The NewBridge Project : Gateshead
Thursday 26 September – Thursday 5 December 2019
Assembly: A Forum for Artists in Precarious Labour was a series of six open forums inviting artists to freely and frankly discuss their own working lives. In an art field characterised by low pay and precarious labour, more and more artists are turning to the platform economy (Airbnb, Deliveroo etc.) and other forms of gigwork as a means of supporting their practices. These open forums serve as a form of collective enquiry, considering what this means for artists, and for the entrenched inequalities of the art field. Each forum was led by artist Toby Lloyd in collaboration with invited facilitators, but prioritised the lived experience of all participants.
The first workshop brought together artists from different communities to discuss working conditions and how artists support themselves in a stigma free environment. The following workshops focused discussion on the role of unions and solidarity in improving workplace conditions, the prevalence of in kind labour in the cultural sector and its impact on young artists, and address the findings of the ‘Panic!’ report and address issues of diversity, accessibility and lack of equitable pay in the arts. The final two workshops concluded the series by hosting conversations about alternative funding structures and finding practical solutions to the problems highlighted throughout the forums.
Thursday 26 September
Assembly 1: Input
The project will begin with an open discussion with artists from different communities to discuss working conditions, how artists support themselves and how we can best support each other. This initial discussion will take place in a stigma free space that will focus on the lived experiences of contributors.
This workshop will be led by Nicola Singh
Thursday 10 October
Assembly 2: Unite
The unions and workers that make up and bind our workforces together will play host to this discussion. We will bring together a range of interested parties together namely Loraine Monk from The Artist Union England and Susan Jones to discuss the role of unions in the workplace, the similarities between gig-economy workers and creative workers, and strategies that can be used to empower workers.
This workshop will be led by Loraine Monk (The Artist Union England) and Susan Jones
Friday 25 October
Assembly 3: In Kind
This workshop will look at the prevalence of free labour endemic in the arts and how to fight it. Facilitated by Janie Nicoll and Ailie Rutherford of In Kind, a research project exploring the prevalence of in kind labour in the creative sector, the workshop will examine their research and explore strategies in fighting these trends.
This workshop will be led by Ailie Rutherford and Janie Nicoll
Thursday 14 November
Assembly 4: Power
The workshop will examine the findings of the Panic! report and discuss policy changes within the arts sector that can address the issues of diversity, accessibility and lack of equitable pay.
This workshop will be led by Priya Mistry
Friday 22 November
Assembly 5: Alternative Funding
This workshop will focus on the role of funding in the creative sector. Facilitated by Ellie Harrison this workshop will explore alternative forms of funding and brainstorm new models of raising and distributing funds to support the arts.
This workshop will be led by Ellie Harrison
Thursday 5 December
Assembly 6: Output
Facilitated by Sophie Hope this workshop will focus on the results of the previous events and explore practical solutions. The aim of the workshop will be to develop an output created by participants that outlines the Assembly series for the wider public.
This workshop will be led by Sophie Hope
‘Assembly: A Forum for Artists in Precarious Labour’ is supported by the Not-Equal Network+ at Newcastle University, and is organised by Lucas Ferguson-Sharp and Harry Weeks.