How To Apply?
The residency is a major new opportunity for a Photographer as part of the national Photographer-In- Residence Programme ‘Picturing England’s High Streets’. The opportunity in Stoke is developed by GRAIN Projects in collaboration with the Stoke town High Street Heritage Action Zone Board and in the context of a wider programme of High Streets Heritage Action Zone activities.

The residency will contribute to the key local High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) aim to connect the historical Stoke high street to the Spode factory site, which sits adjacent to the high street. The lack of connectivity means that the high street is missing out on benefiting from Spode & visitors and the creative community based at the Spode site.

The former Spode site presents a significant opportunity to transform the wider area and has begun to act as a catalyst for future economic growth and cultural development.   Community engagement projects are being developed by the HSHAZ Board locally built around local priorities for health, wellbeing, inclusion and regeneration.  Ultimately the HSHAZ area in Stoke is establishing itself as a cultural hub and destination.

Stoke;  Stoke Town High Street Heritage Action Zone | Historic England

About the national photographer-in-residence programme 
Picturing England’s High Street is a three-year project which includes six photographer-in-residence programmes at six high street locations across England. For more information see Open Call: Historic England, Picturing England’s High Streets – Photoworks.

England’s high streets have a long history and have always been at the heart of our communities. They are our landmarks, points of reference and meeting places. Across centuries people have gathered together on high streets, from market days to turning on the Christmas lights; coffee dates to national jubilees.

Every high street in England, whether it is in a medieval market town or a post-war city centre, has a unique and distinctive history that creates identity and a sense of place. Despite this, high streets are struggling, and need to adapt to survive. This commission will help people reconnect with their high streets, seeing them as places that can thrive and are of relevance to them and their lives.

The photographer-in-residence programmes are a key part of this Picturing England’s High Streets. The six photographers-in residence will work with local communities to reimagine the high street, producing images which will become part of the Historic England archive.

High street users and the community are at the heart of this project and we are looking for photographers whose practice is socially engaged. We are proposing a way of working rather than a thematic or visual approach.

The project starts with a simple provocation; ‘Your high street: Investigate before, picture now and imagine the future……’

We will use this provocation as a creative springboard for a socially engaged, diverse, community led commissioning for the 6 photographer-in-residence programmes.

What are we expecting?
We are looking for a photographer who has an interest in Stoke town HSHAZ and whose practice embraces the opportunity to collaborate with the local community. We would welcome applications from socially engaged photographers with a connection to Stoke town or Stoke on Trent  – although this is not essential.

The Socially Engaged Photographers role will include working closely with local partners to develop relationships with communities to develop visual narratives that are meaningful to them. The photographer will support participants to create photographic stories themselves, through a process of dialogue and collaboration.

Artist Fee – £6,000 over 2 year period.

Key dates and timeline
Open call deadline: May 26th 2021
Short list contacted: June 4th 2021
Interviews: June 10th 2021 (TBC)
Start date: Summer 2021  HSHAZ residency begins
End date: End Summer 2023

How to apply   
For more information and to apply download the Brief here.
Download Equal Opportunities Form here.