Graduate Associates

Circus’ Graduate Associates was a development programme for emergent visual artists in the Highlands and Islands, Moray and Perthshire. This programme was delivered in partnership with the University of the Highlands and Islands and supported by XpoNorth and Creative Scotland. 

Over the course of ten months we supported a cohort of 30 early career artists to develop the confidence and critical skills needed to thrive within the visual arts, bridging the gap for recent graduates between their visual art training and a freelance career within the sector. Our hopes for this first cohort was to build a supportive community of practice in the face of Covid-19 and increased isolation as well as open up new opportunities for recent graduates across the region. Through regular online training, a peer review summer school as well as different opportunities to show your work (online, print, exhibition), the programme was structured to encourage dialogue with your peers and help you to navigate career pathways during these uncertain times.

Starting online in March 2021 the programme will ran until the end of the year and feature a range of benefits:

• 7 online professional development workshops: finding opportunities, writing proposals and statements; exhibition planning, installation and presentation; collaborative practices and self-organising projects; the business of being a freelance artist (finances, rates of pay and insurance).

• Peer review summer school in June - a weekend of discussion in our Inverness space with informal opportunities to share meals together and gain feedback on your work. 

• Artist's feature in the final Graduate Associates publication.

• Artist's listing on the Circus Artspace website & Artist's Spotlight week on Instagram.

• Invites to a series of fun online socials organised by Circus Sideshow.

• The opportunity to take part in a final group exhibition at Circus Artspace in Inverness during November - December.

• Regular email opportunities and invitations to get involved in Circus Artspace's events.

Eligibility 

This opportunity was open to all contemporary visual artists who graduated in 2018 / 2019 / 2020 from:

• Any University of the Highlands and Islands BA (hons) undergraduate or MA postgraduate course and are still based in the Highlands and Islands, Moray and Perthshire.

or

• Any Contemporary Art Practice/Fine Art BA (hons) undergraduate or MA postgraduate course from any UK art school and are now based within the Highlands or Moray.