Commissions

Open Commissions

Women’s Photography Collective - Open Call Brief - Stories of Water

Our Big Picture is proud to launch the Women’s Photography Collective, a supportive and inclusive network for emerging women photographers that supports development in the contemporary photographic industry by creating positive change across the Humber region.

Following the success of our inaugural photography exhibition ‘Through Our Eyes’ in February 2023, we are now seeking proposals from photographers and lens-based artists to exhibit work in a new group exhibition in June 2024.

After being awarded the tender for North East Lincolnshire Council’s St. James’s Square public arts and heritage project in Grimsby to regenerate part of the town centre, funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, we called for several artists to deliver a community engagement programme to explore the new shared space and the idea of ‘place’ in the town centre.

We wanted artists to investigate the town’s historic, contemporary and future narratives, hidden and known mythologies, journey and routes, etc., and work with diverse local communities to excite and inspire them, reflecting on the past, present, and future of Grimsby.

Their research and engagement feeds into the final design of the Square, including wayfaring, stone benches, embellishments, wall and sculptural artwork, branding, maps, etc. The aims of this project are to raise local pride and encourage visitors to Grimsby town centre, and to provide contemporary artists with the opportunity to create new work in a distinctive historic setting. Many of these communities do not traditionally engage in contemporary art, and due to the current restrictions, we needed artists who could carry out this engagement online.

Artists Adrian Riley and Annabel McCourt were commissioned for this project.

We commissioned support artists based in NE Lincolnshire to assist in public engagement with a focus on writing, poetry/spoken word, and performance. Carolyn Doyley, Matt Gray, and Lisa February were commissioned as support artists for this project.

We commissioned an online content writer to create web content, copy for our community page, and a social media plan. Hannah Desmond was commissioned for this role.

We plan to commission more artists for future projects. Are you an artist?