Artists Together

Artists Together 2024-2025

The programme is designed to provide events that some artists may wish to attend regularly, and events where artists may wish to select specific sessions that are relevant to them. You're welcome to come as often or as little as you like.

Artists Together:

• should give artists* the confidence to make, create and share their work through the support of other artists in St Helens.
• responds to the ideas of artists* in St Helens 
• provides opportunities for artists* to give each other peer-support
• creates spaces and opportunity for artists* to test, share and create new work
• is an open invitation to artists* of all disciplines to meet each other.

* When we use the term artist we are referring to any creative person - actors, dancers, painters, craftspeople, photographers, sound artists, musicians, poets, performers, novelists, improvisers, filmmakers, embroiderers, scriptwriters, makers etc. There are as many ways to be an artist as there are people, so if you think you might be an artist, show up!

The following events are planned:

Conversations about...
We identify artists with relevant skills or experience on the subject and ask them to be peer-experts alongside someone from a regional organisation to create a rich space where artists can discuss, share and develop their practice. 

Events take place in June, July, September, October, November 2024 and February 2025. Please book a place on Eventbrite

Collaborative events
These are events that run across 2 days which provide time, space and some resources for artists to create work together and to share work to the public as a result of that time together.

Events take place in July 2024 and January 2025. Please book a place on Eventbrite.
 

Monthly 1-2-1 support chat
Claire Weetman, the lead artist for Artists Together will offer bookable 30-minute sessions for artists in St Helens to sign up to. You can ask for advice about funding and resources for a project, get some feedback on a piece of work, discuss ways to develop your practice, or whatever is relevant for you and your work. These may be online or in-person.

Eight dates in June, July, September, October, November, January, February, March. Please contact Claire Weetman.
 

Visiting 1-2-1 support and social lunch
During the 2023 Reside* programme we had great feedback from artists who met with people from regional arts organisations for feedback on a portfolio or advice on ways to develop their work. We will invite professionals on 3 occasions during the programme, you'll be able to sign up to a slot with them and there will be a social lunch with them and other artists.

Three dates in summer, autumn and winter. 
 

Seasonal Socials
These will be an opportunity for Artists Together to attend regional arts events, to support local artists public events, access discounted tickets through partnerships with organisations or have a Christmas party, all with a more relaxed, sociable atmosphere.  

There will be an opportunity for members of Artists Together to shape each of the summer, autumn and winter social events in a paid freelance role. If this is something that you would be interested in, please get in touch.

One or two social events in each season summer, autumn and winter.

You can shape the programme

We want Artists Together to be relevant to the artists who want to attend. You can shape the programme in the following ways: 

• get in touch with a suggestion for a 'Conversations about...' topic
• get in touch with suggestions for the January Artists Together collaborate activity
• let us know if there's someone specific that you'd like us to invite for the 1-2-1 support sessions
• get in touch if you would like to be considered for freelance work to deliver one of the seasonal socials.

Transparency

Artists Together is being delivered by St Helens Libraries and Arts NPO who have contracted Claire Weetman as the lead artist, following a tender process. She will deliver the programme between May 2024 and March 2025, at a daily freelance rate of £250 and will work ~1.75 days each month. 

About Claire Weetman

Claire Weetman is an artist who makes drawings, prints, installations and public interventions that visualise how we navigate through spaces, connect with others and observe the traces of things that are difficult to see.

Since 2005 Claire has developed projects where she lives in St Helens, including co-founding Platform Studios in 2012 that has led to her supporting and advocating for other artists practices in programmes such as Artists Together's Reside*. Claire's commissioned work with communities and in response to places manifests as objects (Many Uses of a Blanket), performances (What are you waiting for?) or documents (Walking Together/Walking Apart).

Residencies in Shanghai, Istanbul, Linz and Stuttgart between 2009-2018 provided time and space to develop her practice. Her work has been supported by The Bluecoat, Castlefield Gallery, Airspace Gallery, Curious Minds, The Harris, METAL, Heart of Glass and Arts Council England.

Please email Claire Weetman for more details.