of their properties.
the Artists
Current Artists-in-residence
PAULINE BAILEY
As a visual artist and curator, Pauline Bailey has led numerous art projects centred around engagement, equality, and diversity working with a range of excluded and vulnerable groups over the years to find creative expression, particularly to address issues around heritage, identity, sense of place, health and wellbeing.
She is one of the core members and visual arts lead of the Black Arts Forum and Handsworth Creative based in Birmingham. Also, as co-founder of the Daughters of Africa Foundation in the Gambia, Pauline has been developing a network of associate artists at varying stages of their careers. She has curated and exhibited work both nationally and internationally and is continuing to develop opportunities for and with artists across the diaspora alongside her individual visual arts practice.
Pauline’s artwork is often informed by identity, belonging, liminality and the spiritual. She also has a strong interest in other themes such as ‘dereliction’, the natural environment found/recycled materials and objects of the everyday.
In recent years Pauline has often produced site-specific metal installations for the public realm and during this time produced two sculptural pieces for and co-curated the Handsworth Park Arts Trail. As a multidisciplinary artist Pauline also work in a range of other medium, including textiles, photography, and video. Regardless of the medium, her individual art practice is generally informed by the multiple layers of diverse cultures and heritage of the African diaspora.
Pauline is currently working on a body of new work for her partnership with the Lapworth Museum of Geology and will be curating a solo exhibition later this year.
See more on Pauline’s website here and here.
ROUND LEMON
Online Arts Collective Round Lemon was founded in the Summer of 2020 in order to create opportunities for emerging artists at a time of social disconnect. Crossing paths at Birmingham School of Art, the team consists of three Artist co-founders – Andreea Pislaru, Bethan Jayne and Carmela Vienna. Round Lemon aims to continue to provide opportunities for creatives, focusing specifically on engagement and interdisciplinary practice.
Andreea is a Romanian artist based in the Midlands, currently pursuing an MFA in Nottingham. Her practice investigates the grotesque and its cultural associations with the flesh and the feminine by deconstructing the body as a means of transgression. Using absurd humour, her work plays with the biological structure of the human form by shifting conventional parameters. Imagining what a body could be, Andreea sculpts new, reformulated identities. As a co-founder of Round Lemon and an active member of the team, she curates online exhibition space ZEST Hall, and produces graphics for the website.
Bethan is a Lichfield/Birmingham based artist. Using a combination of both painting and sculpture, she depicts real life events which really happened to her (with maybe a slight hint of absurd humour). Her practice aims to create work which is nonsensical, in hopes of creating a reaction from the audience and asking them the question of whether artwork needs to have a meaning. As a co-founder of Round Lemon, Bethan connects with our community by running our social media pages and day to day administration.
Carmela is an Artist/Writer based in Birmingham. Her practice is informed by found objects, form and material play, and influenced by Arte Povera and Women Sculptors. More recently, Carmela has developed a keen interest in learning and sharing about art, using her platform as Round Lemon’s blog curator to encourage and develop the work of over 30 Guest Writers. She loves to write articles about current Exhibitions, Women Artists, and anything else in the art world that piques her interest.
See more on Round Lemon’s website here.
Former Artists-in-residence
