Make your art in Battersea and Nine Elms

Published on
April 19, 2023

Are you a local artist or performer in Wandsworth? We want your creative ideas for Battersea and Nine Elms this year!

Latest! So that nobody misses the opportunity to enter, we’ve re-opened the call-out for creative and cultural proposals for our Make Art in Battersea and Nine Elms programme.

We know just how busy this time of year can be, so you now have until Thursday 18 May to send in your entries. The pitching and selection community event will now be held on Thursday 25 May.

If you are an artist or creative performer and would like to deliver your art in Battersea and Nine Elms, we’d love to hear from you.

This year we’d like your ideas to focus on the theme of ‘Grow and Flourish’. All ideas are welcome, from visual arts to dance and anything in between! Whether you’re a budding artist or seasoned pro, we want artists with any level of experience to apply for a commission.

We’re looking for imaginative ideas in any form of art or creative media such as photography, dance, music, literature, visual arts, digital, crafts, you name it!

If you live, work or study in the borough of Wandsworth, submit an idea and it could be brought to life in 2023. Check the submission guidance below and send us your proposal by midnight on Thursday 18 May. 

Selected projects will receive £3,000 and some producing support, although we expect artists to be responsible for delivering their projects and building their audiences themselves.

So if you have an idea and would like to chat it through, get in touch with the Nine Elms Arts and Events Manager. Email info@nineelmsonthesouthbank.com with ‘Make Art query’ in the subject line.

Don’t forget to submit your idea by the new date of Thursday 18 May 2023. Scroll down to find out more and enter!

Or help choose the projects!

We will invite all eligible artists to be present at the selection event on Thursday 25 May, but you don’t need to be an artist to come along and help to select the winning commissions.

We want people who live and work in the local area to choose the art they want to see.

Be a part of the decision-making process at the Make Art In Nine Elms event at the ROSE Community Clubroom on the evening of Thursday 25 May, where you can hear all the creative ideas and have great conversations about each project.

Visit Eventbrite to reserve your place round the table.

Terms for creative proposals

• Applicants must be 18+ and live, work or study in Wandsworth
• your project must be delivered in the Battersea and Nine Elms area
• your idea needs to be around the Grow and Flourish theme and we encourage projects that that consider the theme in both visible and intangible ways – you choose
• your project should be informed by the value of inclusivity
• we are looking for projects with budgets of £3,000, including all fees and material expenses, so think about how you would deliver it within this amount
• if your project is shortlisted you need to be available to attend the selection event during the evening of Thursday 25 May 2023
• you must be willing to credit Wandsworth Council as funder of the project and participate in the promotion of the work through Wandsworth and Nine Elms communications channels.

How to submit your idea

To submit your amazing proposal, it needs to contain the following:

• A summary of your idea and how it will be shown. You can either write it down in an email or a Word document (no more than 250 words), or make a short video (no longer than 2 minutes), or send a voice note (no longer than 2 minutes). If you are sending a video or voice note, please also send some visual images to support your application.
• An outline budget, including all fees.
• An attached CV, portfolio, website, or recent work – this could even be an Instagram profile.
• A complete Equal Opportunities monitoring form [opens in new window]

Then send us an email with all the above attachments, by midnight on Thursday 18 May 2023. Send to info@nineelmsonthesouthbank.com

Decision time: Each artist’s proposal is carefully considered

How the final commissions will be selected

A cross-section of members of the local community will meet during the evening of Thursday 25 May for the Make Art in Nine Elms selection event at the ROSE Community Clubroom on Ascalon Street, SW8.

Each shortlisted project will be discussed and considered whether it fits the criteria to be a Nine Elms arts commission.

The selection criteria will use these five principles:

1. Concept: is it an interesting idea? Does it capture your imagination, your attention? Would you enjoy it?
2. How does the work connect to the diverse communities of Nine Elms? Considering creatives, participants, residents and audiences.
3. Personal and social change: does the proposal shift your thinking in any way? Open you up to new/different perspectives/voices? Could the work bring you together with others in your area to discuss and enjoy it?
4. Emotional resonance and spiritual value: does the proposal inspire or uplift you? Does it resonate with you in any way?
5. Will the budget enable the above to happen?

People present in the room will then vote for their favourite projects. The five projects with the most votes will be selected and awarded the £3,000 commission to Make Art in Battersea and Nine Elms!

If you have any access requirements or questions, please email info@nineelmsonthesouthbank.com

Reminder of key dates

Thursday 18 May – deadline for submissions
Thursday 25 May – pitching and selection event at the R.O.S.E Community Clubroom

Read more

Look back at last year’s successful artists

Food for thought: Meals are served during the community discussions