RivelinCo x Open Up Sheffield: Early-Career Artist Opportunity

Closing date:

05-Feb-2025 12:00

Job description

RivelinCo are partnering with Open Up Sheffield to provide two FREE spaces in their May programme, and free exhibition/studio space at RivelinCo in Hillsborough. This opportunity is for early-career artists who have never been part of Open Up Sheffield before. 

Open Up Sheffield is an open studio weekend for artists and makers to showcase their work to the public over two May weekends: 3rd-5th May and 10th-11th May 2025. Open Up Sheffield showcase the artists and their open studios in a digital and print programme which is distributed across the city. It’s an exciting opportunity for artists to share their work with a broader audience, make new artistic connections, and sell their wares. 

RivelinCo is an arts organisation based out of a formerly empty shop front on Middlewood Road. Part of the shop front is a shared community space, in which we host activities and events throughout the year. More information about the space can be found here. Please take a look at this information as it gives an overview of accesssibility at the shopfront (for example, the space does not have level access).

This opportunity is for early-career artists aged 18+ (no upper age limit), based in Hillsborough or the surrounding areas, to publicly share their work and artistic process as part of Open Up Sheffield during the first weekend: 3rd – 5th May 2025. You’ll exhibit your work at the RivelinCo community space, which will be shared with one other artist, and the public will be able to visit your work, watch your process, and potentially purchase your work if you would like to sell. 

What will I get? 

• Up to 4 days of in-kind prep and setup time at RivelinCo 29th April – 2nd May 

• Support with thinking about how you’ll present your work, and free loan of relevant RivelinCo equipment such as a projector or display boards 

• Three days of open studio exhibition time at RivelinCo 3rd – 5th May as part of Open Up Sheffield, 11am-5pm each day (you will need to be available for all of this time) 

• Free advertising in the Open Up Sheffield print and digital programme (usually £80) 

• Free marketing on the RivelinCo and Open Up Sheffield websites and newsletters 

• Discounted a-n membership, including public liability insurance cover 

• Access to the Open Up Sheffield facebook groups and networking opportunities 

• A paid opportunity to lead a workshop with the RivelinCo Young Creatives group on Tuesday 6th May 

To apply, please complete this short form by 12pm midday on Wednesday 5th February.  

The form will ask for some contact details, some links to your website/social media if you have them, some ‘profile’ information for Open Up Sheffield (like a biography), and 3 main questions: 

• Please describe your artistic practice: what do you make and why? 

• Why are you interested in this opportunity, and what difference will it make for you? 

• Please describe what you would like to do and present over the Open Up Sheffield weekend? For example, this might be a description of the type of work you’ll exhibit, and any artistic activities you might carry out for people to watch or chat about when they visit. 

If you would like to apply in an alternative format such as video or audio, please get in touch before the deadline by emailing recruitment@rivelinco.org to arrange this. 

We will respond to all applicants by Wednesday 12 February at the latest. Good luck!