£100,000 boost for Bradford's South Square arts project (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

£100,000 boost for Bradford's South Square arts project

7:00am Sunday 27th January 2013 in News

A Bradford arts organisation is celebrating after getting a cash injection of £100,000 to help mentor artists.

South Square was awarded £76,000 by the Arts Council, through the National Lottery and £24,00 from various sources including Bradford Council.

The company is based in Thornton and has an art gallery and community centre based in 12 Grade II listed cottages.

David Knowles, South Square’s artistic programme manager, said the cash would help sponsor the trainee curatorship scheme, which has already had 100 applicants, with a placement arranged at Hepworth Wakefield, Yorkshire’s new art gallery exploring the work of major contemporary artists.

Mr Knowles said: “We have been staffed mainly by volunteers, then over the last seven years we have been working closely with the Arts Council who have been giving us small grants to help us develop the gallery, the arts programme activity and workshops.

“This grant is really to up the level of exhibitions we do here. It will specifically offer an opportunity for local, regional and national artists that will be in the form of exhibitions.

“It will help up and coming artists and we also have an artist’s residency available.Each summer an artist can live and work in the gallery and make work in response to the local area and we will have a small garden to show sculptures “We also have a specialist programme for people who want to become curators in the gallery. It is a curatorial traineeship and they will work at the gallery and learn all different aspects of the exhibition and curating.

“We have a partnership with the Hepworth in Wakefield and our trainee will go on a special placement to Hepworth and will get good experience with international significance working with their museum. We already have 100 applicants for that programme.

“Being in partnership with the Hepworth puts a really small artist-led gallery with a really big international gallery in Wakefield which is big in the region. It helps put us on the map.”