Artist Development Opportunity

Alongside Michaela Yearwood-Dan’s exhibition, The Practice of Liberation the Whitworth will re-imagine and relaunch our Whitworth Young Contemporaries (WYC) Programme for young people aged 16-30.

The exhibition, formed entirely of new work, centres on a series of 14 paintings and six ceramic vessels presented within a multidimensional installation designed by the artist and accompanied by a bespoke musical score by composer Alex Gruz.

Drawing on the aesthetics and symbolism of the Catholic church, Yearwood-Dan creates a powerfully resonant space to examine the intersection of the histories of colonialism and institutional religion through the lens of her own memory and experience - reflecting on the ongoing process of personal and collective liberation. 

Using the language of abstraction, Yearwood-Dan’s paintings incorporate fragments of her own diaristic writing alongside adapted and borrowed texts and lyrics. These words move between the intimate and the political, appearing at varying scales across the canvases. References to writers such as civil rights activist James Baldwin sit alongside the artist’s own reflections, inviting the viewer to consider how the personal and the political intersect in new ways. 

Responding to themes from the show, we invite local young artists from the North West, to apply for the two supported artist development opportunities to steer inspiring activities for young people.

These opportunities provide access to our exhibitions, staff and resources to build upon their arts practice alongside facilitation skills to nurture care-based creative engagement and gain an understanding of co-creation and asset-based ways of working in a gallery.

Each artist will receive a fee of £1000 for their time and the development and delivery of two workshops each for young people during May-October 2026, giving professional, active, peer-led shaping of WYC.  Workshops will take place every second Saturday of the month, 1-3pm.

Deadline for applying for the Artist Development Opportunity:
Monday 27 April 2026 9am

Send applications via email to: denise.bowler@manchester.ac.uk

If you have any questions prior to the deadline please get in touch with Denise via the email above.

For further information download our Artist Development Opportunities pdf

_{Image credit: Michaela Yearwood-Dan, Take the Weight off my Shoulders (2026) © Michaela Yearwood-Dan. Courtesy the artist, Hauser & Wirth and Marianne Boesky Gallery. Photographer: Deniz Guzel.}