Budget per Residency: £15,000 for 10 months, June 2024 –March 2025
Application Deadline: 5pm on 24 May 2024
We are inviting applications from artists, makers, designers and other creatives with a collaborative and participatory approach and an interest in communicating wider ecological issues to undertake Associate Artist Residencies as part of the Natur am Byth Arts Engagement Programme, a collaborative project between Natural Resources Wales (NRW), nine environmental charities, Public Health Wales (PHW) and Addo, and is funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council of Wales.
Natur am Byth is Wales’ flagship Green Recovery project, through which nine environmental charities (Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Bat Conservation Trust, Buglife, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Marine Conservation Society, RSPB, The Vincent Wildlife Trust and Plantlife) have partnered with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to deliver Wales’ largest natural heritage and outreach programme. The programme name refers to the Welsh rallying cry – Cymru am Byth! (Wales Forever!) and means Nature Forever.
The aim of the artist residency programme is to deliver against strand three of the Natur am Byth programme:
Re-thinking the way we see species, which will specifically target those with low physical and/or mental well-being, including those impacted in this way by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nature has an amazing, well-documented ability to help us to heal and lift our feelings of physical and mental well-being. This strand will use creative activities and mini projects to work with this audience to tell the fascinating stories of our most vulnerable species through arts and culture.
The residencies will:
- Explore the role of artistic processes in re-thinking the way we see species – particularly our most vulnerable, which are often small in scale and unremarkable at first glance;
- Use creative strategies and activities to engage people, specifically with low physical and/or mental well-being (including those impacted in this way by the COVID-19 pandemic) in reflecting on the issues impacting the species at each of the project sites across Wales, with a view to enhancing and protecting the wellbeing and habitats of both species and participants.
- Create an online archive of digital artworks produced through the residencies that helps to tell the fascinating stories of our most vulnerable species to a wider audience and reflects the national context of the Natur am Byth programme.
The briefs and details of how to apply for each Associate Artist Residency Opportunity are available here