Visual Arts

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  • RBS Bursaries (Royal Society of British Sculptors awards)
    fax
    020 7370 3721
    address
    Royal Society of British Sculptors, 108 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3RA
    telephone
    020 7373 5554

    Ten Bursaries awarded each year to sculptors of outstanding talent and potential. They welcome applications from artists of any age and nationality, with or without formal training, who are at the beginning of their practice. The 10 winners will participate in a curated exhibition at the RBS Gallery and will enjoy all the benefits of RBS membership for two years.

  • The Elephant Trust
    address
    512 Bankside Lofts, 65 Hopton Street London SE1 9GZ
    contact
    Ruth Rattenbury

    Roland Penrose and Lee Miller created The Elephant Trust in 1975 to develop and improve the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the fine arts in the UK. The Trust was set up to help artists present their work and undertake and complete projects when frustrated by lack of funds. It is committed to helping artists and institutions that depart from the routine and signal new, distinct and imaginative sets of possibilities. Grants have usually been limited to £2,000 but larger grants may be considered. 

  • Northern Rock Foundation

    The Foundation’s trustees are reviewing the priorities for the 2013-2015 grant programmes and plan to tighten further the focus. Full details will be announced in January 2013.

  • The Turner Prize
    fax
    020 7887 8007
    telephone
    020 7887 8000
    address
    Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG

    Sponsored by Channel 4, the Turner Prize has turned form a localised art event to one with a huge national and international profile. Often thought of as the most prestigious art award in the UK, its prize money is not the largest (see: Paul Hamlyn Foundation). An annual award of GBP 20,000 goes to 'a British artist under 50 for an outstanding exhibition or presentation in the last twelve months'. Some accuse the prize of promoting novelty over quality, while a growing number believe the increasing media frenzy and first-past-the-post mentality is creating an increasingly artist unfriendly event. Jury of five, led by Tate Director Nicholas Serota (who has casting vote).

  • The Jerwood Foundation
    telephone
    020 7654 0171
    address
    Jerwood Space, 171 Union Street, London SE1 0LN

    Awards include the Jerwood Painting Prize, Drawing Prize, Makers Award and Moving Media Awards in addition to commissions and grants to artists. 

  • Bloomberg New Contemporaries
    address
    127f Liverpool Road, Manchester, M3 4JN

    New Contemporaries is an annual exhibition of work by students and recent graduates from the UK's art colleges, offering an important platform for emerging artists' work to be seen and discussed. New Contemporaries is shaped by a process of selection from slides, videos, CD-Roms, photographs and audio-tapes through to a shortlist of actual works. The exhibition tours major UK arts venues each year. For applications information and deadlines, contact New Contemporaries as above and check the London Almanac's deadlines list.

  • Elizabeth Arden Ltd
    fax
    020 7574 2727
    telephone
    020 7574 2700
    address
    271 Regent Street, London W1B 2AA

    Mainly sponsors events and work which concerns the company (cosmetics and perfumes), with its main target audience being women. Contact Jane McCorriston, PR Manager with a proposal by fax or letter.

  • Mark Tanner Sculpture Award
    address
    The Mark Tanner Award, Standpoint Gallery, 45 Coronet St, Hoxton, London N1 6HD

    The award is aimed at exceptional emerging sculptors based in Greater London and it is intended to subsidise the creative work over one year. GBP 6000 goes direct to the receiving artist towards the production of new work and GBP 4000 funds and promotes the solo exhibition held at Standpoint Gallery the following year. The selectors look for ambitious, outstanding work within fine art practice, particularly that demonstrates a commitment to process and material. Selection by panel. Guest selector each year is a different prominent sculptor. Deadline is always 31 May.

  • Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
    fax
    0117 987 6600
    telephone
    0117 987 6500
    address
    Whitefriars, Lewins Mead, Bristol BS1 2AE

    AHRC have a range of programmes supporting top-quality research and postgraduate training in the arts and humanities. From around 1500 applications to their seven Research schemes they make around 550-600 awards. From around 5500 applications to their Postgraduate schemes for funding people in Higher education they make around 1500 awards. 

  • Arts Council England - London
    telephone
    0845 300 6200
    address
    14 Great Peter Street, London SW1P 3NQ

    Arts Council England supplies funding through it's Grants programme.  Eligible projects include research and development, travel, networking events and independent projects promoting critical debate on the production and presentation of contemporary visual art.

  • The European Association for Jewish Culture
    fax
    020 7935 3252
    telephone
    020 7935 8266
    address
    Lena Stanley-Clamp, Director, European Association for Jewish Culture, London Office, 79 Wimpole Street, London W1G 9RY

    The European Association for Jewish Culture is an independent organisation which funds visual arts exhibitions, theatre, documentary films and music which address the Jewish experience. This grant programme is designed to provide part-funding for new exhibitions of contemporary art by awarding grants to professional artists to produce new work for exhibition in a recognised cultural venue, and freelance curators for researching and organising an exhibition of contemporary art, which addresses the Jewish experience. The application should be submitted by professional artists or curators in association with an exhibition venue. Grants in the range of Euro 5,000 to 10,000 will be awarded to successful candidates in two instalments.

  • ROSL ARTS (Royal Over-Seas League)
    address
    Over-Seas House, Park Place, St James's Street, London SW1A 1LR
    telephone
    020 7408 0214
    fax
    020 7499 6738

    ROSL arts offers a scholarship (maximum value £3,000) for an artist of up to 35 years of age to spend four weeks in a Commonwealth country of their choice. From 2006 the travel Scholarships are no longer awarded from open submission, nominations are solicited from selected visual arts institutions instead. It is not possible for artists to canvas these institutions.

This article is from the Artlaw Archive of Henry Lydiate's columns published in Art Monthly since 1976, and may contain out of date material.
The article is for information only, and not for the purpose of providing legal advice.
Readers should consult a solicitor for legal advice on specific matters, and artists in London can get free online legal advice from Artquest