Call for Freelance Visual Arts Trail Producer with Wolverhampton City of Youth Culture – NOW CLOSED

Wolverhampton Arts Centre; Wolverhampton; On-site; GBP 13,000; Part time

Job summary

A vibrant arts organization is seeking a Freelance Visual Arts Trail Producer to lead public art initiatives in Wolverhampton. This role involves commissioning artists, managing budgets, and collaborating with local youth for community-focused projects. The successful candidate will ensure installations are on time and engage with various stakeholders. This is a unique opportunity to impact the city’s cultural landscape significantly. Competitive fee of £12,500 for the year, targeting young audiences through creative initiatives.

Qualifications

• Experience of commissioning and supporting artists from award to installation.
• Experience in public realm and festival contexts.
• Ability to manage commissioning and related budgets.
• Skilled in negotiating with local authorities and private owners.

Responsibilities

• Commission artists for creating works with local youth groups.
• Ensure timely and budget-compliant delivery of artworks.
• Liaise with stakeholders for installation requirements.
• Oversee installation with site partners.

Skills

Commissioning artists

Managing budgets

Negotiating with stakeholders

Working in non-gallery contexts

Job description

WOLVERHAMPTON CITY OF YOUTH CULTURE: CALL FOR FREELANCE VISUAL ARTS TRAIL PRODUCER

TRANSFORMING YOUTH CULTURE IN WOLVERHAMPTON THROUGH ART.

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

Now entering its second year of the initiative, we are looking for an experienced Arts Producer with the skills and experience of creating work within a public realm context.

The Producer Will

• Commission and contract artists to create individual works through a co‑creation process with local youth groups
• With the Programme Manager identify and engage with youth groups to co‑create work with the artists
• Ensure that artists deliver work on time and on budget and appropriate to installation requirements
• Confirm the locations of artworks within the public realm in the city centre and all practical details relating to this such as Risk Assessments
• Liaise with land and building owners and other stakeholders whose support will be required to install the work
• Supervise the installation of the works with agreed site partners such as Wolverhampton City Council
• Work with the digital trail producer to ensure the successful development of a digital platform that will enable audiences to engage with the commissioned artworks
• Maintain the necessary records for reporting to Arts Council England on the progress of Wolverhampton City of Youth Culture and enabling Wolverhampton Univeristy to evaluate impact of the programme.

YOU WILL HAVE

• Experience of commissioning and supporting artists from award through to completed installation of the artwork.
• Experience of working in non-gallery contexts such as the public realm, festivals etc.
• Managing commissioning and related budgets.
• Negotiating and enlisting the support of stakeholders such as local authorities, private building owners etc.

This is a challenging and hugely exciting opportunity to make a lasting visual impact on the city and we imagine that having identified the right Producer to work with, we will shape the development of the Visual Arts Trail with them.

Fee

£12,500 to deliver the Year Two brief. An initial commitment will be required for one year. (based on 20 hours per week).

Budget

There are separate budgets for the commissioned artworks and for the digital arts trail platform. These budgets will be made available to those shortlisted for interview.

How To Apply

Please send a response of no more than 10 pages of A4 including a summary of relevant professional experience and detailing your approach to fulfilling the brief. Using Newhampton Art Centre’s building frontage (pictured above) we would also like you to include a response to how you would approach siting a piece of artwork in this location.

For an informal discussion about this opportunity please contact Kelly Jeffs, Programme Manager at [e-mail] or on 01902 572090. Please send your tender responses to Kelly Jeffs on the above email no later than 5pm on Thursday 6th March. Interviews will be in Wolverhampton on Friday 14th March and those invited to interview will be notified on the 10th March.

Context

In August 2023 a partnership of Wolverhampton cultural organisations were awarded £850,000 from Arts Council England’s Place Partnership Programme for a three‑year programme of work to transform cultural opportunities for young people in the city. With match funding from partners such as Wolverhampton Music Service and Future High Streets, the programme is investing almost £1 million over the lifetime of the project, now entering its second year, supporting events, festivals and programmes co‑designed with young people.

The Partners And Their Programmes Are

Wolverhampton Music Service – a programme of mass participation events for school pupils including an annual Orchestral Concert & the Big Sing.

Wolverhampton Local Cultural Education Partnership – annual festival of work by & for young people in West Park, Same Difference.

Gazebo TIE – programme of training opportunities in the cultural industries for post‑sixteens.

Learn/Play Foundation – talks, workshops & seminars in schools to raise the profile of training & employment opportunities in the digital creative industries.

Visual Arts Trail – (subject of this tender)

Wolverhampton University Institute for Community Research and Development – Evaluation programme.

The programme will build on year one and continues the same over the next two years, though we expect the programmes individually and as a whole to evolve and develop.

The visual arts trail in addition to the semi‑permanent installation of three works annually (making by the end of programme nine works in total) in the city public realm, involves the creation of a digital arts trail by a developer that will enable the public to access the works through a digital platform. We anticipate that the Visual Arts Producer will work closely with the Digital Developer.