Shelf Life
A Freedom Festival and Hull Central
Libraries ‘Artists Book’ project
Figure 1'Map ed Veveiis', artist book by Genevieve Sielle - 1990
Project Curator – Job description and brief
A joint initiative from Freedom Festival Trust and Hull City Council
Library Services
Funded by the James Reckitt Library Trust
A joint commission
between:
Overview of the Curator role
A curator with experience of commissioning artists and exhibition development, is sought
to co-ordinate and deliver a project funded by the James Reckitt Library Trust and
produced by Freedom Festival Trust and Hull City Council Library Services.
Purpose of the Role
The curator supported by the Freedom Festival Associate Producer will lead the project,
working in consultation with the HCC library services and freedom festival to commission
up to 10 artists, four of whom would be from a curated strand of nationally recognized
artists, to produce a series of artists’ books which explore and respond to issues linked to
‘Freedom’, historically, in relation to Hull and with a contemporary viewpoint.
The artists’ books will be presented and accessed within the Hull City Council Library
network, in the context of Freedom Festival (potentially in outdoor public space).
The commissions will be supported by a wider program of engagement work support by
the HCCL network and the Freedom Festival core team.
Curator duties:
 Design and create a brief and call out for the commission
 Identify, approach and contract 4 national high quality artists for commissioning.
 Connect the project call-out to relevant networks (with support from project
manager and FF administration)
 Assist the Associate Producer to organize the panel and selection day
 Design artist book exhibitions
 Devise creative workshops/skills workshops on the theme of artists’ books
(supported by HCCL trust education partners)
 Facilitate artist’s discussions/presentations in various contexts
 Input into a digital strategy for the project with a presence and potential visual arts
trail spreading across the City of Hull, connecting Hull’s contribution to the cause of
Freedom.
 Work with the Associate Producer to liaise directly with venues (libraries) to plan
supporting events and to implement joined up marketing activity
 Assist FF administrator to cultivate user generated content relating to the project
which can be presented across the library and Freedom Festival web sites and/or
social media pages. Where possible we want visitors and participants to capture
their experience and to present it across chosen social media channels
 Prepare and give presentations on the project as part of the exhibition programme
& creative workshops associated with the project.
 Identify and advise the Associate Producer on relevant networks and publications
that the workshops and exhibitions can be publicized in.
 In conjunction with the Associate Producer, input into the final evaluation report
and support the production of interim project reports for core funders.
 Support and create material for the ongoing documentation of the project, a
project blog, photographs, on line user generated content.
 Some budget management/reporting in conjunction with the Associate Producer.
A joint commission
between:
The Curator will be line managed by the Freedom Festival Trusts Executive Director and
Artistic Director, supported by the FF Associate Producer and the overall project overseen by
the Library Services Director.
About the Freedom Festival Arts Trust
Freedom Festival Trust was established in 2013 taking on responsibility for producing
Freedom Festival, the region’s largest, most innovative and open access city arts festival.
Taking place annually in the first week of September, Freedom Festival is the lasting legacy
of the Wilberforce 2007 campaign which celebrated the pioneering work of Hull-born MP
William Wilberforce, and the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade in the British
Empire. During 2007, Hull was at the centre of the world’s bicentennial celebrations,
remembering the life and work of Hull’s most famous son.
The city commemorated with 34 weeks of events and activities, highlighting issues of
slavery and emancipation that are still current today. Following this successful year, it was
agreed that Wilberforce’s legacy needed to be marked and celebrated annually, and
Freedom Festival was born.
The festival will always make reference to the concept of ‘freedom’, pushing boundaries to
express the concept in a variety of ways and – together with our advisory partners
including Hull Amnesty Group – helping to raise awareness of the challenges to freedom
that still exist and are highly relevant today.
Freedom Festival Trust changed its name December 2015 to Freedom Festival Arts Trust
About Hull Library
Hull Libraries offer an invaluable service to the community, through a network of 13
libraries providing free access to books, newspapers, DVDs and cd’s. In addition, the
libraries directly fund and deliver a wealth of skills development programmes and direct
training, enabling people to build upon existing skills and/or develop new skills which will
position them for future success.
The libraries are great supporters and producers of the growing cultural programme taking
shape in Hull and are responsible for a number of cultural initiatives which celebrate
literature, improve literacy and showcase the value of the library service to local
communities.
About James Reckitt Library Trust
The James Reckitt Library Trust was established as an independent charitable trust in 1892
by Sir James Reckitt (1833-1924), the pioneering industrialist and philanthropist. Originally
intended to support the James Reckitt Library in east Hull, it now helps to develop public
library provision throughout the City. The projects and activities which it funds are
designed to stimulate a love of reading and learning, particularly among children and
young people, to encourage those who might not normally use public library services to do
so, and to raise awareness of what modern public libraries can offer.
A joint commission
between:
Shelf Life - The Brief
A Freedom Artists’ Books Project Proposal
The Project
This project aims to excite interest in, and encourage new visitors (and additional repeat
visitors) to Hull’s library network by commissioning an exclusive series of artists’ books,
which will only be available through Hull City Council Library Services. The artists and their
books will be high profile, fascinating, provocative and stimulating!
