The New Art Gallery Walsall and Multistory are delighted to announce the open call for Assembly 2025! Assembly is an annual exhibition programme of newly commissioned work by emerging artists based in Sandwell and the Black Country. Initiated as part of Multistory’s artist development programme Blast Creative Network (BCN), the opportunity platforms emerging artists from across the region, and makes space for them to push their practice and experiment with making new work.

We will select three artists who will each receive: development support and mentoring from both organisations, a commission fee of £1,500 to create new work, and access to a production budget. The programme will culminate in a group exhibition, to be exhibited at The New Art Gallery Walsall in the Floor 4 Gallery between July and October 2025.

Who is this for?

This opportunity is open to visual artists, who are currently living and making work in the Black Country (within the Sandwell, Walsall, Dudley and Wolverhampton boroughs).

What do you mean by emerging?

You may be either; fairly new to your practice or have been making work for a while and haven’t had the support or exposure you need to develop your practice. The term emerging encompasses artists of all ages.

How To Apply

Applications are now open. The deadline for applications is midnight, Sunday 6 October 2024.

Please submit your application and completed monitoring form by emailing us at [email protected]. Please send your application as a separate single PDF.

Download the monitoring form by clicking this link. The monitoring form is anonymous and will be removed from your application and the data collected will only be used to monitor the range of applicants applying for our opportunities.

Your PDF application should include:

• A statement that includes a description of your practice to date, including any recent projects, exhibitions or development opportunities, and outlines your ideas for the new work you would like to develop (max 300 words).
• Your CV, with your contact details (eg. mobile number, email), and your town of residence and postcode.
• Examples of your work, max. 10 images collated in a single PDF document (links must be provided to access any film or sound works).

You can also apply by sending us a video or audio clip of up to 3 minutes long.

Receipt of your application will be confirmed via email, and we’ll be letting everyone know the outcome of the selection process in the weeks following the deadline.