Call For Proposals

Artist Commission 2023
National Trust Bourne Mill and Colchester

Essex Cultural Diversity Project and the National Trust invite proposals from creative practitioners for a new commission that will respond to Bourne Mill, the National Trust’s site in Colchester, Essex. For this commission we are specifically looking for a project that will raise awareness of biodiversity, support positive attitudes and behaviours around Climate Action and the environment, and engage with new and under-represented audiences. The project will respond to the rich history, cultural heritage and nature of Bourne Mill, as well as the wider Bourne Valley area and Colchester district.

Budget: £15,000
Deadline: 15 May 2023
Interviews: w/c 29 May 2023

Commission Start Date/Induction: mid-June 2023
Audience Engagement Activity to take place from end of June to end of October half term
Commission End date/final report: December 2023

READ THE FULL CREATIVE BRIEF

OPEN / DOWNLOAD PDF: Commission Brief Bourne Mill 2023
OPEN ON NEW WEBPAGE: Commission Brief: View online

If you have any problems reading or downloading the brief please email us at jo@essexcdp.com

How to Respond to this Commission Opportunity

To apply for this commission please email jo@essexcdp.com and include the following:

• An outline of the artistic concept for the commission, responding to the full creative brief, including the proposed community engagement process, intended audience and legacy (no more than 1 side of A4).
• A brief description on why you are interested in this commission at this time, how your project promotes diversity and any other relevant information (no more than 1 side of A4).
• A biography / CV with relevant previous work (no more than 2 sides of A4). Please include links to relevant websites and social media.
• An outline budget breakdown showing how you would utilise the £15,000. It is important that all of the funded work takes place within the 2023-24 financial year, so please be clear on availability and resources to complete the commission in time.
• An approximate timeline for the work.
• A completed Commission Monitoring Form (download here)

We are committed to making our application process more accessible, and can be adaptable if the above procedures don’t quite work for you. We therefore welcome proposals in other formats, such as a video or audio version of your proposal, following the format above, or a 1-2-1 video or telephone call to talk through your proposal (we will use the prompts as listed above).

Please ensure that proposals are received by midnight on Monday 15 May.