The idea is to commission up to 10 artists, four of whom would be from a curated strand of
nationally recognized artists drawn from a list that could include Jeremy Deller, Damien
Hirst, Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas, Gary Hume, Anya Gallaccio, Gillian Wearing, Sam TaylorWood, Richard Wentworth, Michael Craig-Martin, Helen Chadwick, Mark Wallinger. A
further six artists would be selected from an open call that goes out locally, regionally and
nationally.
The proposed brief for the commissions would be for each book to be the artist’s response
to ideas and issues around freedom such as slavery, freedom of information, censorship or
protest and could be text, image, graphic, sound or object based. A limited edition of
around 15 copies of each book would be produced so that the whole set could eventually
be shelved at each Hull City Library and the History Centre.
Initial interest in the books would be generated through a possible pre-launch event in
addition to seminars and workshops arranged with schools, Hull artists’ groups and general
audiences and library users. These could include an exhibition of existing artists’ books,
seminars about their work by the selected commissioned artists, practical hands-on
workshops in the craft of book-binding for school children and artists, book treasure hunts
or interactive trail to seek out special books in the libraries. An exhibition of the original
artworks will then take place either in the Library Gallery or other city venues. The project
should attract good media coverage at all levels, as well as from specialist art and library
periodicals.
There will be additional ways to make these artists’ books special and to create a public
and media focus on them – digital manifestations available through the library on-line
catalogue for example, through Freedom Festival social media channels and through
devising some form of treasure hunt, game or visual arts trail to excite younger audiences.
Project outputs
-
Commission a series of up to 10 artist’s books (four of which are to be curated)
Organise a series of craft workshops delivered within the libraries network and
A joint commission
between:
-
potentially within the schools (part of school workshops)
Creative workshops/skills workshops (to include school workshops)
Artists discussions/presentations
Artist book exhibition(s)
Visual arts trail or game spreading across the City of Hull, connecting landmarks
related to Hull’s contribution to the cause of Freedom with the library network
Establish a robust evaluation process to enable us to review impact and reach and
response to the project
This project will achieve a number of measurable outcomes as outlined within Appendix 1
(KPI’) and Appendix 2 (Social Media engagement)
Curator role - fee and payment
The fee is a fixed fee of £5000 exclusive of VAT, and inclusive of any other expenses
incurred by the role holder. This fee equates to approximately 30 days and includes £500
towards travel to visit participating artists.
The hours will be worked flexibly and part-time including occasional evenings and
weekends. It is anticipated that the majority of work will be conducted from the role
holders own office and FF office supported by meetings with the curator, artists, Freedom
Festival Trust and Central Library, with the exception of the activities relating to the project
happening in and around Hull e.g. artists site visit, exhibition installation, establishment of
the geo – cache trail and creative workshops. Regular communication between the post
holder, the curator, Freedom Festival Trust and Central Library will be vital and a schedule
of on site meetings will be established on appointment.
As a self-employed contractor the role holder will have public liability insurance up to the
value of £5 million and will be required to provide proof of self-employment on
appointment.
The role holder is responsible for all VAT and/or any other tax payments that they may
owe as a result of this employment and will make arrangements for them to be paid
directly to HMRC.
Selection
A panel is proposed to select the open commissions and to work with the curator on
identifying and approving the invited commissions. The panel will include the project
curator, a Ferens Art Gallery curator, a member of the James Reckitt Trust committee, the
city librarian, the Freedom Festival Artistic Director and an external specialist in the field of
Artists’ Books.
Project - timescale
The project will take approximately 7 months from the appointment of the Curator to the
exhibition opening tying in with the dates of Freedom Festival 2-4th September. Following
this the digital and / or trail aspect of the project may continue on into 2017 whilst the
A joint commission
between:
Artist Books will be available for reading and viewing at the library.
Suggested timescale
Deadline for ‘curator’ submissions:
Notification of selection for interview:
Date of interview:
9am 28th January 2015
Friday 29th January 2015
Monday 8th February 2015
Call for artists/recruitment
Deadline for artists
Selection panel and decision
Site visits
Workshops and/or seminars held
Interim report
Artist’s books produced
Library launch and exhibition (s)
Event at Freedom Festival
Final Report
26th February 2016
18th March 2016
th
28 March 2016
April 2016
May – September 2016
Submitted 30th June 2016
August 2016 (to be confirmed)
September 2016 (to be confirmed)
2-4th September 2016
By end of December 2016
Application
A joint commission
between:
Please submit a CV and covering letter (no more than 1 side of A4) via email
to nesta@freedomfestival.co.uk by 9am 28th January 2016.
The covering letter should outline your interest in, experience, skills and suitability for the
post according to the role specification and duties above.
In addition, please provide contact details (including email) of 2 referees.
1
Links for further information
For a good introduction to, and information about, artists’ books from the Victoria
and Albert Museum:
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/a/books-artists/
For information about Book Works:
https://www.bookworks.org.uk
For information about a major artists’ books fair that shows many excellent examples
of current artists’ books:
http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/book-fair/2014-exhibitors
For information about Leeds-based artists’ books organization, Pages, and their
International Contemporary Artists’ Book Fair, held annually in Leeds
http://www.leedsartbookfair.com/pages-reviewed-collections-revisited
A joint commission
between: