Image: Ashish Shah, Be More Tender (Woman with Hose) © Ashish Shah (William Morris Gallery)
Jerwood Art Fund Commissions will support organisations to add work from living artists to the UK’s permanent collections
A new partnership to increase the support available for museums and galleries to commission early to mid-career artists has been announced today.
A partnership between Art Fund and arts charity Jerwood Foundation has resulted in the Jerwood Art Fund Commissions.
The project is hoped to support museums and galleries to commission artists to make work across all visual art forms, with the intent of both furthering the artists’ early development and growing public collections through new contemporary art.
It is also hoped to develop the skills of UK museums to undertake commissioning projects, whilst engaging audiences in the work of living artists.
Director of Art Fund Jenny Waldman said the economic landscape is “piling increasing pressures on museums, galleries and on artists” and organisations need further support to “work with living artists for the benefit of artists, collections and audiences.”
Lara Wardle, Executive Director and Trustee of Jerwood Foundation said the project will offer the full commissioning costs to museums and galleries to “realise ambitious projects at a time when organisations face difficult choices in an uncertain economic climate”.
Jerwood Art Fund Commissions will support two museums to offer commissions of £70,000 – £100,000 per year over the coming three years, covering the full costs of delivering and presenting the commissions in each partner museum.
Commissions will enter the permanent collection of a public UK museum or gallery, including permanent public realm commissions.
Applications are open for public museums, galleries, historic houses, libraries and archives based in the UK or Channel Islands.
