Curators Convening in Venice
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?
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.
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
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
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.
£10,000 artist & production fee, plus access, travel, mentoring and install support.Urgent
Ode to the Midlands | Call for Artists
Notification: Friday 24 April 2026, 5pm Applicant Q A: Wednesday 18 February 2026, 2pm (online)To book a place or request a 1 2 1 conversation, contactColette Griffin at colette@cvaneastmidlands.co.uk About the Programme Ode to the Midlands (OttM) is an 18-month, cross-regional programme delivered by CVAN East Midlands and CVAN West Midlands. It supports Global Majority, Disabled, d/Deaf, and Neurodivergent mid-career artists to create new digital artworks exploring the cultural and geographical identity of the Midlands. The programme builds connections between artists, organisations, and audiences across the East and West Midlands, with work presented online, in galleries, and in public spaces. OttM is supported by public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England. The Opportunity OttM will commission six mid-career artists to develop a new digital artwork between April 2026 March 2027. Selected artists will: Be paired with a commissioning organisation in the neighbouring region Develop a new digital work (digital experience not required) Take part in mentoring, peer exchange, and professional development Present work online, in a gallery, or in public space Digital work can include moving image, sound, interactive or web-based work, creative coding, AI, AR/VR, projection, or hybrid formats. Support Each commissioned artist receives: 10,000 (artist fee, production, and presentation inclusive of VAT) Access funding (from a shared programme budget) Travel and accommodation support Mentoring and peer learning 2.5 technician days Documentation and editorial coverage via Corridor8 Promotion through OttM communications Who Can Apply You must: Identify as Global Majority, Disabled, d/Deaf, and/or Neurodivergent Be living or professionally based in the East or West Midlands Be mid-career, aged 18+, and not currently studying at BA or MA level Be able to deliver a commission between April 2026 March 2027 Artist collectives and artists new to digital practice are welcome. How to Apply Apply in: Written form (up to 800 words), or Audio or video (up to 6 minutes) Include: An overview of your practice Why you want to take part in OttM How this supports your development Your approach to collaboration, inclusion, and access Examples of your work Send applications to colette@cvaneastmidlands.co.uk byWednesday 25 March 2026, 10am. Access If you need this information in another format or want to discuss access needs before applying, please contact Colette Griffin at colette@cvaneastmidlands.co.uk.
Deadline: 25 Mar 2026
£1000, travel, expenses and accomidation
Bridge
We are very excited to introduce BRIDGE, a residency between Seoul, Helsinki, Bangkok and Marrakech! BRIDGE was developed in response to a simple but pressing question: how can international cultural exchange move beyond short-term mobility and towards deeper, more meaningful relationships between artists, institutions and places?The Residencies Seoul, South Korea, September 2026 with PBG Artform: Photographer Theme: Explore urban identity, memory, and the everyday realities of life in Seoul through a photographic lens. The residency invites the artist to investigate how movement, architecture, and social rhythms shape the city, creating work that connects lived experiences in Seoul with communities and perspectives in Nottingham. About the partner: PBG is a leading contemporary art platform in South Korea, championing photography and visual artists through exhibitions, publishing, and international collaborations. With a vibrant base in Seoul, they offer artists an opportunity to engage with Korea s dynamic art market and cultural scene. Helsinki, Finland, October 2026 with Helsinki International Artist Programme Artform: Writer or Poet Theme: Create new writing that reflects people and place, drawing on the cultural rhythms, histories, and lived experiences of Suomenlinna and Helsinki. The residency invites a deep, immersive response to local life, bridging Nordic narratives with the artist s own context and practice. About the partner: HIAP is one of Europe s leading residency centres for artists and cultural practitioners, based on the island of Suomenlinna. Known for its supportive, international environment, HIAP connects residents to an active network of artists, curators, and thinkers across Finland and beyond. Bangkok, Thailand, January 2027 with Creative Migration (East) Foundation and its cultural civic hub Bangkok 1899 Artform: Participatory / Co-creative Artist Theme: Develop socially engaged and environmentally responsive projects that connect communities in Bangkok with audiences in Nottingham, exploring how everyday life, climate, and local ecologies shape shared and divergent experiences across both cities. About the partner: Creative Migration (East) Foundation is an international arts organisation based between its anchor cities of Bangkok and Los Angeles. Its flagship space, Bangkok 1899, is rooted in cultural ecology, supporting artist residencies and public programs shaped by lived experience and local knowledge. It brings local and international communities into shared practice, exchange and collaboration across borders. Marrakech, Morocco, March/April 2027 with ASLNES Artform: Mural / Public Artist Theme: Develop a research-led public art concept rooted in multicultural public space, place and everyday life in Marrakech. The residency invites the artist to explore how mural-scale practices can be informed by culturally complex urban environments, with a focus on research and conceptual development rather than production, considering how public art might respond with care and relevance to diverse communities, and how these insights could inform future work in cities such as Nottingham. About the partner: ASLNES is a volunteer-led and community-rooted social enterprise and think-and-do tank based in Marrakech, working at the intersection of culture, education and social innovation. The organisation supports artists working in public and civic contexts, with a strong emphasis on place-based research, social engagement and critical public practice, rather than the production of fixed artworks. What s Included Up to 1 month abroad (15 days in Marrakech) with accommodation, workspace, and local facilitation from the partner organisation. Up to 3-week residency at NAE in Nottingham, including a final public presentation. Return flights from the UK to the host city. Daily living allowance (per diem*) for meals and incidental expenses. Up to 1,000 support during the NAE residency phase.
Deadline: 02 Apr 2026
£4,000, October–January, 12 sessions
Art You Way 2026
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).
Deadline: 16 Apr 2026
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