Curator In Residence

Outer Spaces is inviting applications for a Curator in Residence who will carry outindependent curatorial research, contribute to selection for and input into ourprogramming.

About OuterSpaces:

Outer Spaces offers artists, collectives and arts organisations free studio and project space in empty commercial buildings. We programme residencies and projects to help sustain andsupport artistic practice and we commission artists to engage audiences with arts practice.

COVID-19 has caused huge disruption to all our lives and work but it has also created time for reflection and change. We aim to work to reverse the decline in high streets and city centres byplacing artists at the heart of cultural regeneration in places from which they were previously excluded.

Outer Spaces is exploring new models of artist support. We take on vacant commercialproperties on a temporary basis and use them to offer artists a unique environment where they can work in new ways and stretch their practice without any pre-prescribed outcomes. This spirit of possibility guides our programming with artists and the cultural impact we want to have in the towns and cities where we work.

Currently, we have 17 spaces in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Greenock, Glasgow, Motherwell and Paisley supporting 44 artists and 5 partner arts organisations and we have new spaces becoming available all the time.

More Than Space is a Creative Scotland funded project designed to support the recovery ofartists and communities across Scotland post-pandemic. It has the potential to kick start a brand new and alternative arts infrastructure, reaching beyond traditional gallery settings. Our goal is to find dynamic ways to activate these unique spaces.

Our aim is to provide the artists we support with space and flexible and responsive assistance designed to help them develop the active engagement and momentum required to sustain their careers. The Curator in Residence is a pivotal role which will connect and engage new audiences with their practice.

Curator in Residence:

Outer Spaces welcomes applications from Scotland-based visual art curators to support our programming.

The aim of the residency is to develop a curatorial project and present an exhibition using one or more of our vacant commercial spaces as a platform for the project. The Curator in Residence will also research and connect with different artists working in our spaces to provide valuable support for their practice.

The current social and economic situation invites us to reflect on the need to find new ways to reuse and reimagine urban spaces. The temporary nature of our spaces together with their contexts and former uses presents a unique opportunity for curatorial research, exchange, and discourse in a variety of locations across Scotland.

The Curator in Residence can be based in any of our temporary spaces, will need to be prepared to travel for studio and research visits as well as to oversee the installation of the exhibition project.

Project Aims:

We are testing a new, alternative infrastructure for the arts in Scotland, putting art at the centre of communities and supporting artists to transform disused shops and office spaces into the beating heart of a new community focussed creative economy. We aim to support artists to develop collaborative practice, pilot new ideas and develop artist-led activity that will activate our empty commercial spaces.

The goal of the project is to raise awareness, provide visibility, and opportunity for artistic growthfor participating artists. We are looking for experimentation, risk, social relevance, and artistic quality.

Contract Duration:

August - December 2022

Curator in Residence Fee:

£5,000 (based on 20 days at a day rate of £250) plus travel expenses and exhibition budget.The Curator in Residence will work on a freelance basis and will invoice Outer Spaces monthly.

Who can Apply?

• The successful applicant should have:
• a degree in fine art or an associated field
• knowledge and experience of contemporary visual arts in Scotland and beyond• an understanding of the issues facing visual artists in developing their practice• demonstrable curatorial experience
• proven project management skills
• proven ability to build relationships with artists,
• experience of community engagement and developing new audiences

How to Apply:

Please provide the following information in one PDF format (max. 5mb) document:

• Maximum 500-word statement/letter of interest outlining your curatorial approach

• Maximum 300-word statement outlining how the opportunity would benefit your professional

  development as a curator

• A current CV (max. 2 pages), please include details/links of previously curated exhibitions

• Two professional referees

The application should document a well-founded interest in current debates in arts and culture anda specific interest in activating temporary art spaces. All links and images must be included in the single PDF application.

Please email your application to:
community@outerspaces.org with the subject line: Curator in Residence 2022

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

Midnight, Sunday 17th July