QUAD in Derby received £40,000 Art Fund grant to develop an online venue for FORMAT International Photography Festival in Derby
QUAD have recently been awarded a £40,000 grant from the Art Fund to support the delivery of FORMAT International Photography Festival in Derby, and to develop an innovative online venue as a part of the festival.
The new virtual and multiplayer space will present exhibitions, events and participation initially for the next edition of FORMAT to launch on 11th March 2021. The exhibitions will include over 70 international artists and a selection of the 38,000 images submitted from over 90 countries from our #massisolationFORMAT archive created during the Covid19 pandemic. An important part of the project is to research social engagement online and to ensure access for diverse audiences. To help deliver the project, QUAD have partnered with a team of artist technologists called New Art City, based in Los Angeles.
The support of the Art Fund will also cover Covid-19 safety requirements including additional staffing, PPE, deep cleaning, signage. This will ensure the public can feel safe and confident when visiting the festival, and that FORMAT will be able to showcase important national and international projects such including Focus on Africa; partnership with African Artists Foundation at QUAD, #massisolationFORMAT at Derby Museums and Art Gallery as well as exhibiting in many unusual exhibition spaces such as Derby Market Hall, carparks and empty shops.
Louise Fedotov-Clements, Artistic Director, QUAD/Director FORMAT said, “We are immensely proud to receive support from the Art Fund which will enable us to push the boundaries of our work, to develop our new programmes online, in such an innovative way in collaboration with an inspiring team of technologists together with my programme team at QUAD/FORMAT we will be building an arts space of the future for audiences to explore today.”
Debbie Cooper, Producer FORMAT said, “This support from the Art Fund enables us to deliver the highest quality festival experience at time when we all need art in our lives. And knowing that we can deliver in Derby and online is incredibly exciting, enabling us to connect to our local, national and international audiences. We want everyone to be part of FORMAT21 in Derby and online.”
Art Fund’s Respond and Reimagine grants offer flexible and responsive funding to help museums adapt to the challenges of the Covid-19 crisis and reimagine future ways of working. The UK’s museums provide inspiration, joy and education, enriching lives and bringing communities closer together, but the impact of Covid-19 has been catastrophic for many. In the last six months, Art Fund received applications totalling over 16.9m from 451 organisations for its £2.25m Respond and Reimagine funding, which is now exhausted. But with six in ten (60%) museums Art Fund recently surveyed worried about their survival, and 92% of museums saying they need to ‘adapt and innovate’, the charity has launched an urgent new public fundraising appeal: Together for Museums. It aims to raise £1 million to help more museums adapt to today’s challenges and evolve. Art Fund is appealing to the public to make donations of any size. From just £25, unique objects and artworks are available as rewards, donated by leading artists including Lubaina Himid, Anish Kapoor, Michael Landy, Melanie Manchot and David Shrigley.