KEY INFORMATION

Information is available in easy read, large print, British Sign Language, audio versions. These are all listed at the bottom of this page.

Additional alternate versions of this information can be made available on request. Please contact Project Officer Hazel Hobson at hazelh@theoldcourts.com and on 09429 29457.

OVERVIEW

In 2023, the Collaborative Touring Network (CTN) will be partnering with acclaimed disabled-led arts company Touretteshero – to develop and tour a new live and digital performance ‘Burnt Out in Biscuit Land’.

The Collaborative Touring Network is a national network of grassroots organisations working in areas where levels of arts investment are too low. We are on a collective mission to make our towns and cities better places to be through arts and culture.

As part of this project, CTN and Touretteshero are partnering with arts commissioning body Unlimited. Unlimited commission extraordinary work from disabled artists that will change and challenge the world.

Together CTN, Touretteshero and Unlimited have launched a national micro-commissioning opportunity for disabled artists based in the towns and cities across our growing network.

These micro-commissions are jointly funded by Unlimited and CTN and are supported by a partner organisation from our network. These organisations are:

• • The Old Courts (Wigan)
  • Doorstep Arts (Torbay)
  • Jumped Up (Peterborough)
  • Looping the Loop (Thanet)
  • ARCADE (Scarborough & Bridlington)
  • GL4 (Gloucester)
  • Mind The Gap (Bradford)
  • Restoke (Stoke-On-Trent)

Applications from artists living in Stoke-on-Trent close at 10am on Thursday 23 February. 

Applications from artists living in any of the other areas close at 10am on Tuesday 31 January 2023

WHO CAN APPLY?

Artists applying to these commissions must live in or around one of the CTN towns or cities named above. Artists can only apply to one, which they will be asked to select at the point of application.

The commissions are open to artists who identify as deaf, disabled, neurodivergent, chronically ill or clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID-19.

You don’t need to have been commissioned before or have a certain level of experience as a professional artist. We are open to applications from artists at any stage of their career.

ABOUT THE COMMISSION

CTN and Unlimited are offering micro-commissions of £4,250 to 9 disabled artists, to support the development of high-quality, ambitious, original work from across a range of artforms.

These are micro-commissions and as such we do not expect artists to make full scale artworks. Instead, artists are encouraged to scale their ideas accordingly, to ensure they are budgeting for their time appropriately. CTN and its partners can support this budgeting process, and we have included some basic guidance in the ‘ADDITIONAL SUPPORT’ section below.

The work created must connect to the broad themes and ideas explored in Burnt Out in Biscuit Land, namely, invisibility, isolation, joy, and resistance.

Each micro-commission is for artists to explore ideas and processes, resulting in a short or small-scale public facing work, to be presented alongside the national tour of Burnt Out In Biscuit Land in the location you apply to.

We would encourage artists to think about how their commission could be shared digitally as well as physically, enabling audiences to access the work remotely, as well as in person. For example, artists might create a short film that could be watched by audiences remotely in their homes and screened for audiences at a live event. CTN partners will support artists to consider how their work is shared.

The public facing presentation of these micro-commissions will happen alongside the tour of Burnt Out In Biscuit Land in April-June 2023. Exact presentation dates for each location are to be confirmed in January 2023, but the current overview is as follows:

Wigan: April 2023
Bridlington: April 2023
Gloucester: May 2023
Bradford: May 2023
Thanet: May 2023
Torbay: June 2023
Peterborough: June 2023
Stoke-on-Trent: June 2023

Whilst we are interested in supporting work across a range of artforms, each partner has specific set criteria for the commission in their place. You will need to consider and respond to these criteria in your application. Information about each partner and their criteria for commissioning can be found in the Micro-Commission Partner Summary.

CTN is currently growing. A further round of commissions in additional locations will be announced early in 2023.

WHEN CAN I APPLY?

You can apply now!

Applications from artists living in Stoke-on-Trent close at 10am on Thursday 23 February.

Applications from artists living in any of the other areas close at 10am on Tuesday 31 January 2023.

Follow the link here to apply or click the button at the bottom of this page.

A word version of the application is available to download below.

