Staff and students at Imperial College London will be offered the opportunity to have their artistic and creative talents nurtured through a new arts fellowship starting in October 2019.

The Blyth Art Fellowship, a new initiative run through Imperial’s Blyth Music and Arts Centre, will provide support to students and staff through weekly drop-ins and free workshops. Specialised support will also be provided through four 1:1 mentoring sessions with a professional artist, a materials bursary of £500 for experimentation/ to make new work, an annual membership Tate card and through free subscription to Blyth Drawing evening classes.

Mindy Lee, Head of Art at the Blyth Centre, said:

“We know there are a lot of talented artists throughout Imperial who are studying science. I wanted to further enhance our creative support and reach out to provide a more formal and sustained provision of 1:1 mentoring and access to a regular drawing class for exceptionally talented students. The cost of art materials and visiting exhibitions can be prohibitive, so a bursary and Tate card will be provided, to allow the artist to explore free from financial restraints.”

Applications are now open and current undergraduate and postgraduate students are being invited to apply. To apply, artists must write a 250 word statement about their work and how they plan to use the opportunity, aswell as sending three jpegs of recent work (300dpi, max 1MB each) via email to [email protected] using the subject heading, ‘Blyth Art Fellowship 2019’.

Mindy, who is also a professional artist, tutor and curator, added:

“The Fellowship has been written based on fellowships for professional artists and in response to student feedback. It is an incredibly exciting opportunity. It will enrich a student’s knowledge. I cannot wait to receive the applications and look forwards to seeing what everyone has been making. As a professional artist I would LOVE to do this Fellowship myself!”

The deadline for applications is 10th March 2019, with shortlisted artists to be contacted in May 2019 and interviews to take place in June 2019. Shortlisted artists will be required to bring ten original artworks to their interview. For more information and how to apply, please visit:http://www.imperial.ac.uk/music-and-arts/visual-arts/art-fellowship/

The Blyth Art Fellowship is the latest in a number of opportunities for Imperial students to get involved with Arts. The Blyth Gallery, located on Level 5 of the Sherfield Building, is also currently holding its Annual Open Call for exhibitions. This represents an opportunity for staff and students to receive free personalised guidance and support in developing their creative ideas from Mindy Lee and to have their art on display in the Bltyh Gallery for the next academic year. The deadline for applications is 10th March 2019. For application guidelines, visit http://www.imperial.ac.uk/music-and-arts/visual-arts/want-to-exhibit/ and click on Imperial College proposals.