Billboard Commissions

Found Cities, Lost Objects: Women in the City

Billboard Commissions

The deadline for artist applications has now closed.

Bristol, 2023

To celebrate Arts Council Collection’s latest exhibition, Found Cities, Lost Objects: Women in the City, curated by Lubaina Himid CBE, at RWA (Royal West of England Academy), we are inviting applications from Bristol-based artists to create a billboard artwork or design, responding to the themes of the exhibition in the context of the vibrant, multicultural city of Bristol.

The chosen artworks will be selected by Lubaina Himid CBE, in collaboration with the Arts Council Collection and RWA, and displayed on a range of billboards located around Bristol in August 2023.

Found Cities, Lost Objects encourages us to view city spaces and the urban through the eyes of female contemporary artists. It acknowledges the privileges which allow some women to roam freely, while also considering the boundaries that may curb the experiences of others. Bristol-based artists have been selected to join the exhibition at the RWA, have found new and hidden routes through parts of their city, followed the meandering progress of the river Avon, and made discoveries about the city’s architecture, people and history.

At its heart, this exhibition encourages conversation between audiences and artists and exchanging observations, memories and imaginings to give us all a greater sense of self. It encourages us to consider our own relationships with the city and how we navigate it, in the past, present and future.

Found Cities, Lost Objects opened at the RWA on 20 May 2023 and we encourage you to visit the exhibition to prepare for your submission. 

Fee:

The fee for each artist commission is £1,200 for a ‘ready to print’ design and artists must be available to participate in a talk chaired 

by Lubaina Himid and other billboard artists, on the afternoon of Monday 3 July 2023.

 

 

Format:

Please prepare all images in landscape format. The billboards are approximately 6m x 3m and consideration should be given to the images being seen at height, from a distance. Artwork needs to be 61cm x 30cm. Please provide your artwork as a digital file, at 300dpi. Please note that branding and information about the exhibition will also be added to the billboard.  

 

Timetable Billboard project

18 May: Applications formally open

16 June:  Deadline for applications from artists

19 June, 11-13.00 am: Selection panel meeting am to shortlist up to 3

By 27 June: Inform up to 3 successful applications

3 July: talk with Lubaina Himid & Billboard artists

9 July: Final ‘board ready’ artwork submitted in agreed files

By 13 July: Artwork to designer

13/15 July: Conversion of artwork into files

17 July – artwork to JackArts

16 – 23 July:  Files to be printed & installed

 

Billboards to be displayed first two weeks of August

 

Eligibility criteria

We are inviting applications from artists currently living or working in Bristol or have previously lived in the area for a substantial period of time. We encourage applications from artists of colour and/or who identify as female for this commission in recognition of the systemic and current lack of diversity in the arts. 

Application:

Please send the following to Beth Hughes lubainahimidprojects@gmail.com (and Kathryn Johnson) kathryn.johnson@rwa.org.uk, with the email subject line [YOUR NAME] Billboard Commission

 

  • Expression of interest in this commission (500 words max)
  • We want to know why you want to make this commission, what support you might need, other people you might be working with, and some information about your work and ideas leading up to this commission, and anything else you want to mention.
  • PDF of up to 6 images relating to any illustrations, designs, reference material or current research that informs your plans for this commission.
  • PDF of up to 3 images of previous artwork that helps us to understand your practice.
  • Artist CV (2 sides of A4 max)

If you would like to submit your proposal through audio or video, or discuss your proposal further please contact Beth Hughes: lubainahimidprojects@gmail.com

The Billboard project is a partnership between Arts Council Collection and RWA, Bristol

 

Media partners and billboard space from