Saltaire Inspired is an ambitious arts charity, creating quality contemporary arts events in unique settings.

We deliver three annual arts events in the World Heritage village of Saltaire, and work towards our vision to help Saltaire become an internationally recognised centre for visual arts.

We create art and community events in the spaces of Saltaire and present exciting and challenging contemporary visual art in accessible settings inspiring people of all ages and backgrounds to take part.

Using public buildings and private homes as venues in order to encourage and reach out to new audiences, and to attract artists to exhibit and respond. We also provide creative learning experiences though free workshops and drop in sessions on anything from film animation to den- building.

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar is a community art event that illuminates the village and delights both residents and visitors to Saltaire World Heritage Site during the month of December. Each year, hundreds of people from across the UK and overseas follow the trail, both in person and through social media, as a different house opens a window every evening from 1st to 24th December, each designed and presented by local residents and groups. The trail remains open until 1st January 2021.

This year, for the first time with the support of a grant from the Arts Council, Saltaire Inspired is commissioning a locally-based artist to create a display in the windows of Salts Mill, Sir Titus Salt’s iconic mill building at the heart of Saltaire and its key visitor attraction The window on the main stairwell overlooks Saltaire Railway Station and will act as a centrepiece for this year’s event.

We seek artists who:

• Can demonstrate at least 3 years professional practice

• Can evidence experience of delivering commissions and working at a similar scale

• Can adopt a flexible and collaborative approach working with the Saltaire Inspired and Salts Mill teams

• Are based in Yorkshire or are within easy commuting distance for the purposes of site visits and installation

We seek proposals that:

• Can be achieved within the project budget of £1,500 to cover all materials and artist time to deliver the commission

• Draw on the heritage context and reference the spirit and materials used by residents in the Living Advent Calendar event to create impact both when seen from the outside and also from inside the public stairwell

• Draw broadly and imaginatively on the spirit of the season whilst avoiding specifically religious content

• Can be achieved while adhering to the technical specifications outlined by Salts Mill and its status as a heritage site (see below)

Salts Mill technical specification:

• Installation to be displayed in the six windows in the public stairwell on the west elevation of the mill (see images).

• The window measures 9ft 6 inches in total. Owing to restrictions due to the nature of the building we are inviting artists to consider working with the four large central panels, each measuring 34” x 22”.

• Windows accessed by public stairwell, open 10am-6pm daily - installation will need to take place after hours and be ready to launch on 1st December.

• Window recess measures 24” in depth, accessed from stairwell over iron railings - Salts Mill requires use of safety harnesses and will need to approve a risk assessment.

• Installation to be hung from top of each window - simple removable fixings can be drilled into the stone as long as the area can be made good at the end of the display.

• There are no power sources in the stairwell – the stairwell is lit by fluorescent strip lights