Museums at Night announces artists for Connect10

Date: 9 January 2012
Region: National

Bob & Roberta Smith, Join The Art Party, 2011.

Museums at Night has announced the line-up of artists taking part in Connect10, a competition for cultural venues in the UK to win an artist-led event and a share of £7,000.

The competition will match 10 contemporary artists with 10 museums and galleries for a series of unique events to be held as part of Museums at Night, the annual after-hours celebration of arts and heritage, which takes place over the weekend of 18-20 May 2012.

The 10 artists announced for Connect10 are:

Claire Barclay, futuristic Scottish sculptor whose carefully balanced installations have been exhibited in Tate Britain and Edinburgh's Fruitmarket Gallery
Bompas & Parr, the jellymongers, who create spectacular culinary experiences ranging from architectural jellies to lakes of cocktails
Ryan Gander, provocative installation artist whose Artangel commission in a Hoxton warehouse provided clues for visitors to solve a mystery
Jon McGregor, award-winning novelist and short story writer, author of If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things and Even The Dogs
Polly Morgan, contemporary taxidermist whose poignant installations have been collected by Kate Moss
Terry O'Neill, fashion and rock photographer renowned for iconic images of Hollywood stars and bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones
Martin Parr, documentary photographer whose pictures tell stories of leisure, consumption and communication
Simon Roberts, landscape photographer who spent a year crossing Russia and was Official Artist of the 2010 General Election
Bob & Roberta Smith, sign-painter and installation artist who uses text on recycled signs and floorboards
Susan Stockwell, creator of installations, drawings and films commenting on globalisation and colonisation, often using recycled materials

How to apply

In order to pitch for the artists, venues should find connections between their venue, location or collections and the work of one of the artists.

You have until Tuesday 31 January 2012 to pitch an exciting Museums at Night event idea involving your chosen artist to Culture24 using the Connect10 online form. You can find out more about the artists and their work at the links above.

Museums at Night coordinators Culture24 will then select the two or three event ideas for each of the 10 artists, and open them up to an online public vote.

Each successful venue will receive a £500 bursary for their event, and those selected venues that don't win an artist will still receive £100 to support an alternative Museums at Night event.