This opportunity is open to artists, designers and makers working across the visual or performing arts who have an interest in exploring heritage, museums and archives collaboratively and would benefit from having the time and space to research and develop their social practice through close engagement with an institutional collection and archive.

This residency opportunity will enable research, making and professional development between October and December, with support from museum staff. The selected artist, designer or maker is encouraged to respond to the Silver Swan as a dynamic object, inspired by nature but wholly mechanical. At the heart of so many community and socially-connected memories, the selected artist, designer or maker is encouraged to use this as a starting point to surface ideas and creative responses to develop new work through critically engaging with communities and the heritage object and archival material that is present, particularly exploring stories and voices that might be missing.

Requirements
The artist is encouraged to facilitate creative interventions and opportunities that share their research and practice with the wider public, particularly children, young people and families, through hosting 10 half day opportunities as part of The Bowes Museum’s public programme. The form of these events will be agreed with the artist, designer or maker and receive an additional fee of £1300 to support this.