Soil Culture
Young Shoots residencies and funding 2013-15
Having had its application to ACE for the funding of the entire Soil Culture programme rejected in November 2012, it was decided to divide our next application to ACE relating to Soil Culture into two stages: Young Shoots covered the residency programme and exhibition, and Deep Roots covering the later exhibition of existing work by more established artists.
In November 2013 ACE approved funding of £49,000 over three years for Soil Culture: Young Shoots, with match funding of £17,250 coming from residency hosts and £3,500 from the hire of the touring exhibition. The grant from AHRC was used as ‘support in kind’ and we also received funding from the British Society of Soil Science and South West Water.
Sally Lai was recruited as the part-time Residency Coordinator between November 2013 and August 2015 for Soil Culture: Young Shoots. Sally had extensive experience of supporting the development of residencies. These included the programme of the Chinese Arts Centre in Manchester where she had been Director 2008-13 and the development of other residency programmes including the Triangle Arts Trust’s schemes in Taiwan and China. Sally became one of CCANW’s Directors 2016-18.
Between August 2014 and August 2015 CCANW initiated 12 Soil Culture artist residencies. Of the 12 residencies, nine were selected through an open call process organised in three phases that attracted 655 applications from 39 countries. Each artist was paid a day rate of £300 based on ten days work. Hosts were responsible for providing accommodation and subsistence. The following were selected for the nine open call opportunities, each of which was specific to different briefs agreed with the hosts:
- Marissa Benedict at the Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall
- Jonny Briggs at White Moose, Barnstable, Devon
- Anton Burdakov at the Eden Project, Cornwall
- Sarah Ciurysek at Daylesford Organic Farm, Gloucestershire
- Karen Guthrie at Hauser & Wirth Somerset
- Lisa Hirmer/DodoLab at Peninsula Arts, Plymouth University
- Something & Son at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London
- Debra Solomon at Schumacher College, Dartington, Devon
- Karen Wydler at Hannahs at Seale-Hayle, Devon
We also helped to support residencies by:
- Paul Chaney at Kestle Barton, Helston, Cornwall
- Anne-Marie Culhane at the University of Exeter
- Touchstone collaborations working with The Blue Finger Alliance in Bristol
- and, in partnership with Willis Newson, to commission Sophie Mason and Simon Brown to develop a roof garden at Dolphin Primary School in Bristol.
In March 2015 CCANW was awarded a grant of £16,600 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to fund 12 Soil Culture activities, taking place during both Young Shoots and Deep Roots phases.
Between 13 April-30 May 2015 Peninsula Arts organised Soil Culture: Dig-it, an exhibition that coincided with the residency of Lisa Hirmer (DodoLab) and took advantage of some activity funding from HLF. An education pack was also published.
All residencies are documented in the publication pp.57-85 and in a video made by Zoe Young. Dig-it is documented in pp.86-89.
See also:
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Young Shoots touring exhibition 2015-16