31st August 2014 • 0

Artistcall

Project: Artistcall Artist-in-School Residencies
Location: Blackburn and Darwen
Commissioner: Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
Cost: £100,000 + VAT
7 Artists: Jason Wingard, Melanie Ash, BREAD Art, Fabrizia Bazzo, Lucy Bergman Sarah Greaves and Mohammed Ali
Programme: 18 months
Atoll Service: Arts Curator for Blackburn with Darwen BC
Project Status: Completed 2015
Exhibitions: Blackburn is Open in October 2014

Description: Following on from the earlier phase of Shine artist-in-school residencies, and in affiliation with the council’s Local Authority Arts Service, Ian Banks then prepared the follow-up commissioning strategy for Artistcall linked again to the ongoing Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme – this time for 6 further schools in the borough. This renewed artist residency programme now culminated with a range of both temporary and permanent works and installations. It involved again a variety of creatives, including filmmakers, designers and artists. By the programme close, there were 7 commissions in 6 different schools and these included artists Jason Wingard, Melanie Ash, BREAD Art, Fabrizia Bazzo, Lucy Bergman, Sarah Greaves and Mohammed Ali.

Produced in conjunction with desginer Alison Thomas, this Artistcall booklet was produced both to document the completion of this artist-in-schools residencies as well asthe earlier Shine programme. Both were linked to the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme in Blackburn and Darwen in Lancashire. The booklet accompanied the exhibition that was on over two weeks in October 2014 at Blackburn is Open. The ArtistCall exhibition celebrated the conclusion of all of the 8 ‘artist in residence’ programmes at Blackburn with Darwen’s over both BSF phases. By their close, both the programme predeccessor Shine and then Artistcall, saw 11 artists assigned to the new schools in the borough, was part of the ‘percent for art’ scheme set out in the Local Plan requiring part of the cost of building to be set aside for art. The exhibition and accompanying publication curated by architect Ian Banks who oversaw the project, covers a diversity of artist work from physical public art to integrated architecture, visual and new media arts to film and performance. Artistcall and Shine was commissioned by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council.