If applying via our online portal is not accessible to you, please contact Project Officer Hazel Hobson at hazelh@theoldcourts.com or on 09429 29457 so we can discuss alternative access options with you.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

Alongside the award of £4,250, each commissioned artist will receive the following in kind support.

In kind offer from Collaborative Touring Network

• Each CTN Partner organisation will offer bespoke support in kind for each commission. Details of this support can be found in the Micro-Commission Partner Summary.
• Commissioned artists will have access to the technical touring set-up that will travel to each CTN location to support the presentation of Burnt Out in Biscuit Land. This will include basic sound, lighting and video equipment, and an experienced Production Manager, who will advise on and support the presentation of your work to audiences in your location.
• Commissioned artists will feature on marketing and publicity materials, promoting their work to audiences alongside Burnt Out in Biscuit Land, in each CTN location
• All commissioned artists will receive professional photography from the public sharing of their work.

In kind offer from Unlimited

• Each artist will be assigned an Unlimited key contact who will provide check in points throughout the commission.
• All commissioned artists are invited to join Unlimited Alumni, giving you access to a range of advisory, networking, and professional development opportunities, including being added to their online artist database.
• An invitation to deliver a showcase of your original work together with the other selected artists following on from this commission.

In kind offer from Touretteshero

• Remote group meetings hosted by Touretteshero (via Zoom), sharing insights into the development of Burnt Out in Biscuit Land across 2023.
• Resources and inspiration materials from the rehearsal room to support the development of your artwork, i.e. live scribed notes, video diaries etc.
• 1 x one-to-one session (via Zoom) with Touretteshero during your commission, to discuss your ideas and offer input/advice.

ACCESS COSTS

As a guide, we would recommend the following allocation of the commission award:

– £2,250 for your artistic fees, covering your time working on your idea and practice
– £2,000 for supporting costs. This may include access costs if you are unable to gain support from Access to Work (see below), and could include other costs such as materials, equipment etc.

Please note this is a guide, and commissioned artists will be supported by CTN partners to best allocate their commission budget according to their ideas.

If the allocation suggested above will not cover the amount required for your access needs, please get in touch for a conversation. We don’t want any access expenses to be a barrier to being able to apply for the commission. Additional resources are available to supplement higher support or access costs for a commission where needed.

In general, costs for support workers and/or access equipment/technology are intended to be funded via Access to Work for working disabled artists. It is your responsibility to apply for Access to Work funding if support is necessary and relevant to you.

Access to Work is a government scheme that is designed to help to create accessible work environments by supporting access costs on an individual basis to remove barriers that disabled people face whilst in paid employment – including travel, equipment, and support workers.

We acknowledge for these commissions, the timescales might mean that you are unable to gain support from Access to Work, which is why provision exists within the commission budgets to cover support workers/access equipment/technology etc.

For more information go to: www.gov.uk/access-to-work/overview or check out Disability Arts Online’s handy guide to interpret the Access to Work rules and official guidance with specific advice for the arts and cultural sector, found here: https://disabilityarts.online/projects/access-to-work-guide/

APPLICATION FORM

The online application form will ask you to share your details (name, contact information, postcode) as well as some monitoring information (age, ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender).

We then ask you to submit an application in either text (up to 400 words), video (up to 4 minutes) or audio (up to 4 minutes) format. We ask you to respond to the following 3 prompts in your application:

• Tell us about your artistic practice.
• What interests you about one or more of the themes of Touretteshero’s ‘Burnt Out in Biscuit Land’: invisibility, isolation, joy and resistance?
• Demonstrate your suitability for the commission, referring to the information and any specific criteria outlined by the partner you are applying to in the ‘Micro-Commission Partner Summary’.

Micro-Commission Partner Summary

• To view a Large Print version of Micro-Commission Partner Summary click here
• To view a Standard Print version of Micro-Commission Partner Summary click here
• To view an Easy Read version of Micro-Commission Partner Summary click here
  
• To listen to an audio version of Micro-Commission Partner Summary click here
  
• To view a BSL version of Micro-Commission Partner Summary click here

Commission Overview

• To view a Large Print version of Commission Overview click here
  
• To view an Easy Read version of Commission Overview click here
• To listen to an audio version of Commission Overview click here
• To view a BSL version of Commission Overview click here