Tramway Local: Artist Opportunity

16 December 2016

Overview

Tramway is an international art-space which commissions, produces and presents contemporary arts projects. Our mission is to inspire and add to our understanding of today’s world by connecting audiences and artists. Tramway is a space where you are welcomed to witness, engage, experience, participate, be challenged, and learn.

Tramway’s vision is to be a pioneering creative organisation that works with artists and communities to produce critically acclaimed projects, exhibitions and programmes which engage, challenge and inspire the widest possible audience. More information can be found at

The Project

Tramway Local is a programme of work, supported by Creative Scotland as part of our Regular Funding Agreement, which takes place at the venue between January 2016 and March 2018. It seeks to foster stronger relationships between Tramway and the artists, audiences, organisations and businesses in the areas around the venue: Pollokshields, Govanhill, Queens Park and Shawlands… and beyond.

The programme includes two networking meetings per season, local volunteer opportunity development, staff training, research into the local area, as well as a small number of collaborative strategic commissions.

In the long-term Tramway Local aims to encourage a greater diversity, socially, culturally and artistically, in the communities that we communicate with, engage and serve as audiences and participants, with a particular focus on increasing representation and access for people with disabilities, increasing cultural diversity, and supporting those on low incomes to take part.

The Opportunity

Reaching out to our geographic community is one of our main priorities over the next two years as part of Tramway Local, both to raise awareness of the activity we deliver as well as helping people to feel connected to Tramway.

We are interested in exploring ideas that involve having a physical presence in one or more external spaces within our local community that connects back to Tramway and the type of activity we deliver. We imagine that this presence would be temporary, but highly engaging.

We welcome expressions of interest from artists, working individually or collectively, with a relationship to Glasgow’s Southside, especially the areas of Pollokshields and Govanhill, to respond to our brief, and produce a creative solution that supports us to communicate with the local community.

Tramway is committed to equal opportunities, and welcomes expressions of interest from all individuals and in particular those who can bring a range of social and cultural perspectives.

If you would like to submit an expression of interest, please follow the instructions overleaf.

The Brief

Produce a creative solution that supports Tramway to:
  • Have a temporary physical presence in our local geographical area (with a focus on Pollokshields and Govanhill areas)
  • Raise awareness of the type of activity we deliver
  • Engage with people in our local geographical communities
  • Communicate and build trust with a diverse local population, many of whom speak English as a second language
/ Technical Specification
  • Located in one or more sites in the local geographical area
  • Appropriate to the context of the physical site and to the time of year
  • Meet our Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan requirements for accessibility
  • Meet health and safety and risk assessment conditions
  • Achieve any site planning conditions for use within the budget and timeframe
  • Deliverable within the budget and timescales, outlined below

Opportunity Includes

  • Research and Development Period with support and interaction from Tramway team
  • Dedicated production budget and installation budget
  • Presentation opportunity to share process and learning from commission

Commission Budget

Artist Fees: £2,500

Production and installation budget: £1,500

Project timeline

15 JanExpression of Interest Deadline

w/c 30 JanShortlist interviews

w/c 6 FebArtist / Collective Appointed

Feb/ MarResearch & development Phase

Mar -MayProduction & Installation

31 MayCompletion of project

Submit an Expression of Interest

Please send an expression of interest to
Email should be no larger than 2MB in total

Use subject line: Tramway Local Commission and include:

  1. Biography / C.V. and contact information (no more than 2 pages)
  2. A cover letter detailing why you are suitable for this opportunity and outlining how you would approach this commission (no more than 1 page)
  3. A link to images or footage of your work. If this is not possible, you can include 3 low-res files
  4. A completed Equalities Monitoring Form

Please note, you will not receive acknowledgement until early Jan due to the holidays.

If you would like to discuss this opportunity with one of the team, please contact

Holly Rumble, Public Engagement Coordinator, Tramway / 0845 330 3501 (available between 4 – 13 January)