Art Fund Collect 2012
Calling all contemporary craft curators: applications are now open for Art Fund Collect 2012, a chance to be awarded 100% grants at Collect 2012.
Background
This will be the fifth year of Art Fund Collect. Launched in 2008, the scheme aims to champion contemporary craft and challenge curators to acquire significant works of applied and decorative art by artists from around the world at Collect, the premier annual fair in Europe for international contemporary craft of museum quality organised by the Crafts Council. Collect 2012 will take place at the Saatchi Gallery from 11-14 May.
Why get involved?
Art Fund Collect 2012 will provide exclusive early access to the fair, meaning that museums can compete with private collectors and raise the profile of contemporary craft collections in the UK. The Art Fund has allocated up to £75,000 towards the scheme, and 100% grants are offered for examples of outstanding contemporary craft, allowing curators to concentrate on finding significant pieces to develop their museums' collections.
What to expect
A shortlist of curators will be selected by the Art Fund Collect committee, who will then be invited to select a single work for their museum’s collection within a one-hour timeframe at an exclusive, pre-VIP viewing of Collect on 10 May, allowing curators to select works before private buyers begin to purchase pieces. Final selections are then submitted to the Art Fund Collect committee, who decide which curators should win a share of the £75,000 funding pot.
We want to encourage curators to view Art Fund Collect as an opportunity for professional development and well as helping museums and galleries to acquire works that are imaginative and ambitious to support and strengthen their collections. The shortlisted curators will enter into a dialogue with the committee regarding their chosen work, and the committee will then make the final selection. This reflects the Art Fund and Crafts Council’s aim to put curators and objects centre stage, and to develop curatorial expertise through the experience of Art Fund Collect.
Next Steps
Art Fund Collect 2012 encourages applicants to explore new areas of interest, make new connections and to be ambitious in their objectives regarding the future of their collections. Joint applications will also be welcomed from younger curators in partnership with a more experienced colleague, or curators whose interests span different collections/specialisms.
The deadline for entries is 12pm Wednesday 14th March
How to apply
Information for applicants: How to apply and criteria
Galleries exhibiting at Collect 2012
For an insight into how the initiative has benefited curators in previous years, please have a look at these case studies.
Previous winners of Art Fund Collect
2011 winners of Art Fund Collect
2010 winners of Art Fund Collect
2009 winners of Art Fund Collect
2008 winners of Art Fund Collect
