Making Things Move
A Hands-On Robotics Workshop for Makers. What if your artwork could breathe, blink, or hesitate?
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.
Better Together #17: From Survival to Strategy | Building Stronger, More Sustainable Arts Organisations
The session will include practical advice, common pitfalls and space for live questions around funding, income and sustainability.
Ode to the Midlands Commissioned Artists Announcement
CVAN EM and CVAN WM are proud to announce the artist and organisation partnerships for Ode to the Midlands (OttM), a major new cross-regional programme investing in artists, organisations, and audiences across the Midlands through digital contemporary art.
19 May 2026
Events & Exhibitions
Discover exhibitions, workshops, talks, performances events and creative activity across the region.
Mon to Sat – 10am-5pm Sun – 10am-4pm Bank Holidays – 10am-4pm
Chippy Tea A Seat at the Table
A legacy exhibition dedicated to the community-focused event, Chippy Tea. Chippy Tea is a recurring supper held at the Hub, bringing together people who identify as ‘outsiders’ to share personal stories around identity and belonging. Attendees are welcomed with a portion of chips (and a sauce of their choice) and invited into an informal, welcoming space for conversation, listening, and connection. Over time, Chippy Tea has become a moment of personal and cultural exchange, intergenerational conversation, and community care.
28 Mar 2026 - 05 Jul 2026
Navigation Wharf, Carre Street, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG34 7TW
Mon to Sat – 10am-5pm Sun – 10am-4pm Bank Holidays – 10am-4pm
Raisa Kabir: I only dance, I wish we could sing
Raisa Kabir is an interdisciplinary artist and weaver based in London. Kabir utilises woven text and textiles, sound, video, and performance to materialise multiple concepts concerning the cultural politics of cloth. Kabir’s practice foregrounds excluded narratives and traces the histories of textile technologies originating in East, Central, and South Asia, which have directly influenced European centres of technology and weaving knowledge.
28 Mar 2026 - 05 Jul 2026
Navigation Wharf, Carre Street, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG34 7TW
Mon to Sat – 10am-5pm Sun – 10am-4pm Bank Holidays – 10am-4pm
Sofía Barbé: These Friends of Ours
Expressive creatures tell a playful, other-worldly story in this sculptural series by Sofía Barbé. Working with mixed media, including discarded wood cuttings, wire, needle felting, and paint, Sofía creates tactile figures; characters defined by their distinctive poses and expressions. Alongside these are felted wall hangings that tell visual stories, with certain characters reappearing across the works.
28 Mar 2026 - 05 Jul 2026
Navigation Wharf, Carre Street, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG34 7TW
Jobs & Opportunities
Funding opportunties, residencies, creative roles, commissions, open calls, and professional or creative development.
£40,000-£45,000Urgent
Director Creative People and Place
We are currently looking for a bold, people-focused Programme Director to lead Changing Places, who is enthusiastic and experienced in community-led creative programming. This role is funded to March 2029 thanks to Arts Council England (with intention of permanent employment within Coalville CAN). We re looking for: A track record of developing cultural initiatives and commissioning creative projects within a range of public spaces. Experience working in communities and building relationships, ideally with a knowledge of North West Leicestershire An effective project manager, able to be flexible and adjust plans. Experienced managing budgets and resources. Confident working with and influencing a wide range of people and partners and working together to shape strategies. Knowledge and experience of co-creation and empowering others through the process. Aligned with our values. Positive and enjoys their work and celebrating others' success. A natural connector, curious and open Passionate about making creativity accessible to everyone.
Deadline: 03 Jul 2026
Exhibited work Urgent
Open call for artists who are also mothers
Sorry about the mess #2 An exhibition of artists who are also mothers Birmingham School of Art 1st to 23rd October 2026 The show will continue our exploration into the theme of mess within the context of motherhood. We are interested in mess not just as an aesthetic but a condition; an obstacle; a form of critique; a mode of play; a process of creation; an act of revolution. Who’s eligible? We are looking for work by Midlands-based artists, who identify as mothers and/or have experienced infertility issues and/or child loss. The work itself does not have to be about the maternal experience, but it is the context in which it’s made. Please send a PDF containing a short biographical statement, images and/or sketches of the proposed work (or links where appropriate), approximate measurements, any requirements for installation and access. All queries and proposals to be sent to hello@babestation.org.uk
Deadline: 03 Jul 2026
£30,000Urgent
The Artist Prize
A new £30,000 open art prize for UK artists. The Artist Prize is a new £30,000 open art prize awarded to a single UK-based artist, alongside a solo exhibition at Firstsite in 2028. There are no nominations and no gatekeepers. Any UK-based artist aged 18 or over can enter, regardless of career stage, location, background, or representation. Twenty shortlisted artists will exhibit together at Firstsite from 30 January to 16 May 2027, with shipping and installation covered and an artist fee of £350 each. A further 200 longlisted artists will be selected by a national network of around 80 curators drawn from arts organisations across the UK, bringing distributed curatorial expertise to bear on what UK artists are making right now. The prize is co-founded by Guy Armitage (Zealous) and Sally Shaw MBE (Firstsite, Museum of the Year 2021).
Deadline: 08 Jul 2026
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