Are you an early-career artist based in East Anglia looking for a paid, professionally supported opportunity to develop and showcase your work?

The Minories is excited to announce a unique Emerging Artist Residency opportunity, funded by the Hervey Benham Charitable Trust.

Headline facts:

10 days @ a residency fee of £216.63/day, to be completed flexibly between 5 & 27 November 2025

Applicants must be East Anglia-based. This includes Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex.

This opportunity is for emerging artists in the first five years of their artistic career. You do not need to be working full-time as an artist, or exclusively as an artist, to apply.

We actively encourage applications from artists who have experienced additional challenges as a result of disability, health, social circumstance, ethnicity, gender, and other forms of underrepresentation.

How to Apply:

Fill in the application form (download by clicking on 'Application form' above) and return it to careers@theminories.org, along with a portfolio of your work (or a website link) by 5pm on Friday 17 October 2025.

A shortlist of candidates will be invited to an interview with our Director and a member of our Board, which will take place on Saturday 25 October 2025 either in person or virtually.

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About the Residency:

This is a fantastic opportunity for an artist in the first five years of their career to receive dedicated support and a public platform at Colchester's oldest art gallery.

What we offer:

Paid Residency: The artist will be paid for their time at the recommended Artist Union England rate (10 days at £216.63/day = total fee £2,166.30) There are additional funds available for materials required to produce work, and to cover costs incurred for exhibition purposes.

Professional Mentoring: Receive one-on-one mentoring from The Minories Director, Emma Howe, whose curatorial experience includes working with artists including Sarah Lucas and Anthony Gormley.

Complimentary membership of the Minories Artist Network, with access to ongoing exhibition opportunities, discounts on art materials and networking opportunities for a year.

Public Showcase: Following the residency, the selected artist will be given an exhibition of your work at The Minories, which will take place in 2026 (exact dates TBC).

Time Commitment:

Residency Activity: 10 days of activity, to take place flexibly according to the artist’s needs between 5 & 27 November 2025 (A room is allocated at the Minories for use by the resident artist throughout this period). It is expected that the artist will be on-site working at the Minories for the majority of the 10 days, although we recognise that artist’s work and situations vary hugely, and are happy to discuss applicants’ specific circumstances.

Exhibition Period: A public display period at the Minories in 2026. Dates TBC.

If you have any questions, please email careers@theminories.org