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.
Bursary for participants to cover any associated costs for travel, accommodation and expenses.Urgent
Curate
We are inviting applications from emerging Global Ethnic Majority curators based in the Midlands who want to participate in a co-curated development and upskilling programme tailored to the needs of participants. This programme will launch in early Spring 2026, and will consist of a three-day in-person residency in Nottingham from 29 April 1 May 2026, facilitated by curator Mark Devereux, as well as 2 online feedback sessions with Mark, a 2-day curatorial placement at New Art Exchange and a final pitching day where you will present an exhibition proposal. 8 places will be available for the programme, with a bursary for participants to cover any associated costs for travel, accommodation and expenses.
Deadline: 19 Mar 2026
£6,500 (+VAT if registered)Urgent
Artist Open Call: Interactive Installation
Art Reach is seeking an artist (or collaborative practice) to create an interactive installation at Leicester Cathedral for Journeys Festival International in October 2026, inviting work that encourages meaningful moments of connection for people of all ages and backgrounds. We are looking for new installation ideas exploring the theme of Community: our shared cultural and historic heritage, and its increasing importance in an ever-fractured world. The selected artist will receive £6,500 (+VAT if registered). Installation costs will be supported separately. Deadline: Sunday 22 March 2026, 11:59pm Shortlisted interviews: W/C 13 April 2026 Project timeline: May–October 2026 We welcome applications from artists aged 18+, particularly those from global majority and disabled backgrounds. Collectives, duos, and collaborative practices are eligible to apply (please note the artist fee is fixed). Please read all open call information on our website before submitting your application to hello@artreach.org.uk
Deadline: 22 Mar 2026
£3,000-24,000Urgent
Evaluator &/or Creative Documentor
Creative Civic Change was an experimental funding programme that ran from 2019 to 2023 supporting fifteen communities across England to use arts and creativity to make positive social change in their local area. In 2024 Esmee Fairbairn Foundation funded members of the network to come back together to think about how a continuing network - focused on peer learning - could work. The network was successful in funding for three years, and following development work in 2025 the full Creative Civic Change Network was launched in September 2025 and will run until August 2028. Freelance support includes Evaluation and Creative Documentation of the CCC Network over the funded period. The intention is to build a rich, ongoing picture of our impact, learning, and the spirit of how we work together. We welcome proposals from: -Individuals or teams -Those who have the skills, capacity, and interest to undertake both strands
Deadline: 23 Mar 2026
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