Kiera shares a vision for the future of NC and announces exciting changes to this year’s submissions which open 10am 3 March - 2pm 31 March 2025.
My hope for New Contemporaries is that we build a space by, with and for artists. This means interrogating how we make a space to listen to artists, so that we’re ready to hear and to action. It means a radical overhaul. This will take time, but it’s a journey we’re entirely committed to undertaking. It means more opportunities, more partnerships, more support, better access and accessibility.
24 February 2025
Since I joined New Contemporaries over the last 15 months, we’ve undertaken a 360 review of everything we do, it’s a process and it’s taking time, but we’re really thinking through how to build a sustainable organisation that can best serve and champion artists.
Artists help us see the world anew and it’s precisely in challenging times like we see today that artists go to work. We must continue to commission, produce and nurture artists at this crucial early stage in their careers so we don’t lose a diversity of voice and practice, and so we can inspire and create for everyone, not just the art world. It’s important we create pathways for artists to thrive and that we provide the tools necessary to build their own careers.
This year at New Contemporaries we are opening our annual open call programme to any artist who self-identifies as early career or emerging. You no longer need to have attended art school, you might have studied something else entirely, you might be on an independent programme, or you might never have studied at all.
All we ask is for you to self-identify as an artist within the first seven years of your practice. You could have taken a break and come back to practice later, have had a job in-between, or you still feel you’re at an emerging or early stage. If this is you, we’d love for you to apply to be part of the programme.
This is also the first-year applications won’t be anonymised. We also want to hear from artists across the UK in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, not just in London, and we are keen to ensure there’s a breadth of practice. We can also provide additional access support.
These changes are vital in supporting a diverse and accessible arts sector. We know it’s a very difficult time for artists to make work and we want to make sure we’re supporting a broad form of practice. We want to give artists the best chance to build, grow and sustain their careers. We want to transform the way the art world operates.
Submissions open between 3 March and 31 March 2025 and you can find out more here:
https://newcontemporaries.org.uk/submissions
We’re keen to know what you think will make an accessible and sustainable arts sector, if you have time and something to share let us know your thoughts on social media using #NewContemporaries.
Previous Story
News: Michaela Yearwood-Dan’s New Edition