The Feminist Lecture Program with support from Friends of Nunhead Cemetery is seeking Female, Nonbinary and Trans artists to take part in a feminist curatorial program and exhibition opportunity this summer in South East London!

We’d like to preface this call-out by acknowledging the amount of labour that goes into application writing and that such unpaid work is a significant barrier to many.

With this in mind, we’ve kept our call-out to what is hopefully an anti-time-consumptive form, asking simply for a bio, images and links in the first round. The second round will be an online interview with selected candidates, the questions for which you’ll find below.

DEADLINE: 12th May 2024 23:59 (BST)

ONLINE INTERVIEW FOR INVITED CANDIDATES: 14th May 2024

FINAL DECISION: 18th May 2024

The Feminist Lecture Program with, support from Friends of Nunhead Cemetery (more info below), is seeking emerging Female, Nonbinary and Trans artists to take part in a Feminist Curatorial Program and Exhibition Opportunity this summer in South East London. 

Five selected artists will have the opportunity to present a solo exhibition in the unique environment of Nunhead Cemetery Chapel (more info below) with the support of The Feminist Lecture Program whilst also taking part in a wider program of curated events, studio visits and group crits across the four months of the program. 

The overall program will run from 19th May to mid-September 2024, with the five solo exhibitions taking place from July - September 2024 and a final exhibition by artists Emma Witter and Luisa-Maria MacCormack that will close the program.

The program will begin in May with a series of introduction meetings, group crits as well as studio visits from mentors. Students will also be given access to private tours of the cemetery and a curated series of lectures on Feminism, Art and Ecology from The Feminist Lecture Program.

What kind of artists are we seeking?

We are seeking artists whose work resonates with the themes of ecology, environmentalism, community and feminism and who are excited to explore these concepts within the context of Nunhead Cemetery (see our section on Nunhead Cemetery below).

We are open to any form of creative practice, from sculpture to performance, as long as it can withstand or work with the elements, including rain, as our exhibition venue within the cemetery (the beautiful ruins of a neo-gothic chapel) is open to the elements.

We are particularly interested in artists who are eager to engage with the space, forge new connections, and grow both personally and professionally through mentorship opportunities.

About Nunhead Cemetery

Nunhead Cemetery is one of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ cemeteries in London, built in the Victorian era as a response to the burgeoning mortuary needs of an increasingly populous london. The cemetery is located in Nunhead in the London Borough of Southwark.

By the middle of the 20th century, the cemetery was nearly full and so was abandoned by the United Cemetery Company.

With the ensuing neglect, the cemetery gradually changed from lawn to meadow and eventually to woodland. It is now a Local Nature Reserve and Site of Metropolitan Importance for wildlife, populated with songbirds, woodpeckers and tawny owls.

A lack of care and cash surrendered the graves to the ravages of nature and vandalism, but in the early 1980s, the Friends of Nunhead Cemetery was formed to renovate and protect the cemetery. Read more about Nunhead Cemetery here.

About The Feminist Lecture Program 

The Feminist Lecture Program is a Cultural Program founded in 2018, which provides an open-source, university-level Gender Studies program at a pay-what-you-can price.

Together, we aim to level the academic playing field and offer everyone access to university-quality gender studies.

On a weekly basis, we invite different lecturers from all over the world to take the stage each Monday evening (via Zoom) to explore topics from Witchcraft, Ecofeminism, Feminist Art History, Women in STEM, Female Neurodiversity, Decolonisation, Sex Positivity, and many many more.

Our classes are all Pay-What-You-Can, which means that students can donate as little as £1 to attend the program, 7 days of recording access is included with every ticket, and the sessions can be accessed anywhere in the world with an internet connection. 

In our four years, we and our director Luisa-Maria MacCormack have been hosted by and worked with incredible institutions such as The Vagina Museum, Dulwich Picture Gallery, the National Gallery, Tate, Harper's Bazaar, the BBC, Channel 4 and many more.

We believe that supporting underrepresented groups in the arts is one of the most important things we can do to help shift the balance in the fight against the rising tides of misogyny worldwide, and we’re excited to work with emerging artists who share our vision. 

What do we want you to get from the program?

We’re aiming to gather a Community of like-minded local artists to offer ongoing support after the end of the program. We want to offer artists not just access to the unique space of Nunhead Cemetery, (and of course the expansive Chapel Space for the Solo Show), but a supportive and inclusive environment that will allow you to exchange creative ideas with a cohort of other artists, to evolve and grow your practise and to showcase your work as a solo show but in a group setting, as well as to be part of a network/ongoing relationship.

What’s included in the Program?

• Exhibition Opportunity for a solo show (we are also open to groups/couples applications) 

• 1 week duration in the Nunhead Cemetery Chapel. 

• A minimum of two Group Crits between all participating artists led by FLP.

• Mentorship with the Feminist Lecture Program Director Luisa-Maria MacCormack and creative professionals that will be confirmed closer to the program date. 

