Exciting opportunity for an emerging artist to work with Hew Locke at National Trust's Croome

Croome Park in Worcestershire is looking for an emerging artist, maker or designer to develop and make new work responding to Robert Adam’s vision and designs at the unusual National Trust property.

Bouke de Vries,

Bouke de Vries, "The Golden Box" 2016, installed at Croome, photo Jack Nelson

The chosen artist will be mentored by Hew Locke, the world renowned artist with works owned by the Tate, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum, to name a few.

If successful, you'll get an artist’s fee of £5,200, based on £200 per day for 26 days work. This is to cover time for workshops, research & development, liaison with Croome and mentoring days and attendance for the installation, launch and maintenance to be agreed. There is a material budget for the artwork, plus flexibility between these budgets, depending on materials and processes used.

Have we got your attention? Read on...

Croome Court. Image credit: Andrew Butler

Croome Court. Image credit: Andrew Butler

Croome and parkland. Image credit: John Hubble

Croome and parkland. Image credit: John Hubble

So what is Croome? Well, it's rather different – both for the quality of its designers, its story and its contemporary approach to the conversation with its audiences. The house and the landscape were the first commission to be given to a young Lancelot 'Capability' Brown by George, 6th Earl of Coventry (1722-1809), a man who redefined contemporary taste in the mid-18th century.

The interiors of Croome were decorated and furnished by some of the leading London designers and cabinet makers of the period, including Robert Adam who found, in the 6th Earl, one of his strongest supporters.

Croome went on to suffer the losses experienced by many British country houses post World War I, when it was sold and then became a school for boys, the HQ for the Hare Krishna movement and then a luxury home of a property developer in the 1980s. Amazingly, it survived with traces of these histories as well as some of its collection. The massive rescue operation is due to the combined efforts of the Croome Heritage Trust and National Trust.

Chinese Bridge at Croome. Image credit: John Hubble

Chinese Bridge at Croome. Image credit: John Hubble

Su Blackwell,

Su Blackwell, "Plumlines" 2016, installed at Croome, photo Su Blackwell

Today, with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, the house is being developed as a new model for the National Trust – redefining its role for the 21st century. The entire house, together with the surviving parts of the original collection, is a place for a programme of contemporary arts, including exhibitions, drama and poetry.

Part of this effort is to provide a platform for emerging artists and designers – hence, this latest opportunity, part of Trust New Art – a national programme supported by the Arts Council, and one of nine projects taking place across the UK.

If you're interested in being considered for the role of emerging artist, you can read all the details on the National Trust website and send an Expression of Interest, before the deadline of 3 March 2017 at 10am.

It should include the following: CV or bio, why you are interested in this opportunity (up to 400 words) and up to six images of your work or web links to the images. Save as a Jpeg or Word document. Email everything to [email protected].

Main image: Bouke de Vries, "The Golden Box" 2016, installed at Croome, photo Jack Nelson

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