We interviewed professional artist Ruth Singer about her current Made in Leicestershire research and the upcoming professional development day for visual artists and makers at LCB depot in Leicester on 24th September.
Hi Ruth! Tell us a little bit about you and your work for Made in Leicestershire.
I’ve spent the last year and a half working talking to artists, organising networking and meeting with organisations to find out what artists really need to happen in Leicestershire to make their businesses thrive. I’m an artist based in the city and I have been doing this for the best part of 15 years, so I know what its like trying to make a living. I love being able to
share what I’ve learned and with this research I am trying to make sure something amazing can happen for Leicestershire and Rutland artists in the future.
What are the key themes emerging from your Made in Leicestershire research? Are there any
surprises?
One thing that really made me sad was that so many artists said they never did any training or professional development. We all need to learn new things, get out and explore the world and think about how to grow and flourish. So we’ve got some extra funding to create this amazing
professional development day on 24th September.
Tell us more…
I’ll be hosting the day and talking about the brilliant ecology of artists and makers we have in Leicestershire and sharing our new booklet of research and mini directory of some of our local talent.
We’ve got brilliant speakers who will be sharing their knowledge and advice about creative careers including artist and gallery owner Jennifer Collier who has been running a creative business for 20 years, so she really knows her stuff. She will focus on protecting your intellectual property - making sure your designs don’t get pinched by others.
We will also hear from Kate Stoddart who is an independent curator and mentor on building a creative career. Kate is fantastic at asking the tricky questions which really make you think about what you want to do with your life and how to make it work.
There will be some fun activities so you can get to know other artists without the icky feeling of a room full of strangers. And there will be tea and biscuits too.
What about the practicalities?
The session is from 1pm-4pm on Tuesday 24th September and costs just £5 which is an amazing bargain - though if you are from outside Leicestershire / Rutland then its £20. LCB Depot is in Leicester city centre, there’s a car park opposite and it is fully accessible. If you need any access support to attend the event please let us know asap and we will do all we can.
Book here > madeinleics.eventbrite.com
