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.
Updates, features, and insights from the visual arts community.
CVAN EM is seeking new members to join our Steering Group at an exciting moment of growth, investment and regional development. Open to Artists and Arts Workers based in the East Midlands.
Questions to Ask When Working With Others is a gathering where artists / arts workers can meet to share their experience/s of challenges related to their practice. Conversations to be centred around, but not exclusive to fractures, expectations and breakdown when working with others. This gathering with be held by artist-filmmaker Beverley Bennett and consist of a series of sharing activities to take place during the session centred around the theme.
Do you live or work in the East Midlands or West Midlands and plan to attend the opening of the Venice Biennale 2026? Would you like to connect with fellow art professionals ahead of your trip?
Discover exhibitions, workshops, talks, performances events and creative activity across the region.
In 2016, Attenborough Arts Centre opened its new purpose-built galleries, creating a new home for contemporary art in Leicester. To mark this special milestone, we are looking back on both the programme, and also the memories and experiences of all those who have engaged with the range of artists and art we have presented and produced. This exhibition will look back at highlights from the past 10 years while inviting you to share your own stories and reflections.
An ambitious group exhibition exploring how artists are using textiles in surprising and radical ways. Illuminating the diverse roles textiles play in contemporary artistic practice, the exhibition brings together artists who take the intimate and domestic quality of textiles and transform them into theatrical, bold, unsettling and humorous artworks that inspire, challenge and offer new ways of thinking.
The Sick Rose is a solo exhibition by artist Jamie Seymour. Taking its title from William Blake’s dark and mythic poem, the exhibition brings together new paintings, drawings and sculptures. Roses with faces, stiff-necked swans, and cartoon-coloured forms appear throughout—symbols that reflect experiences of queer anxiety and the pressures of being seen. The exhibition opens on Friday 13 March 2026 as part of Lboro Lates at Modern Painters, New Decorators in Loughborough.
Funding opportunties, residencies, creative roles, commissions, open calls, and professional or creative development.
Art Your Way is a commissioning programme that supports artists, creative practitioners, community organisations and grassroots collectives to create projects rooted in Hyson Green, Nottingham. Through this Open Call, New Art Exchange (NAE) will commission up to six projects between April 2026 and March 2028, encouraging creativity, celebration and shared community experiences. The programme offers three commission types. Applicants may apply for multiple types but can only be awarded one. Each commission has a set fee, timeline and way of working, but all share the same aim: to support high‑quality, accessible and locally grounded creative activity in Hyson Green. Festival Commissions fund short public festivals or event series ( 8,000, June September, 2 5 days). Workshop Series Commissions support free creative workshops at NAE ( 4,000, October January, 12 sessions). Makers Exhibition Commissions offer a 12‑week pop‑up shop for Global Ethnic Majority makers ( 4,000, February May).
Doddington Hall quality images of your work, a detailed plan of proposed work, or photographs of similar work; titles; mediums; approximate dimensions HxWxDcm; prices (if applicable); a maximum 400-word statement about the work. Include any relevant social media/website links. Key dates: Deadline - 3rd May Install - 29th June – 3rd July Exhibition open - 8th July - 6th Sept
CVAN EM is seeking new members to join our Steering Group at an exciting moment of growth, investment and regional development. Open to Artists and Arts Workers based in the East Midlands. Deadline: Monday 11 May, 10amResponses: Tuesday 19 May, 5pmRole: Voluntary, 4 meetings per year 1 Development DayStart: October 2026 (handover meeting in July 2026) Applicant Q A: Monday 20 April, 11.30am 12noon (online, via Zoom)Contact Colette Griffin at colette@cvaneastmidlands.co.uk to book onto the session, or to request an online 10 minute 1-2-1 conversation (subject to capacity). We are recruiting: 2 Sponsored Artist / Freelance Arts Workers ( 200 per quarterly meeting + annual development day) 2-3 Organisational Representatives (arts workers e.g., curators producers working in a visual arts context and supported by their employer to attend and contribute) Why Join Now? This is a pivotal moment for CVAN EM. Our 2026-27 priorities focus on: Advocacy Influence: strengthening the East Midlands voice nationally Artist Arts Worker Investment: creating paid opportunities and partnerships Regional Visibility: spotlighting East Midlands talent across the UK and internationally Inclusive Infrastructure: developing a dynamic and representative network In 2026 2027 we are also delivering Ode to the Midlands, an 18-month Arts Council England funded programme supporting mid-career artists through commissions, partnerships, and digital innovation. What Does the Steering Group Do? Steering Group members: Advise and support CVAN EM s Director on strategy and priorities Act as advocates for CVAN EM regionally and nationally Contribute to sector insight, debate and development drawing on their unique skills, knowledge, lived experience and geographical perspective and understanding. Attend 4 meetings per year (January, April, July, October) Take part in working groups and an annual development day CVAN EM is neither a charity nor limited company, which means there are no personal liabilities associated with Steering Group. Membership This is an unwaged role, with sponsored members only receiving a nominal fee of 200 per meetings. All Steering Group members are reimbursed for travel expenses incurred when attending in-person meetings. What You ll Gain Professional development and leadership experience Peer learning and networking across the region and nationally Opportunity to shape the future of the region s visual arts sector Annual externally facilitated development session Who We re Looking For All applicants must be: Based in and passionate about the East Midlands (Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, and Rutland). Over the age of 18 and not currently studying at undergraduate level. artists, freelancers, or arts workers (including curatorial, production, technical, engagement or learning roles) We welcome applications from individuals who: Are committed to equity, access and inclusion Bring strategic thinking, lived experience and/or creative insight Are motivated to actively contribute and collaborate For full details on responsibilities, please refer to our Terms of Reference. How to Apply Download the application pack: Steering Group Recruitment Application Pack (PDF)Steering Group Recruitment Application Pack (docx)Steering Group Recruitment Summary Application Pack (PDF)Steering Group Recruitment Summary Application Pack (docx) Send to: Colette Griffin at colette@cvaneastmidlands.co.uk with the subject line [CVAN EM Steering Group Recruitment] by Monday 11 May 2026, 10am. Image credit: CVAN EM AGM 2026 at Leicester Print Workshop. By Beth Walsh.
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