SEEK Concept
We have sought out from across the U.K, six brilliant young artists at a crossroads or a decision-point in their early career. This project is about taking them on a journey into the unknown. On the way they will have the opportunity to develop their thinking & reflect with a core team of artists all of whom seek to live what they believe; that everyone needs a foot up no matter where they are from or what their circumstances are; that by broadening your horizons to what it means to be a professional artist, it is possible to achieve economic wellbeing as an artist.
The Trip
From 12 – 19 September 2010 the six young artists together with a team of established professionals and a documentary film-maker will visit Calais, Bruges, Wasenaar, Den Haag, Amsterdam and Utrecht on a creative exploration. The trip will culminate in a sharing or performance at the Lyceum Theatre, Utrecht, on Sunday 19 September.
This is one of the most exciting adventures in art we have ever undertaken and we believe it will be a life-changing experience for everyone involved. We plan to share our story in a variety of ways: through performance, through film and recorded media, and through social networking facilities like Twitter, Facebook and this bespoke SEEK tour blog.
Background
THRIFT and Fowler+Sumner, along with colleagues from other leading organisations came together in March 2010 for the Making Learning Irresistible conference at Ufton Court in Berkshire. Leading practitioners covered a range of ways to revitalise the creative practice of artists and teachers, including the Creative Attitudes being developed byThrift with F+S, as well as opening up potential new creative opportunities for young artists. One key outcome of this seminal conference was the commitment from artists to immerse themselves in the philosophy they were developing, which was framed in the plenary statement: It is vital to live what we believe.
We recognised that young people in the transition between participation in the arts and becoming artists get few opportunities to work alongside established professionals as genuine collaborators and partners, opportunities to explore and understand their own artistic vision. After conference Thrift and F+S designed a project to address this issue: SEEK is a project to help gifted young artists kick start their entry into the professional arts market place.
The project has been entirely funded by THRIFT and Fowler+Sumner.