Open Call: BCN Residency Programme 2024-25

We’re delighted to announce our yearly open call for the Blast Creative Network (BCN) Residency Programme 2024 - 25 is now open.

The programme provides five artists time for development, research, testing out ideas and making new work through a funded residency held in partnership between Multistory and The Wolverhampton School of Art (WSoA). Emerging artists based in Sandwell and the wider Black Country are invited to apply.

The deadline for applications is Sunday 16 June 2024 at midnight. For more information on how to apply scroll down to the 'How to apply' section of this page.

What is the BCN Residency Programme?

The BCN Residency Programme is an annual opportunity for five artists based in Sandwell and the wider Black Country. Artists in residence will each receive a fee of £1,350, inclusive of travel, and have access to a production budget of £300 towards the creation of new work. Residencies are 3 weeks long and based at WSoA, in Wolverhampton city centre, taking place monthly in October and November 2023, and in January, February and March 2024. The programme is supported through group crits and mentoring by Multistory, culminating in a day of presentations and a group exhibition held in April 2025.

Access to the residency space is between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. The residency offers a secure, private workspace as well as access to shared workspaces in the photography studios. The WSoA is a wheelchair accessible building.

What have previous artists in residence been up to?

Explore the work of our BCN artists in residence 2023 - 24; click below to learn more about each artist and what they were working on during their residency and group exhibition.

How to apply

Send your application and completed monitoring form to info@multistory.org.uk by the deadline at midnight on Sunday 16 June 2024. The selection panel will be made up of Alex Billingham (Sandwell artist and filmmaker, and previous BCN Artist in Residence), Jess Piette (BCN Manager) and Rene Francis-McBrearty (BCN Coordinator). Receipt of your application will be confirmed via email, and we’ll be letting everyone know the outcome of the selection process.

Please email us your application as a single PDF attachment, or as a sound recording or video (no more than 5 minutes), along with a separate monitoring form. Click the button below to download the monitoring form.

Within your application, please include:

If you have any questions or would like to speak to someone before applying, feel free to email info@multistory.org.uk to arrange an informal chat.

Access

We are committed to ensuring the programme is fully accessible. Selected artists will be provided with an Access Rider to let us know what support they may need in order to participate in the programme.

If you’d like to talk with someone in the team before you apply or tell us if we can do anything to make the application and/or the selection process more accessible for you, please email info@multistory.org.uk or text/call 07562 980384.

Frequently Asked Questions

About BCN

The Blast Creative Network (BCN) offers local artists a free annual programme of talks, workshops, reading groups, and social events and is a space for mutual support and knowledge sharing. It was set up to provide artists in the local area opportunities for critical engagement and collaboration outside of formal arts education. Each year, the programme offers five funded residencies, a paid opportunity to share work in a group exhibition and series of art writing commissions for the newly launched journal the Printing Room.