• Access to a series of 10 curated lectures on Art, Feminism and Ecology from the Feminist Lecture Program Archive:

  • Ecological Decline and the Rise of Modern Witchcraft - Anna Titov

  • Walking, Running and Feminist Art Practice - Gudrun Filipska 

  • Black British Womanhood: Reclaiming the Landscape - Dr Sheree Mack

  • Ana Mendieta: The Body as Earth - Luisa Maria MacCormack

  • Landscape and Performance Art - Hollie Miller

  • Sex and the City: Constructing Gender and Architecture - Melissa Fielding 

  • Folk Art is Feminist - Lucy J Wright 

  • Gendered Environmentalities: Nature, Culture and Womanhood - Nina Paiva

  • The Women Who Speak to Plants: How Plant Knowledge Breaks Patriarchal Archetypes - Anna Souter

  • Feminism and Afrofuturism - Dr Sheree Mack 

  • Intimate Ecologies: A Black Feminist Erotics for Interspecies Unworlding - Ama Josephine Budge

• Insight into the unique environment, history, and ecology of Nunhead Cemetery through tours and discussion with Friends of Nunhead cemetery.

• Artist’s Talk about your practice hosted online by The Feminist Lecture Program.

 Application Questions

ROUND ONE - SHORT APPLICATION FORM

ROUND TWO (SELECTION-BASED) - ONLINE INTERVIEWS:

We wanted to provide all applicants with interview questions to consider in advance. Following the first round of the selection process, these are the questions that selected artists will be asked via the online interview.

1. Why would you like to participate in this opportunity?
   
   What would you like to achieve during the program or gain from the experience? Why would this opportunity benefit you now?
   
   
2. How do you envision using the space of Nunhead Cemetery, and the Chapel in particular?
   
   We really want to understand the innovative and unusual ways in which your work might interact with the unique exhibition environment. This does not have to be set in stone, as we are aware that plans may shift throughout the course of the program and any research you might undertake in response to the cemetery. You might draw on previously exhibited work as long as it is somehow recontextualised to explore the environment of the cemetery, or consider new ideas that you have.

1. How does your work align with the ethos of the project and the Feminist Lecture Program?

2. Are there any events you might like to run during the run of your show?
   
   This could be a screening, panel discussion, dance performance, supper club, we’re entirely open to ideas and want to explore as many ways as possible to activate this incredible venue. We will also provide the relevant support needed to make these ideas happen.

Other Questions to Consider:

1. Would you be looking at getting funding to support you with this opportunity? We are happy to provide you with references etc. 

2. Preferred weeks for show July-September 2024 (we cannot guarantee you will be able to choose your weeks but we will do our best to work around everyone’s schedules)

Who is eligible to Apply?

We are seeking applications from Female, Nonbinary and Trans artists for this opportunity.

You do not need to be an established artist in order to be considered for this opportunity, we are seeking artists who are excited to work with us on this program and welcome applications from any age group and career level. 

We welcome submissions from artists who align with our core Feminist Lecture Program values of inclusivity and intersectionality. 

Priority will be given to artists in the local area of South East London but we are open to applications from further afield.

Priority will also be given to artists from the global majority, Black, Immigrant and low income backgrounds. 

What you need to provide/guarantee

• Public Liability Insurance - this is easy to get through CuratorSpace and is useful to have for future shows.

• Promotional Materials

• Attendance to all mandatory dates in the program, excepting cases of illness etc - we have scheduled these as mandatory dates as we are keen for this program to 

• All works shown are entirely at the risk of the participating artist, FLP/FONC take no responsibility for loss or damage 

• Artists will invigilate their own shows or organise volunteers to do so with the help of FLP

• Artists are responsible for any damage incurred during their tenureship of the chapel 

Exhibition Conditions/Things to be aware of

ACCESS 

• FLP will organise a time for each artist to liaise with the directors of FONC who are kindly hosting the program to pick up keys on the week of their installation

INSTALLATION GUIDELINES

• The artist is responsible for the installation of and maintenance of all works in the show,

• Due to the delicate nature of the Chapel and its heritage, you are NOT able to damage the walls in any way. 

• Lightweight works may be installed on a few pre-existing iron nails, but any other pieces will have to be floor based. We think this is an interesting curatorial boundary and offers an opportunity to think about some creative and unusual ways to curate your show! 

WEATHER

• All works shown in the chapel MUST be weatherproof 

• This is due to the fact that there is no roof on the chapel which makes it an exceptionally beautiful place, but probably not suitable for paintings or works on paper

POWER 

• There are only two power points in the chapel, so for any work requiring electricity this must be taken into account, as must the weather conditions. 

PRIVATE VIEW

• Private Views are also organised at the whim of the British Summer Time, and will very much be weather dependent although they are welcome to go ahead in the rain!

• Artists are responsible for organising and promoting their own PV (FLP will of course offer support and any assistance needed)

• Artists are responsible for providing their own refreshments/alcohol at the Private View 

• Artists must exit the cemetery no later than 9pm on the evening of the Private View, although they are welcome to move the celebration to a local pub 

PROMOTION

• FLP can offer assistance in organising Private Views and will have a poster/leaflets printed and help with some promotion, but the artist will be primarily responsible for sending their own invites, promotion putting up posters and distributing printed media. 

• FLP will promote the artist throughout the course of the program and we will need to work with artists who are comfortable with us promoting their work.

Some further proposed opportunities will be revealed pending funding. Further information on collaborators and mentors coming soon…

If you would like any further support or require this application form in a different format, feel free to reach out to us at the 'Contact Curator' button.