Artist named as new Warwick Stafford Fellow

Stuart Tait has been named as the latest recipient of the annual Warwick Stafford Fellowship in a unique package worth more than £20,000 to the artist.

Dr Tait, who specialises in a technique he describes as ‘molecular collaboration’ and utilises videos, performances, audio, publishing, participatory events and installations in his creative work, was selected by an expert panel from hundreds of applications.

Alongside a £20,000 bursary, Northumbria will provide Stuart with studio space in the BALTIC-Northumbria University (BxNU) Institute for Contemporary Art at BALTIC 39, technical support, engagement with the University’s community of postgraduate and PhD arts researchers and access to leading academics and internationally renowned artists. The year-long fellowship will culminate in a solo exhibition and publication in 2016.

Stuart, a Fine Art graduate from Birmingham City University, said: “I feel incredibly privileged to have been chosen to be this year's Warwick Stafford Fellow and I have relocated to Newcastle in order to fully commit to the opportunity. I aim to repay the selection panel's faith in me by fully immersing myself in the city's art scene and developing several collaborative relationships. This is a fantastic opportunity for me to extend my own research practice and to connect my existing collaboration with the art collective AAS to a new network and context.”

The Warwick Stafford Fellowship was created to offer an early-mid career artist a structured opportunity to advance their practice and research and engage with a stimulating community of professional artists, students, fine art researchers and the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art partners. Support and development will be designed to meet the needs of the individual fellow. The artist will participate in and contribute to the research environment at BALTIC 39 whilst developing a body of new work that advances their practice-led research. New work will be accessible during public events at the BxNU Institute and will form a core part of the exhibition programme in University Gallery the University’s prestigious venue for contemporary art.

Stuart added: “What I plan for the fellowship is an extended period of collaboration, with members of the Department of Arts at Northumbria. Some projects will involve my primary collaboration with the art group AAS and some will not. All will explore the concept and practice of molecular collaboration.

“However, by virtue of molecular collaboration being of the order of a smooth space and a kind of improvised ‘patchwork’ assemblage, I also anticipate the projects ‘infecting’ or capturing additional collaborators.  My work on the fellowship has the potential to include videos, performances, audio and musical works, publishing, participatory events and installations of constructed environments.”

Fiona Crisp, Reader in Fine Art at Northumbria University said: “The panel felt that Stuart’s open and collaborative practice stood out amongst a very strong field of national and international applicants for the Fellowship.  We look forward to welcoming Stuart to BALTIC 39 where he will undoubtedly contribute to the dynamic community of artists, academics, curators and research students.”

The 2014/15 fellowship was held by Laurence Kavanagh. Details of Laurence’s work, along with previous Fellows, Eleanor Wright 2012/13 and Luke McCreadie 2013/14 can be viewed on the BALTIC 39 website at http://www.baltic39.com/warwick-stafford/

Northumbria offers a range of courses in the Arts, with the University recently ranked in the UK Top 10 for research power in Art and Design. For more information about studying Fine Art or other creative courses at Northumbria University sign up for one of our Open Days at: www.northumbria.ac.uk/openday