In art worlds where creativity meets uncertainty, five voices come together to explore what it means to practise and make a living as an artist in the North East. 

Dr Susan Jones is an independent researcher and commentator specialising in close examination of interrelationships between artists and the infrastructures for the contemporary visual arts and culture. In-depth study of artists’ lives has identified the disjunction between government’s creative industry ethos and contemporary visual arts organisations’ business models and the conditions most supportive of visual artists’ resilience over a life cycle.

Theresa Easton, artist, lecturer and founding member of Artist Union England, highlights the power of collective action in shaping the future of artistic work.

PhD student Kat Bevan brings insights from her research on community artists delivering arts and health projects

Dr Ewan MacKenzie will be presenting on his ongoing research into hope labour and liminalities in cultural and creative work. This research explores the power relations that shape the lived experiences of creative life and work against a background of intersecting structural crises, with a view to reclaiming hope for democratic and collective ends. 

Artwork by Joe Munsey (@munseydesign, https://www.instagram.com/munseydesign/)