Support Hub Opportunity:
Peer to Peer Professional Development Groups.

About Support Hub

From 2023 - 2026 Arts & Health Hub will be running a project called the Support Hub which is a range of support programmes for artists exploring health and wellbeing in their practice. This includes:

  1. Artists’ peer to peer mental health groups.

  2. Peer to peer professional development groups.

  3. Reflective supervision support for participatory artists.

  4. One-to-one mentoring for early career artists.

This page shows you details about our peer to peer professional development groups. For other opportunities, click the links above.

You can only apply to one opportunity for the Support Hub (and if you’ve been successful in previous years, you can not apply for the same opportunity.

Applications now open - Extended Deadline June 30th @ 5pm

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Applications now open - Extended Deadline June 30th @ 5pm 〰️

How to Apply

  • Carefully read the information below which outlines more information about the specific opportunity.

  • When you’re ready, scroll down to the bottom of this page and click on the button for each opportunity to open the online application form - this is how you apply.

  • Please note that you can only apply for one opportunity. If you were successful in previous years, you can only apply for a different programme than the one that you participated in.

  • Applications for round 2 are now open until our extended deadline of June 30th @ 5pm. We are unable to accept applications after this time.

  • Note that as a small project funded organisation we are unable to give feedback for unsuccessful applicants.

Are you unsure if this opportunity is for you?

As a Black and brown, disability majority-led organisation we strongly encourage applicants from: ethnically diverse backgrounds; those with lived experience of ill health, disability and/or neurodivergency; LGBTQIA+ artists; those from low income backgrounds and other underrepresented artists in the arts and health sector to apply. You have to be aged 18+ and UK based to apply.

If you are feeling unsure if this opportunity is for you please do reach out to us for clarification or to have a chat, by contacting info@artsandhealthhub.org. We have set aside short half hour sessions (first come first served) to chat to you about any questions that you may have about the opportunity.

Is there help available for the application process?

Email info@artsandhealthhub.org if you want to discuss this further. Please note, if you need someone to physically fill out the form with you, get in touch as Jennifer can support this. Jennifer is unable to answer the questions on your behalf and would only be supporting with uploading information to the form. If you already have an access worker who knows and communicates with you well, we have a small budget to cover costs of them supporting you with the form.

Travel Support

If your financial situation is a barrier to you travelling to and from in person sessions or you need a support worker/guardian to help you travel and/or to takes notes in sessions, please either contact us for a discussion in advance of your application, or note this in your application. We have a limited access budget available and will do our best to support your needs. Please email info@artsandhealthhub.org.

Can I apply in another way than the online form?

You can also send us an audio or video application, provided that you answer the same applications in the form. You can use a service like WeTransfer to send us your audio/video application, which can be sent to info@artsandhealthhub.org.

Watch our Q&A session.

Easy Read Documents

Click the links below to open easy read documents for more information about the Support Hub project and the peer to peer professional development groups opportunity.

The Opportunity.

The Arts & Health Hub is offering the opportunity for artists exploring health and wellbeing in their practice to participate in peer to peer professional development groups over a 6 month period. One group will run in person in London at The Hive / Team London Bridge, one group will run in person in Manchester at 53two and one will run online for national applicants.

About the Peer to Peer Professional Development Groups

Our professional development groups are an opportunity to meet with other artists exploring health and wellbeing in their practice and support both the development of your work and theirs through peer to peer support.

Each group will meet once a month for six months and will be supported by a facilitator to push their practice forward. You will share active projects, ideas or challenges to gain feedback and advice, and we would expect you to listen and do the same for others.

The sessions are 2hrs long and the group of artists attend the same six sessions. Online groups have a maximum of 8 participants. In person groups have a maximum of 12 participants.

What does a typical session look like?

The sessions are an opportunity for you to share your work with the group and receive feedback and support to push your ideas forward. The facilitator will give you directions on who is sharing works in which sessions and as a group you may decide you want to work in smaller groups in particular sessions. This will be explored with you in the first session. The focus is on peer to peer support - there are not visiting guest artists or experts.

Session Dates

You must be able to commit to all of the session dates for the opportunity that you apply for. Attending the sessions is important to help build trust and commitment in the group and helps to ensure that people feel safe and supported across the six months.

London Sessions @ The Hive / Team London Bridge

  • Wednesday, September 4th 2024, 7pm - 9pm

  • Wednesday, October 9th 2024, 7pm - 9pm

  • Wednesday, November 6th 2024, 7pm - 9pm

  • Wednesday, December 4th 2024, 7pm - 9pm

  • Wednesday, January 8th 2025, 7pm - 9pm

  • Wednesday, February 5th 2025, 7pm - 9pm

Manchester Sessions @ 53two

  • Tuesday, September 10th 2024, 11am - 1pm

  • Tuesday, October 8th 2024, 11am - 1pm

  • Tuesday, November 12th 2024, 11am - 1pm

  • Tuesday, December 10th 2024, 11am - 1pm

  • Tuesday, January 14th 2025, 11am - 1pm

  • Tuesday, February 11th 2025, 11am - 1pm

Online Sessions via Zoom

  • Monday, September 9th 2024, 10am - 12pm

  • Monday, October 14th 2024, 10am - 12pm

  • Monday, November 11th 2024, 10am - 12pm

  • Monday, December 9th 2024, 10am - 12pm

  • Monday, January 13th 2025, 10am - 12pm

  • Monday, February 10th 2025, 10am - 12pm

Meet the Facilitator: London

Daniel Regan

Daniel Regan is a photographic artist specialising in exploring complex and difficult emotional experiences, focusing on the transformational impact of arts on mental health, building on his own lived experiences. His photographic work focuses on themes of wellbeing and brokers dialogue around often taboo topics such as grief, self injury, suicide and racism.

