Emergent: £5k artist residency and bursary

Creative Lives in Progress; Gateshead; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Part time

Job summary

Creative Lives in Progress invites applications for a three-month residency for disabled artists in the first five years of their careers. Selected artists will receive a £5,000 award, expert mentorship, curatorial support, and opportunities to showcase their work. Applicants should have experienced barriers to progression, must be available from October 2025 to mid-January 2026, and be UK-based. This residency aims to support socially-engaged artistic practices.

Qualifications

• You must self-identify as disabled and have experienced barriers to progression in your career.
• You are within the first five years of your career.
• You are not in full-time education.
• Your arts practice is socially-engaged.
• You are UK-based and usually live in the UK.
• You are over 18 years old.
• You are available October 2025 to mid-January 2026 inclusive.
• You were not shortlisted or selected in 2022, 2023, or 2024's programmes.

Responsibilities

• Taking part in a three-month residency programme.
• Receiving expert support and mentoring.
• Developing new or existing artwork using provided facilities and curatorial input.
• Participating in a showcasing or broadcast opportunity.

Skills

Self-identification as disabled

Socially-engaged arts practice

Job description

Balticand Shape Arts invite disabled artists and creative practitioners in the first five years of their career to take part in a three-month residency programme. Emergent combines digital and physical elements of delivery, supported by both organisations.

Receiving an award of £5,000, the selected artist will take part in a residency where, in addition to receiving expert support and mentoring to inform their practice, they can use facilities and curatorial input to develop new or existing artwork. A showcasing or broadcast opportunity will be provided as part of the programme.

A package of support will also be offered to a small number of shortlisted artists.

We strongly recommend reading, watching, or listening toour FAQsbefore submitting an application.

Eligibility

• You mustself-identify as disabled(download the information pack to find out more about the Social Model of Disabilityand what we mean by 'disabled') and haveexperienced barriers to progression in your career
• You are within thefirst five years of your career*
• You are not in full-time education
• Your arts practice issocially-engaged
• You areUK-basedand usually live in the UK
• You areover 18
• You are availableOctober 2025 to mid-January 2026inclusive, to take part in the residency
• Youwere not shortlisted or selected in 2022, 2023, or 2024's programmes

*We recognise that the term 'emerging artist' can mean different things for different people. You may have recently graduated, but you might also be changing career, or returning to an artistic practice after taking some time away. Whatever stage you are at, so long as you feel confident that you are within the first five years of your artistic career, even if this has been paused and resumed, you are welcome to submit an application. We will prioritise applicants who have not previously received significant funding, awards, or formal opportunities as part of their artistic career.