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
£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
Commision: Artist Fee | £3,000 Materials/Production Budget | £1,000 Travel & Accommodation | up to £1,000 For each residency: Artist Fee | £1,500 Residency materials | £200 Travel & Accommodation | £500
Artist Call Out: Common Ground: Sleaford’s Shared Stories
Sleaford Museum and the Hub in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, are excited to announce an open call for artists to participate in Common Ground: Sleaford’s Shared Stories. This ambitious project includes engagement programmes, events and exhibitions presented at both Sleaford Museum and the Hub, that will unearth and reinterpret objects from Sleaford Museum’s collection. The project will culminate in a dual-site exhibition programme at Sleaford Museum and in the Hub’s main gallery from 18 July–8 November 2026. We’re looking for artists who want to work with museum collections, local communities and lived experience, asking: who and what has been historically excluded from local heritage and cultural spaces, and how can we actively change that? Two opportunities available (apply for one or both): Strand 1: Three Commissions for New Work Strand 2: Three Artist Residencies
Deadline: 23 Feb 2026
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