Daniel has extensive experience in delivering socially engaged projects with vulnerable groups in clinical and community settings. Previously Daniel worked as the Director of Free Space Project, a pioneering charity in primary care, commissioning and delivering arts projects to over 30,000 patients.

Daniel is the Executive Director of the Arts & Health Hub.

 

Meet the Facilitator: Manchester & Online

Jennifer Gilbert

Jennifer is a Manchester-based gallerist, freelance producer, and curator, working with self-taught, disabled, neurodivergent, deaf and overlooked artists. In 2017 she launched Jennifer Lauren Gallery to showcase and empower artists internationally, having previously managed a national arts charity for under-represented artists. Through her work, Jennifer hopes to: demystify what is regarded as art, continue to challenge the stigma surrounding this field, and to re-look at how work is displayed and written about. 

In her freelance role, Jennifer helps disabled, deaf and neurodivergent artists with their professional development, alongside providing mentoring and other support. Jennifer also does consultancy work alongside galleries, museums and organisations.

More about Jennifer:

 

Eligibility.

This opportunity is open to:

  • Artists aged 18 and above (there is no upper limit), based in the UK.

  • Artists working in any medium, provided that their work explores health and wellbeing in some way.

  • Artists need to be able to prepare to present or share their work themselves (digitally or in person), and be open to supportive feedback from facilitators and peers.

  • Our London group is only open to artists based in London.

  • Our Manchester group is only open to artists based in Greater Manchester.

  • Our online group is open to artists across the UK. If you are also based in London or Greater Manchester but would struggle to get to the in-person sessions for access reasons you can apply for the online group.

What Makes a Good Application?

The criteria that we use to look at applications is as follows:

  • That you are eligible for the opportunity (see above), for example that you are based in London for the London groups.

  • That your practice explores health and wellbeing in some form.

  • That you clearly describe your practice so that we understand who you are as an artist

  • That you have a clearly identified project, idea, or challenge that you could share with others

  • That you have a clear need at present to get support to move forwards with your practice.

Frequently Asked Questions.

If you have questions that are not answered below then please email us at info@artsandhealthhub.org. We may be able to support you with a short phone call/Zoom to answer questions too. We have limited 30 minute slots so please do contact us to check for availability.

 

  • The Arts & Health Hub supports artists that explore health, wellbeing and what it means to be human. This could be:

    • making work about your own experiences of health and illness, or issues around identity

    • working creatively with communities whose physical and mental health may be affected by illness / societal oppression / health inequalities etc.

    If you are still unsure and would like to have a brief chat with us to clarify, please email info@artsandhealthhub.org.

  • This opportunity is open to people with varied experience, provided that your creative practice explores health and wellbeing in some way. The groups are curated to have a mix of both life and creative practices, encouraging members to support one another through constructive feedback and peer to peer support.

  • Email info@artsandhealthhub.org if you want to discuss this further. Please note, if you need someone to physically fill out the form with you, get in touch as Jennifer can support this. Jennifer is unable to answer the questions on your behalf and would only be supporting with uploading information to the form. If you already have an access worker who knows and communicates with you well, we have a small budget to cover costs of them supporting you with the form.

  • The London and Manchester sessions are only available to artists living in those respective areas. If you are outside of those areas you can apply to access the online group which has a national reach.

  • Yes.

  • The deadline for all opportunities in round 2 has been extended to 5pm on 30th June 2024. We are unable to accept applications after this.

  • We know that we will receive more applications than we are able to offer places for.

    Our panel actively look at curating groups that have a diverse set of participants, meaning that we do not select people with the most experience, but people from a variety of backgrounds that would benefit from this opportunity.

    Three people will be making the selections. These will be:

    • Daniel Regan: Artist, Founder & Creative Lead at Arts & Health Hub.

    • Jennifer Gilbert: Gallerist & Freelance Producer and Curator.

    • Mariama Attah: Phtography Curator at National Portrait Gallery & independent curator & writer.

  • We will let you know if you have been selected or not. This will be between 22nd - 26th July.

  • Due to our small team who work part-time, we are unable to provide feedback if you are not selected.

  • No. You can only apply for one opportunity from the 4 opportunities. We encourage you to think about what feels most important to you and relevant to your practice development.

  • No. This opportunity is only open to UK based artists aged 18 and above.

  • If you were successful last year you can apply - but only for a different programme than the one you participated in.

  • No. The group focuses on peer to peer support from the artists in the room, with support from the group facilitator.

Submit an Application.

  • Ensure you are clear on which group you are applying for - in person in London, in person in Greater Manchester, or online.

  • Click the correct button below to open the application form.

  • Applications for round 2 are now open until our extended deadline of June 30th @ 5pm.

  • We cannot accept submissions after this date.

You can also send us an audio or video application, provided that you answer the same applications in the form. You can use a service like WeTransfer to send us your audio/video application, which can be sent to info@artsandhealthhub.org.

If you are in London:

If you are in Greater Manchester:

If you are not in London or Greater Manchester and would like to access the national online opportunity:

Thank you.

The Support Hub is generously supported by Arts Council England, Baring Foundation and the Greater London Authority.