WAL/Feminist Review Art in the Archive Bursary: Previous award projects
Samples from the series of zines made by Hannah Kemp-Welch documenting Voicing the Archives
When the Women’s Art Library (WAL) collection was gifted to Goldsmiths in 2004 its development was overseen by an advisory board made up of staff from different departments in Goldsmiths involved with teaching, setting up research centres in the college and outreach. The board is set up to include library professionals either based in Goldsmiths or elsewhere, at least one curator from an arts organization and at least one artist, though many staff are also practicing artists. At the instigation of Nirmal Puwar, the WAL teamed up with Feminist Review who have generously provided match funding to set up the Art in the Archive Bursary which puts out a call for projects based on a theme around every two years. The aim is to support artistic research based in the WAL collection with funds, a collaboration with an arts venue for a knowledge-sharing event, and the opportunity to submit a written piece for publication in Feminist Review. Due to the quality of submissions, the Bursary was extended to include a short list of awards of small seed funds to support the development of ideas. On numerous occasions the WAL supported successful applications to arts funders to realize the final outcomes of the bursary on a scale determined by the artist/researcher. These are briefly described below.
2020 – Art in the Archive Bursary: Glitching the Archive
Awardee: Hannah Kemp-Welch
Project: ‘Voicing the Archive’
Whilst the Women’s Art Library was closed due to the restrictions of the pandemic, artist Hannah Kemp-Welch collaborated with WAL’s curator Dr Althea Greenan to collate packs of photocopied materials relating to artists whose work is represented in the archive. These packs were disseminated via community organisations local to the Women’s Art Library, with an invitation to explore and discuss the packs together.
The project culminated in recorded conversations on park benches, community centres and over the phone. Each participant selected an artist and responded to their work. These recordings were edited into an audio essay or collage, first broadcast on Resonance FM, 12th October 2021.
https://soundcloud.com/soundarthannah/voicing-the-archive
Shortlist Awardees
The Agency of Visible Womxn – ‘Voicing Syncopation’
Dr. Alice Correia – South Asian Artists Glitching the Archive,’ https://sites.gold.ac.uk/animatingarchives/consistently-present-alice-correia-on-south-asian-women-artists/
Lauren Craig – ‘Rendering Experience’
Kiah Endelman Music – ‘EIDIT’
Holly Isard – ‘But who is glitching the archive? Archive-workers in the Women’s Art Library’
Shama Khanna – ‘Working and surviving through Flatness, ‘Interview with Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley by Flatness, Feminist Review, April 2021, https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/30768/
2018 Art in the Archive: Thriving through everyday acts of resistance
Awardee: WOCI Reading Group (Samia Malik, Michelle Williams Gamaker, Rehana Zeman)
This award was given to support the activities of the Women of Colour Index Reading Group, that began at Goldsmiths in 2016. See https://wocireadinggroup.wordpress.com/
Shortlist Awardees
Ebony Francis towards the development of her practice-based PhD proposal looking at the subject of the black female body in art.
Katie Simpson curating the work of Georgia Lucas-Going at Jupiter Woods. Missing Everything 30 August – 22 September 2019. https://jupiterwoods.com/exhibition/georgia-lucas-going-misses-everything
The collaborative curatorial group Kathy Cho, Loren Elhili, Teal Baskerville who work as part of the group Present Futures produced a display of material from the WOCI in collaboration with the artist Rebecca Bellantoni, who is searching for evidence of women dub artists. https://www.gold.ac.uk/calendar/?id=12725 The exhibition was extended and reinstalled in the Buchi Emecheta Space to launch the space on 23 Oct 2019.
Shanzhai Lyric, FREEDON (and on and on), an exhibition and webpage: https://www.gold.ac.uk/make/events/shanzhai-lyric/ in the Womens Art Library/Special Collections space, Goldsmiths, September 14 – October 11, 2019
2015 – Art in the Archive: Kill The Archivist!
Awardees: Brenda Guesnet and Kiona Hagen Niehaus
Project: The two-day Cybernetic Resistance event at The Showroom ran from 11-12 November 2016 and comprised performances, talks and digital artworks.
Publication: “open space: articulating and defending our vulnerabilities: interrogations of the feminist archive” Feminist Review 120 (2018) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1057/s41305-018-0128-5
2013 – Art in the Archive
Awardee: Holly Pester
Go to reception and ask for Sara in red felt tip (launched 24 April 2015) publication of fictional writing by Holly Pester produced by Bookworks
https://bookworks.org.uk/publishing/shop/go-to-reception-and-ask-for-sara-in-red-felt-tip/
“Archive fan fiction: experimental archive research methodologies and feminist epistemological tactics” Feminist Review 115 (2007)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1057/s41305-017-0042-2
Ask for Sara: A Day of Gossip, Anecdote and Feminist Art Practice in Archives conference organized with Bookworks at Goldsmiths, Deptford Town Hall (24 April 2015)
Performance: Modes of Aberrant Research, an evening of deviant anecdotes, radical storytelling and narrative segues through archives, collections and institutions. Including work in the Women’s Art Library, it also featured performances and readings from Patrick Coyle, SJ Fowler and Kristen Kreider.
2011 – Art in the Archive
Clare Gasson, The River, 2011, performance at South London Gallery
Awardee: Claire Gasson
Project: The River, a performance at the South London Gallery, consisting of a multi-layered text piece sung by eight musicians and vocalists (Wed 30 November 2011, 7 pm). Alongside this performance, there was an exhibition at the Women’s Art Library/Make Goldsmiths College Library Special Collections 28 November 2011 –16 January 2012. For her exhibition at Women’s Art Library Gasson has made a series of posters and sculptures.
The posters employ the rough cut-and-paste feel of the original Women’s Art Library newsletters. The sculptures, entitled The Performers (2008 -ongoing), a series started in 2008, embody the energy around performing manifestos –the passion that exudes from that point where a manifesto is the only way forward to change the status quo. This event is supported by Arts Council England and the Elephant Trust.
2009 – Art in the Archive
Awardee: Oriana Fox
Project: Once More With Feeling: Performing the WAL/Make archive
Day long series of performances outside Tate Modern and in the East Room 27th June 2009
- http://orianafox.com/blog/2009/06/once-more-with-feeling/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8pmx13alQs
- http://orianafox.com/omwf.html
Publication: The Moon, produced by Oriana Fox with Charlotte Troy, Southbank Press.
Oriana Fox’s contribution to FR Journal in Open Space
