CuratorSpace
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CuratorSpace is the result of a collaboration between myself, an artist/curator, and Philip Bennison, a web developer. Based in Leeds, we work with organisations all over the UK, and are starting to develop connections internationally.
The focus of CuratorSpace is to give independent curators and art organisations the tools to manage applications made to their creative opportunities more efficiently, and allow them to focus more of their time, energy and budget on the creative aspects of their business.
The site is primarily an information management platform, allowing event organisers to collect, collate, and manage applications to their open calls. It includes a listings service that lets curators share their opportunities with our existing members, in addition to their usual networks.
However, unlike traditional listings sites, CuratorSpace has been developed so that artists can apply for the opportunity directly through the site. This streamlines the application process, sending automatic notification emails to artists, and giving them the ability to track their applications at all times.
CuratorSpace lets arts organisers and curators manage applications for all kinds of opportunities, including exhibitions, residencies, commissions, studio applications, artist talks, and more. Each opportunity has a page containing information, a gallery, a list of FAQs, an appropriate application form, and a contact form. It comes with a unique URL which can be shared via email, listings, social media and other networks.
The service is offered on a “freemium” basis, meaning that the basic subscription is free. With a basic subscription you can apply for an unlimited number of opportunities and create your own opportunities for free; though you can only publish and manage one opportunity at a time.
Paid subscriptions are available that provide additional services and functionality, starting from just £5 per month or £50 per year. Paid subscriptions allow curators to manage more than one opportunity at once, create customised application forms, create opportunities with rolling deadlines, invite a panel of judges to judge an opportunity, and much more.
The site also allows artists to save any applications they have made and then resubmit them to similar opportunities in future, cutting down the time spent on applying for opportunities and increasing the number of applications that organisers receive.
We are already working with some large art organisations including East Street Arts, The Arthouse, The National Media Museum, Saltaire Inspired, and b-side Festival, and we have curators creating opportunities all over the UK, as well as the USA and continental Europe.
Our aims over the next twelve months are to develop our services to provide curators with the tools they need to manage their opportunities, and to work with organisations to offer bespoke development based on our functionality. We are keen to develop our connections with more art organisations, as well as council arts development teams and tourist boards.
We are also in the process of developing our API in order to share our listings with arts organisations across the UK and further afield.
We believe that CuratorSpace can give event organisers the tools they need to manage their admin with the minimum of cost and time, and to develop creative events across the UK and internationally.
To sign up go to curatorspace.com/register or to find out more contact [email protected]
Text by Louise Atkinson
