Ode to the Midlands | Call for Artists
Ode to the Midlands is commissioning six mid-career artists to develop and deliver new digital artworks between April 2026 – March 2027.
09 Feb 2026
Contemporary Visual Arts Network East Midlands
CVAN EM celebrates and supports visual arts and culture in the region, fostering an inclusive long-term future for the sector, emphasising equity and access for all arts workers.
Latest Activity
Updates, features, and insights from the visual arts community.
CVAN EM's AGM 2026
This year’s CVAN EM AGM takes place at a pivotal moment for the visual arts, both regionally and nationally. The event will serve as both a moment of reflection and a platform for dialogue, raising CVAN EM’s profile and helping ensure our work remains inclusive, relevant, and creative-centred.
30 Dec 2025
Better Together #15: Rethinking Value Beyond Metrics with Eleonora Belfiore
How can organisations use storytelling, qualitative impact, and advocacy to articulate value when funders prioritise measurement.
16 Dec 2025
Events & Exhibitions
Discover exhibitions, workshops, talks, performances events and creative activity across the region.
9-5pm Monday to Friday
LEVEL Spotlight Award 2026: Souvenirs – Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive
Souvenirs Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive is an exhibition by LEVEL Spotlight Award 2026 artist Helen Grundy. Presented in LEVEL Centre s Gallery Corridor, this provocative and humorous exhibition showcases a series of surreal digital and paper collages - each one a souvenir from the artist's life.
20 Jan 2026 - 10 Apr 2026
LEVEL Centre, Old Station Close, Rowsley, Matlock, DE4 2EL
10-5pm Monday to Friday
Happy Trails: Welcome to Lalaland
Your adventure starts here! ‘Happy Trails: Welcome to Lalaland’ invites you into artist Carla Dee’s vibrant, joy-filled universe. Doodle-tastic and inspired by local life, this colourful, interactive exhibition sparks smiles, creativity and loads of fun. Bring the walls of the exhibition to life, revealing colourful characters along the way. Which local landmarks can you recognise? Escape into a world where anything is possible! Happy Trails: Welcome to Lalaland is suitable for all including day centres, school/community groups and families.
20 Jan 2026 - 10 Apr 2026
LEVEL Centre, Old Station Close, Rowsley, Matlock, DE4 2EL
10am - 3pm, Wednesday - Sunday
Doddington Then & Now
Discover the changing story of Doddington Hall, Lincolnshire, through a fascinating display of archive photographs and carefully chosen objects. Spanning more than a century, this exhibition traces how the Doddington Estate and the wider village have evolved — from the development of buildings to the lives of the people who worked here. With a rich visual narrative that links past and present, Doddington Then & Now offers a thoughtful look at heritage, community and how the estate continues to develop.
04 Feb 2026 - 27 Mar 2026
Doddington Hall & Gardens, Doddington, Lincoln, LN6 4RU
Jobs & Opportunities
Funding opportunties, residencies, creative roles, commissions, open calls, and professional or creative development.
N/A
The Guild 2026
The Guild is a creative professional development programme that supports practitioners in developing their artistic practice, working collaboratively, creating public-facing art, and contributing to cultural life in Northampton. Running from March to December 2026, The Guild will support eight creative practitioners working across disciplines, by providing a free studio, year-round mentorship, and opportunities to form an new artist collective in the town. The programme is free to participate in and is based at NNCA’s newly renovated home at 24 Guildhall Road, reopening in Spring 2026. The programme is led by NNCA’s Community Engagement Producer. Applicants do not need to formally identify as artists, but should be interested in developing a creative or artistic practice through the programme. Applicants do not need to be based in Northampton but must be able to commit to regular in-person engagement throughout the programme.
developmentresidencymentoringtrainingcommissionmembershipstudionorthamptonshireleicestershirerutland
Deadline: 19 Feb 2026
N/A
Collage Exhibition Open Call
Artists and makers are invited to submit work to Milestone Studio's first Collage Exhibition! Artwork will be selected via open call by the Milestone Studios team for a three week exhibition in our ground floor gallery in March 2026. All UK based artists over the age of 16 are welcome to apply. We're accepting visual collages for this open call. Collage describes both the technique and the resulting work of art in which pieces of paper, photographs, fabric and other ephemera are arranged and stuck down onto a supporting surface. We will also accept entries that vary from this definition, including digital collages.
Deadline: 23 Feb 2026
£60
Open Call: Artwork for Issue #10
OPEN CALL: Now taking entries for the tenth zine edition; we are seeking submissions of existing visual artwork, from early-career creatives currently living, working, making, or studying in the Midlands, UK. There is no submission theme for Issue #10 so, anything goes. We are seeking submissions of visual art for this open call. We defines visual art simply: if we can print any piece of the artwork, we ll consider including it in the zine . Submissions are open to early-career creatives. We don't have any criteria to define what an early-career creative is. So, it's up to you to decide if submitting to the zine opportunity is beneficial to you. We suggests you read a back issues of the zine on our website to see this is all about. Up to six creatives will be featured and interviewed for the zine each will be paid a fee of 60.
Deadline: 23 Feb 2026
Stay Connected
Join our mailing list to receive the latest updates on exhibitions, opportunities, and events across the East Midlands visual arts community.