(Image: Primrose Pathway by James Price. Credit: The Whitworth Art Gallery)
It is with great excitement that I can announce that applications are open from now until 9am Monday 9th January to take part in Outside In’s Step Up: Exploring Collections; a wonderful 10-week course I have been developing over the last 5 months, working with the iconic Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection at The Whitworth Art Gallery.
We will be working hands on with some incredible works in the collection, which houses over 1000 works by over 100 artists.
The course will run every Wednesday at The Whitworth Art Gallery, 11am-3pm from Wednesday 25th January – Wednesday 29th March 2023.
Spiel & details below, but any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with myself (ellie.page@outsidein.org.uk) or programme manager Kate Davey (kate.davey@outsidein.org.uk)
About this opportunity:
Outside In is delighted to be working with The Whitworth in Manchester to deliver a Step Up: Exploring Collections course focusing on their Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection, one of the most significant public collections of Outsider Art in the UK. The course is a great opportunity to gain new skills in research and interpretation whilst getting to know
Exploring Collections aims to equip participants with skills in research and interpretation. As part of the course, participants are encouraged to find a theme or artist from the collection that they would like to focus on, and are then encouraged to produce creative responses to this research. The course is part of Outside In’s Step Up training and professional development programme, which focuses on supporting participants to gain new skills in order to increase opportunities. an important collection in a safe and supportive environment.
Untitled, Ignacio Carles-Torra. (Image credit: The Whitworth Art Gallery)
What is Step Up?
Step Up is the training and professional development programme devised and delivered by award-winning arts charity Outside In. The programme is a key part in the charity’s work to provide a platform for artists who find it difficult to access the art world for reasons including health, disability, social circumstance or isolation. The programme focuses on supporting participants to gain new skills in order to increase opportunities.
Exploring Collections aims to equip participants with skills in research and interpretation. As part of the course, participants are encouraged to find a theme or work from the collection that they would like to focus on, they are then encouraged to produce creative responses to this research.
About the Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection…
The Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection consists of over 1,153 individual artworks by over 129 artists, brought together by curator Monika Kinley and gallerist and curator Victor Musgrave over a period of 30 years from 1979 – 2010.
Primrose Pathway by James Price (Image credit The Whitworth Art Gallery)
Feeling that most contemporary art was ‘bland and supine in the well-crafted chains of its own making’, Musgrave and Kinley chose instead to seek out and collect artworks that they felt were genuinely original and intuitive: art that ‘tapped into the mains electricity of the imagination.’ These are works by so-called ‘Outsider artists,’ strikingly originally artworks produced by individuals belonging to no movement or school, who are self-taught and marginalised from the ‘mainstream’ art world.
Works in the collection include a Henry Darger triptych, Aloise Corbaz’s ‘Palais Rumine’, Madge Gill’s spiritualist ink drawings, Albert Louden’s pastels, Judith Scott’s woven sculptures and significant works by Pascal Verbena, Scottie Wilson and Carlo Zinelli. The collection was gifted to the Whitworth in 2010 by Monika Kinley and the Trustees of the Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collections, facilitated by the Contemporary Art Society.
About the Course
The course will be delivered across 10 weeks by an experienced Step Up Course Tutor with involvement from the Whitworth curatorial team, and will take place at the Whitworth in Manchester.
Places on the course are free and Outside In is able to cover reasonable travel expenses.
What do other people say about Step Up?
“A large spark of inspiration into life possibilities, being part of Outside In in general has been amazing for me on this level. It’s like I’m daring to dream of a different life.”
“I think Step Up training with Outside In is an amazing opportunity for any artist to gain real skills and learn and connect with other people in a well-structured, safe and contained, caring way that leaves lots of room for individual interpretation and growth.”
Can I apply?
This course is open to Outside In artists and artists who see themselves as facing a barrier to the art world for reasons including health, disability, social circumstance or isolation. The course will be taking place at the Whitworth, so participants will need to be able to travel there for the sessions (Outside In is able to cover some travel expenses).
How do I apply?
Submissions are made by filling out a short application form, which Outside In is happy to provide in a range of formats. You can also submit your application via a voice note or video if you would prefer to. Please highlight any access requirements.
If you have any questions about this course please contact Outside In’s Training Programme Manager, Kate Davey, on 07903 028391 or email kate.davey@outsidein.org.uk.
Deadline for applications: 9am, Monday 9 January 2023
Following the deadline, we will hold some informal interviews on Zoom to find out more about applicants. We will contact you with dates and times for these, but please let us know in your application if there are dates and times you definitely cannot make.
About the Whitworth
The Whitworth is proudly part of the University of Manchester, operating as a convening space between the University and the people of the city. It was founded in 1889 as The Whitworth Institute and Park in memory of the industrialist Sir Joseph Whitworth for ‘the perpetual gratification of the people of Manchester’ and continues this mission today in new contexts.
The gallery is driven by a mission to work with communities to use art for positive social change, and actively address what matters most in people’s lives. This new vision has been developed as part of an international dialogue about how to evolve and adapt museums to a constantly changing world.
This work is underpinned by three key concepts: Learning together, through making and doing; Creating a place of care, consideration and community; Taking action.
www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk