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Artist in Residence at Green & Away

Green & Away is seeking an Artist in Residence for its 2011 season.

This will provide an opportunity for an emerging contemporary artist to innovate and demonstrate their work at a leading environmental conference centre. S/he will be expected to produce a permanent artwork for the site and to work with our volunteers and delegates on other linked creative projects. We would want our artist in residence to inspire the people who visit us to change habits of a lifetime and live more harmoniously with nature by appreciating the beauty in the natural world.

We expect the work will be mostly made from natural materials on the 200 acre farm which includes a river, native woodland, pasture, a former railway line and a garden plant nursery.

S/he will be expected to work alongside the other volunteers who set up the centre, manage the site, and at the end of the season dismantle it.

Background

Green & Away operates Europe’s only outdoor conference centre – a venue held entirely under canvas. We build our centre every summer in a beautiful Worcestershire field and will host some six events over two months in 2011, each lasting between an evening and several days.

Our aim is to support charities and organisations working for social and environmental change. We thus hope to inspire people to take better care of the natural world by spending a brief time living sustainably. We would want our artist in residence to encourage and inspire the people who visit us to change habits of a lifetime and live more harmoniously with nature by appreciating the beauty in the natural world

While conventional conference centres are ready to host conferences all the time, at Green & Away we construct sustainable facilities every summer season – and it must be ready for when the first delegates arrive in late June.

The project – a registered charity – runs entirely on volunteers, and the artist in residence will have the opportunity to experience how this innovative outdoor venue comes together. S/he will also see at first hand how the many volunteers – some experienced, some novices – are set to work and trained. You will see how we liaise with the different organisations hosted by Green & Away, and how we provide inspiring inductions on sustainable living to the participants when they arrive.

The artist will also see how the project changes its rhythm according to the weather – hot or cold, rain or shine. Green & Away lives as a tribe or community while it is operating, so you will also experience communal living and teamwork of a type rarely available elsewhere.

The artist will be encouraged to develop their own ideas for artwork/s on the site, in consultation and collaboration with the Green & Away trustees. While our events have often attracted artists and sculptors who have run one-off workshops, this is the first time we are seeking to appoint an artist for our entire season: this is a rare opportunity to develop land art and eco-artworks in a rural farm setting, and to be involved in developing the role from scratch.

Time & Place

We will need our artist to be on site from mid-June to about mid-August, with days off. (Precise dates will be confirmed in Sporing 2011.)

We are located 3 miles from Worcester which has a main line rail station with buses which come to a few minutes walk of our site.

Accommodation & Facilities

Green & Away takes place under canvas. Ideally you will need a tent, but if you don’t have one we may be able to arrange one for you. All meals are provided (vegetarian, mostly organic and mostly local). The site has hot showers, clothes washing facilities and composting toilets. A licensed bar, comfortable sitting areas and arts and crafts facilities are available once we have built them. There is also wi-fi, and phone and laptop charging facilities.

Within walking distance is an organic eco café, an alternative therapy centre, a group of craft workshops, a care farming project, a large wholesale garden plant nursery, a greenwood worker, places to swim and a gastro-pub.

Other participants

Green & Away is run by a board of some 12 trustees, a number of whom are on site at any one time. In addition there are some 20 volunteers on site – some of whom are regulars, and others who are new to us. We also have six interns who participate in our entire season. The volunteers and participants vary in age from 16 to 70 and come from all backgrounds.

The conferences attract between 50 and 140 people for each event. Some of the participants have been before, others are new to us.

Costs

Green & Away does not charge or pay its trustees, volunteers or interns. The artist will attend on the same terms and we provide all meals and refreshments for everyone on site. Your only cost will be your travel, and drinks and snacks from the bar.

Applications

Green & Away will be advertising from February 2011 for an artist in residence for its 2011 season. Please return to this site then for more details but it is anticipated that applications will need to consist of your CV, 6 images of your artwork, a short covering letter explaining why you would like to work with Green & Away, including which aspects of our work or location you find attractive and what skills, experience and creative ideas you have to share with us and our delegates.

Please send applications by email to Justin Moran: volco(at)greenandaway.org (insert the '@' symbol). Once we have seen your application we will arrange for interviews with shortlisted candidates. This will preferably be in London during April, or by phone conference if this is not possible.

Our closing date for applications will be March 31 2011; and we expect to make decisions by the middle of May.