Paul Bayley appointed Head of Residencies & Awards at Acme
31 July 2019
We are delighted to announce Paul Bayley as the new Head of Residencies & Awards at Acme.
Paul joins Acme from The Florence Trust, where he was Director for 15 years, and will be responsible for leading the future vision of Acme's Residencies & Awards programme.
Aiming to intervene at pivotal moments in artists' careers, Acme's Residencies & Awards programme of artist support is designed to have transformational impact. Working with a range of international and UK-based partners and donors, the programme supports professional development for artists at all stages of their careers through residencies, bursaries, mentoring and exhibition opportunities. Over 700 artists from all over the world have benefitted from the programme since 1987.
Speaking about his new role, Paul states:
"I am very excited to be taking on this strategically invaluable role at Acme as it approaches its 50th anniversary. Acme's local knowledge and international reach is embodied in its Residencies & Awards programme. I have worked closely with artists in a variety of roles during my career; from mentor to funder, curator to collaborator, and will use these experiences to build on the undoubted success of Acme's existing partnerships whilst also finding new ways to support artists at all stages of their careers."
Acme Co-Director Lea O'Loughlin comments:
"Paul's appointment coincides with a number of exciting new Residencies & Awards opportunities for artists at Acme. As part of the 2020 relaunch of the programme, we are building new organisational partnerships and working on new ways of widening access to our early career artist programmes. Paul will also lead on the enhanced artist support provision for Acme's pioneering open call Fire Station Residency."
Paul Bayley is the former Director of The Florence Trust, which provides a bespoke one-year subsided studio residency and mentoring programme for a diverse group of international artists each year. He has worked closely with contemporary artists for over 25 years, and has held previous roles at Arts Council England, Tate, and Yorkshire Sculpture Park. His major freelance curatorial projects include: Manchester Pavilion, Venice Biennale, Venice (2001); Cinerama: Isaac Julien, Cornerhouse, Manchester (2001), Yoko Ono: Morning Beams for the City of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, London (2006); and The Film and Video Umbrella touring exhibition A Light Shines in the Darkness (2015). Selected writings include: The Dark Monarch, Tate (2010), Contemporary Art in British Churches, ACE Trust (2010); Panic Attack: Art in the Punk Years, Merrell (2007); Linder Sterling Artworks, JRP Ringier (2006); and 20: Twenty Cornerhouse Exhibitions 1985-2005, Cornerhouse (2005).