Inspired by... Competition

Would you like to see your art work on display at Manchester Art Gallery? Enter the Inspired by... competition.

Inspired by...competition winner in the galleries

What is Inspired by...?

Inspired by... is the V&A's national art competition celebrating Adult Learners Week.

It takes place at Manchester Art Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum London and Tyne & Wear Museums Newcastle upon Tyne.

The competition is about encouraging adults to visit and take inspiration from works of art in museums and galleries in order to create their own art work.

Twenty winners are selected and displayed at Manchester Art Gallery and Manchester Central Library during May - July 2008.

Who can enter the competition?

Any adult learners, 19 years of age and over, at all stages of learning
Learners attending any course in an adult, community or further education setting, on both accredited and non-accredited courses
Learners who use Manchester Art Gallery or other venues in a self-directed way
The competition is not open to full time students on Higher Education Degree courses, however part time BA students may apply
Entries should not be in a medium in which you have a professional qualification or which represents your main profession

What can I be inspired by?

You can take your inspiration from any painting, sculpture, or piece of decorative art in the following galleries at Manchester Art Gallery.

Galleries 1 – 16, excluding the Clore Interactive Gallery, the Drawing Space, Gallery 9 and Gallery 11. Galleries 1 - 16 are on the first floor, are clearly numbered on the floor plan and on the wall of each room
The Gallery of Craft and Design (second floor)
The architecture of Manchester Art Gallery

The competition is NOT about copying the works of art in the galleries. The aim of the competition is to encourage you to look at the works of art in the galleries and use the ideas in them to create your own ORIGINAL art work.

Here are some ideas:

You might really like what an artist is trying to say in a piece of art and want to re-interpret their message in your own way
There might be a work of art that you really identify with, perhaps because it reminds you of some experience in your own life, that you respond to
You might be inspired by the shapes, forms and colours that you see in an object or painting or the building itself and use them in a new way
You might find a character in one of the portraits in the gallery that you would like to put in a new situation or update to a modern context

What can I enter into the competition?

Any piece of fine art, painting, sculpture, print, decorative art, craft, design, multi-media or photography, produced in the last or current year
Only one piece per applicant
2D work cannot be bigger than A2 size
If 3D work is made out of precious materials and will need to be displayed in a case it cannot be more than 300mm in height or diameter
Objects over 12.5 kilos cannot be displayed, for safety reasons

How do I apply?

You can download an application form or contact:

Meg Parnell, Life Long Learning Manager
Manchester Art Gallery
Mosley Street
Manchester
M2 3JL

Tel: 0161 235 8855
Or e-mail magevents@manchester.gov.uk

Please send the following to Meg no later than Monday 3 March 2008

A completed application form
A good quality photograph of your art work
2 single sided A4 sheets of supporting drawings and photographs about the creation of your art work

Please do not send in more supporting material than this. We cannot accept sketchbooks or material in any other format.

Please write your name on ALL pieces of information you send in.

How will the competition be judged?

Your entry will be judged by a panel of gallery staff and community representatives. They will look at:

The way you have been inspired by and responded to the collections at Manchester Art Gallery, including looking at the originality of your work
The skills you demonstrate in handling the materials used
How you have benefited from your experience of adult education and the Inspired by competition - for this the judges will look at the responses on your application form

What happens if my art work is selected?

Applicants will be informed if they have been selected in April 2008. Artworks will be displayed at Manchester Art Gallery and Manchester Central Library from 20 May to 20 July 2008.

Winning artworks will receive a prize which will be presented at an award ceremony in Adult Learners Week (19 - 26 May 2008).