Higher education institutions across England are offering practising artists free access to their facilities as part of a national placement scheme taking place between October 2013 and April 2014. They are currently accepting applications.
Free access to equipment and research resources
The scheme, run by
Artists Access to Art Colleges (AA2A), offers practising visual artists, designers and makers over 100 hours free access to art college facilities to support research or the realisation of new work.
In return, artists are expected to engage with students, for example by delivering a talk about their work, a technical demonstration or professional development sessions.
Typical resources you can access as part of a placement include:
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workshops and equipment
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lecture programmes
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libraries
Over 100 placements are available at 28 institutions across England, including Manchester Metropolitan University, Liverpool Hope University, Chelsea College of Art and Design and Camberwell College of Arts in London.
View the full list of participating colleges.
How to apply for a placement
Eligible artists must have been practising professionally for at least one year, without access to college facilities in the past year. You are not required to have any formal qualifications in art or design.
You must contact the college you wish to apply to directly for an application pack. Contact details and further information about the application process can be found
on the AA2A website.
Deadlines for applications vary between colleges, however most are in September 2013.
Grants of £220 may be available to artists who require additional help to meet the costs of undertaking a placement, for example travel, materials or childcare.
Visit the AA2A website for more information.
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Image: Artist Charlie Murphy with a student at Plymouth College. Photo: Dave Hotchkiss.