Open School East is seeking applications from emerging artists to join the second year of the independent, self-directed and outward-facing study programme in London.

Open School East was founded in 2013 in response to spiralling tuition fees and student debt, and a climate of increasing bureaucracy in arts education. It was instituted as a space for artistic learning that is experimental, versatile and highly collaborative.

Located in a former library and community centre in East London, Open School East is a unique space that brings together:

• A free study programme for emerging artists;

• A multifaceted programme of public projects and events which facilitate interactions between artists, local residents and audiences from further afield.

Central to Open School East’s approach is a commitment to foster cultural, intellectual and social exchanges between artists and the broader public. We do this by opening our study programme outwards, responding to our locality and providing an informal environment for the sharing of knowledge and skills across various communities – artistic, local and otherwise.
 

How does the study programme function?
Open School East is run according to principles of collaboration, experimentation and self-direction, and welcomes practitioners who engage with these notions in different ways.

Open School East supports the associate artists through:
• Shared workspace;
• Critical and practical teaching;
• A mentorship programme;
• Curatorial assistance and seed funding for the production of artistic projects.

Term 1 and the mentorship programme are organised by the OSE team, while terms 2 and 3 – as well as part of the public programme – are shaped by the associates themselves. Tuition takes place two days a week, and is delivered through a combination of workshops, lectures, seminars, site visits, tutorials and group crits. Last year’s tutors and workshop leaders included: Ed Baxter (director, Resonance FM), Mark Fisher (writer), Marvin Gaye Chetwynd (artist), Maria Lind (curator), Phil Minton (vocalist), Ahmet Ögüt (artist), Sally O’Reilly (writer), Daniel Sinsel (artist), Sally Tallant (curator), Mabel Tapia (art historian) and others.

While at Open School East, the associates are expected to develop a project or to follow a line of enquiry. Their research is advanced and shared with the public via open studios and events taking place at different times throughout the year. In 2015, six mentors will accompany the development of the associates’ practice and projects: artists Matthew Darbyshire, The Otolith Group and Olivia Plender; curator Marijke Steedman; critic, musician and broadcaster Morgan Quaintance; and writer, organiser, educator and curator Janna Graham.

By joining Open School East, the associates commit to take an active role in making Open School East a site for social, cultural and intellectual exchanges, with particular relevance to our neighbourhood.

Open School East is a non-accredited programme.

Who is it for?
Associates at Open School East are emerging artists with or without a BA, MA or formal artistic qualification, who are seeking to engage in a critical environment for artistic learning. The programme is aimed at practitioners with an ability to work collaboratively, to be self-directed, and to enter into a meaningful dialogue with local audiences and publics from further afield.

Approximately 15 associates will be selected to join the second year of Open School East, running from January to November 2015. Successful applicants will need to ensure they can commit to the school for the duration of the programme.

For more information on the study programme and on how to apply, please visit: www.openschooleast.org

Deadline for applications: 
Monday 6 October 2014, 5pm

Open days:
Friday 12 September, 6-8pm
Saturday 27 September, 2-4pm

Open School East
The Rose Lipman Building
43 De Beauvoir Road
London N1 5SQ
United Kingdom

 
www.openschooleast.org