#5 Shamica Ruddock, 2022/23 Acme x OSE Fellowship
50 opportunities for 50 years
Following a lively meeting about sustaining momentum and development for artists after time-limited opportunities, Acme, in partnership with Open School East (OSE), launched the Acme x OSE Fellowship. This fellowship intends to create links and mutual benefits between artists at different stages of their careers, within a supportive peer learning knowledge exchange framework.
During this six-month work/live fellowship at Acme’s Fire Station building, OSE alumni artist Shamica Ruddock will be actively involved in mentoring three early career artist recipients of the Acme Alternative Pathway Awards.
Shamica Ruddock, the recipient of the first Acme x OSE Fellowship, has recently moved into their studio after completing the Associates Programme at Open School East, a partnership they feel is “much needed”.
“Support for alumni following participation in development programmes is often scarce and navigating the arts landscape can quickly become precarious.”
Intended to help address this need by encouraging dialogue and exchange between artists at different stages of their careers, the fellowship provides a space for the artist to develop their professional mentoring skills alongside their own work.
In addition to developing their own studio practice and the security of rent-free accommodation through the provision of work/live studio space, the fellow will also mentor the three recipients of the Alternative Pathways Awards, Acme’s new programme to widen workspace and professional development access for artists from all backgrounds and experiences by increasing the diversity and representation of voices in contemporary art.
This is particularly important for Shamica, who looks forward to “supporting the Acme Alternative Pathways artists in residence, developing those relationships over the duration of the fellowship.”
“This opportunity for our Alumni Artist is an integral way to ensure we are supporting early career artists to both develop and sustain both their practice and their professional development in the sector.”
Polly Brannan, Artistic Director of Open School East
Welcoming the partnership, Artistic Director of Open School East, Polly Brannan, echoes this need for continued artist support and is “delighted to be partnering with Acme on the fellowship as part of OSE’s Alumni development programme”.
“Acme is such an important support system for artists,” Polly says, and “to have OSE’s recent Alumni, Shamica Ruddock, be part of Acme as part of OSE Alumni Development Programme, will be such an incredible opportunity to develop their own practice, whilst also supporting the next generation of artists who will be mentored by them.”