Running open calls
This article talks about the barriers open calls present to artists. It suggests ways of running open calls to overcome these. Open calls are often used by organisations to find artists to work with. An organisation produces…
Grant funding for artists
Grant funding is a well known type of funding for artists. It is a competitive field, attracting more demand than there is funding available. Our research with visual artists revealed that many artists are making unsuccessful…
Selling Art Now
In August 2022 a first sale of recent work by emerging artists via an innovative live virtual public auction was launched by veteran art market professional Simon de Pury, drawing upon his vast experience as both public…
Artists decolonise museums
Workshops in June and July 2021 on how artists practice can help with the work of decolonising UK museums and collections Artists decolonise museums built on research and action for systemic change in how we can address…
Adaptations
Understanding how artists can adapt their practice for sustainable income on their own terms. Adaptations began as a pilot workforce development grant for three visual artists in spring 2021. It was intended to support artists find new sustainable ways…
The Unasked Question
‘Where there’s a hit, there’s a writ’ – so goes an old music business saying that may also apply in the art business. Significant financial gains by hit makers in the art world sometimes trigger lawsuits by…
Brexit Bites
The UK’s art market is now feeling the effects of post Brexit laws that handicap domestic and international trading activities, chiefly involving physical shipping of artwork. In 2020 the EU was the second largest global art market behind…
Compliance
Lawsuits by artists against dealers are as rare as hens’ teeth, chiefly because most solo artists have few if any resources to challenge wrongdoings by dealers invariably better resourced in the art ecosystem. Which is why artists have pooled…
The Emperor’s New Code
‘NFT artists and collectors and traders take care,’ was last month’s envoi concluding a selected survey of the current state of the art NFT landscape. Key emerging legal issues include copyright infringement, stealing then minting and…
Unlocking the Collections
A research residency for an early career, London based artist to engage with The Collections Library at the Museum of the Home. Residencies took part in 2021 and 2022 with advice from Artquest on improving application and…
War Sanctions
The Property of a Lady is a 1963 short story by Ian Fleming, in which 007 is tasked by M with rooting out a London based Soviet spymaster and his espionage activities to justify his expulsion from the…
Types of art gallery
Artquest has commissioned five film interviews with gallery directors. These galleries represent the main types of galleries operating in the UK. The films were made for our Gallery Films project from 2014. Some of the gallery…
Artquest was 20 in 2022
In 2022 we celebrated 20 years of Artquest Artquest 20th anniversary party Artquest’s 20th anniversary party was held on online platform Gather, a mixture of an ‘old skool’ video game and Zoom. Guests designed an avatar…
BNC Mentors
Mentoring and events for New Contemporaries exhibitors from 2016 2023 As part of the New Contemporaries public programme, Artquest ran peer mentoring training and practice sessions held in ICA (London), BackLit (Nottingham), Gasworks (London) and the BALTIC (Newcastle).…
Get Minted
2021 saw NFTs flooding into the contemporary art ecosystem; but will 2022 see their arrival as a welcome cornucopia of plenty or an unwanted pandora’s box of unforeseen pestilence? A selected survey of the current NFT landscape, keeping…
Promoting your art
Promoting your art is a key part of developing your career. Get it right and it will lead to more opportunities. If you don’t let people know what you are doing, your career is likely to progress…
Social networks and websites
An important part of making sure people can hear about you and your work is to be present on the internet. There are a number of different ways to do this. Choose the ways that work…
North Devon: opening an artist-led gallery space
Opening an artist led contemporary gallery space during a global pandemic in rural Devon doesn’t sound like a good idea on paper, but one year in it feels like one of the best…