Feb, wall evolution in progress

WANT TO BE ONE OF THE EIGHT FULL-TIME ARTISTS INVOLVED AT CULTIVATE EVOLVED?

– a space where a small group of committed pro-active artists can exhibit, work and sell work together.

The space we currently occupy, right smack bang in the middle of Vyner Street, ran as a very busy full time gallery for over two years, the gallery, Cultivate Vyner Street, as it was, came to an end back in December 2013 – eighty plus shows, non-stop intensity for something like twenty-seven full-on months, open every single week, just two of us running it all, eating far too much in to our own art-making time – two and a bit years, it was time to evolve it all.

So we’ve evolved the space, we’ve re-invented it, we’re using the beautifully located space in a rather different way, a creatively exciting engaging way, still a gallery, still committed to being open every week and accessible to all – a freshly named art chute of an open public gallery space, an art space that hopefully fires the imaginations of those who make art and those who like to come out and engage with art.

Our space has evolved, our gallery is now called CULTIVATE EVOLVED. Here’s what we did…

Emma’s slice of wall, Feb 2014

Back at the start of December 2013, Emma and I invited six artists to come join the two of us in our next artistic adventure. We called for committed pro-active serious working artists – ideally, for reasons of practicality and in terms of time and commitment, we felt London-based was best – we called for artists who were able to give reasonable time to the space and who were willing to share the workload (if we all share then the theory is it shouldn’t eat up too much time for each of us). And, yes we needed each member of the group to be able to cover an equal share of the costs – an equal ten way split in terms of the rent bill and such (eight permanent artists, two evolving guests). We called for committed pro-active serious artists, artists who were willing to share the time, the commitment, who were eager to get involved, who were interested in sharing the vision in terms of using the space and keeping it interesting, exciting and evolving, Eight committed artists interested in presenting a space that people will really want to come explore again and again.   

We have the space, the two of us worked (very) hard, for something like twenty-seven long tough months, building up something from nothing, building up something exciting. We felt we achieved most of what we set out to do in those two and a bit years, Cultivate has a reputation now, we have the attention, but it was time to evolve. So late in 2013 we started the search for a group of serious committed pro-active artists – we weren’t talking full-time commitment, we were (and are) talking eight pro-active committed people sharing the workload – simple obvious things like taking an equal share of the time in terms of being in the space during our advertised opening hours, keeping their own websites up-to-date and including information about the space and their activities within the space, likewise when it comes to those vitally important (necessary evils that are) social media sites – Facebook, Twitter and such, simple things that you’d think would be stupidly obvious to a point where it doesn’t even need to be said. Eight people building on the hard work of the two of us, a group of eight people, excited about their art and excited by the chance and wanting to grab the opportunity….  

JULIA MADDISON

The group we pulled together was deliberately diverse, we did  NOT want a “collective”, it isn’t about sharing an artistic vision or a manifesto, we did NOT want eight artists that share a style – we didn’t want eight abstract artists, we didn’t want a crew of eight street artists or eight print makers or eight landscape painters – just eight exciting working artists coming together and feeding a place with life while bouncing off each others work ethic.  We certainly weren’t looking to pull together a social group or anything near those kind of notions – if you want to join a group of who meet for coffee and cakes on a Saturday morning, then, with all due respect, this isn’t the group for you.  Eight pro-active working artists, with a serious work ethic, eight people serious about, and committed to, their art, eight people sharing a working gallery space, feeding off each others ideas and energies in a positive way. Eight excited and exciting artists, a small group of committed pro-active artists working, showing and selling their work together in and around an exciting buzzing space right in the middle of Vyner Street.

GARETH MORGAN

If you’re not a committed artist, if you’re not seriously committed to your work, serious about showing it, selling it, about refreshing your space, if you’re not going to commit to the space, then this really isn’t for you – you need to go join in group shows in other spaces and enjoy your art in other ways.   For me, the process of making art involves commitment, it involves sacrifice, the process should be exciting, rewarding – you need to be committed and excited, you need to excite us to be one of us..  

Our corner, First Thursday…

Your first question should be what can I get out of being involved, and your second question should be what can I contribute to it. If you art is just a hobby then good for you, we hope you enjoy it. But this is probably not for you, if you don’t keep your website up to date or your social media feeds informative, if you’re too busy playing in a band or planning your next holiday. If you’re not productive enough to keep your wall space evolving with new (or old) work, if making art is not your priority, then please go enjoy your art, your hobby and your life, this is not for you.   If on the other hand, you are serious about your art, if you are committed to your art, if you are pro-active and if you feel you can both bring something to as well as get something out of being one of the eight permanent artists at Cultivate Evolved, then please get in touch.

ARTIST-LED

The nature of an adventure like this means people are going to come and go – as long as you’re decent enough to give us at least one month’s notice then that’s fine, the group is always going to evolve, we want it to… Some people are going jump on the ride for a couple of months, others for longer, we might all fall off when it crashes and burns, but for now it all about exciting involvement. 

In terms of being in the space we’re talking each person doing a day three or four times a month, for other details get in touch.

Interested parties should contact info@cultivatevynersteet.com for more information. Please include a link to your website and Please put “ART CHUTE MEMBER” in your e.mail subject header, we’ll put your name on the waiting list and contact you when and if a space comes up.

Today, on February 20^th 2014, we have our first available space, one of our number is leaving town, so come get involved in our Vyner Street Space and the other things we have going on as Cultivate Evolved.  if you’re reading this sometime in the future, get in touch and see if there’s a space coming up….

Thanks, Sean Worrall/Emma Harvey (the two who started it, and now two of the eight)

Cultivate