Commissioned Artists

Each year, we offer up to 12 micro commissions ranging from £100 to £500 for young artists in the Barnsley area aged 18 to 30. These commissions directly address the barriers that can hinder working-class creatives from thriving—such as accessing the right equipment, materials, studio space, production costs, or travel expenses for interviews.

The Seed Commission Programme is designed to provide essential support to artists in Barnsley. Commissions will be distributed across two rolling periods: May to July and September to December.

Each year, we commission at least two visual arts shows and three performances, with plans to produce one new piece of work in the future. Our focus is on collaborating with artists and companies from the global majority, LGBTQIA+ community, D/deaf, disabled, neurodiverse, and/or those facing socio-economic challenges. We recognize that these creatives often encounter additional barriers in accessing opportunities within the cultural sector and developing new art or ideas.

Commissioning is conducted through an application process, and all submissions are reviewed by our dedicated commissioning group.

More information will be available here when we open the application process.

Each year, we offer at least three artists under 30 the chance to participate in our professional development and mentoring programme. Successful applicants will be paired with established artists relevant to their practice and will engage in a series of paid workshops focusing on key aspects of building a career in the arts. These workshops will cover topics such as securing funding, writing grant applications, networking, making work community-relevant, and finding job opportunities.

In addition to mentorship, each artist will receive dedicated studio space, a paid commission to create new work, and the opportunity to develop public workshops for their community. We recognise the significance of skill development and mentorship in nurturing emerging talent, which is why we are committed to offering tailored opportunities that provide practical guidance and instil confidence, empowering artists to navigate the complexities of the creative industry.

Areas of Focus

Each successful applicant will have the opportunity to explore mentorship in the following areas:

• Photography: We welcome emerging artists working in various photography genres, including art photography, fashion, photojournalism, street photography, documentary, landscape, and nature.
• Visual Arts: We’re interested in emerging artists in all visual art forms, including painting, sculpture, drawing, illustration, printmaking, design, craft, filmmaking, video, ceramics, and textiles.
• Performing Arts: We invite emerging artists from theatre, performance, dance, choreography, music, playwriting, circus, street theatre, spoken word, and poetry.
• Community Arts: We are eager to hear from emerging artists of any practice interested in exploring community relevance. This includes painting, graphic design, sculpture, playwriting, performance, music, poetry, and more. Each artist will receive a paid commission to create new work and develop public workshops for their community.

These talented artists call Barnsley Civic home, enjoying dedicated office or studio space within our building and fostering a close working relationship with us. We support their work through advocacy, rehearsal and creation space, and marketing assistance. In return, they engage with our community groups in various ways, including workshops, session delivery, and one-on-one support for local artists.

Currently, we are proud to host:

• MarkMark Productions: One of Britain’s leading festival and street theatre companies, established in 1990, MarkMark continues to develop innovative and creative performances for diverse audiences.
• Helter Skelter Arts: A vibrant entertainment company driven by imagination, fun, and meticulous attention to detail.
• Ailish Treanor: A multi-disciplinary artist whose work blends sculpture and printmaking. Ailish employs a variety of materials to explore themes of objectification and ambiguity, creating highly composed pieces inspired by clothing design, folk art, and film.

We also collaborate with Concrete Youth our Associate Artist:

• Concrete Youth:is a charity focused on enhancing the lives of individuals with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) through sensory theatre and experiences.