Women artists over fifty, who live or work in Oxfordshire, are invited to apply to take part in the new BIDDY BOOST professional development research and production group for experienced older women artists who are trained in visual or performance art and who have a professional practice. We wish to encourage artists who may be returning to practice after a break, or who have come to it later in life. 

The selected group, a maximum of twelve artists, will meet regularly for discussion, guest speakers, networking and skill sharing, to support development of art practice and to work together towards a group exhibition and events in 2023.

First meeting Wednesday 31st August 2022 10.30 - 4 at West Oxford Community Centre Botley Road, OX2 0BT
There is off road parking at the venue which is easily reached from the centre by bus or on foot.

Cost of attendance for the day, including lunch £45

PLEASE READ INFO BELOW AND ONLY APPLY AT THIS STAGE IF YOU CAN ATTEND THIS MEETING

TO APPLY please send us an email to coucoucuration@gmail.com by Friday 12th August telling us about yourself, your training and your art practice and why you feel taking part in the group will be helpful to you. Please include links to your website and social media.
If you do not have an up to date online presence as an artist then please send us pictures and descriptions of two recent works.

We will let you know by email on Wednesday 17th August if you have been selected to participate in this group. The maximum group size selected will be 12

PROGRAMME FOR THE DAY

- Project curators Clare Carswell and Peta Lloyd will introduce the BIDDY project that supports and showcases the work of older women artists, showing work from the first BIDDY event held in May at Fringe Arts Bath.

- Guest artist Denise Bryan will speak about her work and her experience of being an older artist.

- You will be invited to share two pieces of your own work and to introduce your visual arts practice to the small group.

- We will identify the themes that preoccupy us in a space of trust and seek to understand the benefits and challenges, of being an older artist and any perceived barriers to making and showing work as we age.

- We will share ideas on what support would be most helpful to us as we go forward individually and as a group e.g. topics for discussion related to age and art practice, opportunities to seek or make, artists we wish to meet, skill sharing or training needs (e.g. website & social media), ideas for collaborative working and for growing our networks.

- We will invite preliminary ideas from artists for future BIDDY exhibitions and performance events, and we will together draw up a meeting and production plan to meet regularly to support each other as we develop our practice and work towards a touring exhibition and events in spring/summer 2023.