LONDON.- Art Fund and Jerwood Foundation have announced a new partnership to increase the support available for museums and galleries to commission early to mid-career artists working across all visual art forms and disciplines.

Jerwood Art Fund Commissions will support museums and galleries to commission artists to make work of exceptional innovation and quality – furthering the artist’s development at a pivotal stage in their careers, while enriching public collections through new contemporary art.

In addition to providing support to commission artists and enabling them to pursue their practice in the current challenging economic environment, Jerwood Art Fund Commissions will develop the skills and confidence of UK museums to undertake commissioning projects, whilst engaging audiences in the work of living artists.

Jenny Waldman, Director, Art Fund, said: “The current economic landscape is piling increasing pressures on museums, galleries and on artists. Yet if we want our public collections to be enriched with a diverse range of exciting contemporary art, support needs to be available for museums and galleries to work with living artists for the benefit of artists, collections and audiences.

“That’s why I’m so delighted that through this new partnership with Jerwood Foundation we’ll be offering grants for museums and galleries to collaborate with artists working across all visual art forms and disciplines on new commissions. I look forward to the inspiring and innovative contemporary artworks that will join our public collections as a result.”

Lara Wardle, Executive Director and Trustee, Jerwood Foundation, said: “Embarking on this new partnership with Art Fund underlines Jerwood’s commitment to supporting excellence in the arts in the UK. Jerwood Art Fund Commissions will offer the full commissioning costs to museums and galleries to realise ambitious projects at a time when organisations face difficult choices in an uncertain economic climate. This unique Art Fund programme will benefit our national collections and their visitors, as well as early to mid-career artists enabling them to develop their practice at a pivotal moment in their careers.”

Jerwood Art Fund Commissions will support:

• Two museums to offer commissions of £70,000 - £100,000 per year over the coming three years, covering the full costs of delivering and presenting the commissions in each partner museum.

• Early to mid-career artists who are either based in or have a connection to the UK, and for whom a commission of this scale and profile would constitute a significant step forward in their artistic and professional development.

• Artists working across a full range of artistic media and making practices (e.g. textiles, sculpture, ceramics, glass, painting, mixed-media, film, photography etc).

• Commissions will enter the permanent collection of a public UK museum or gallery, including permanent public realm commissions.

Applications are now open for public museums, galleries, historic houses, libraries and archives based in the UK or Channel Islands.

Applications are also encouraged from partnerships between museums and other partners or other institutions who want to commission work that will have a permanent legacy for artists, cultural organisations and audiences.

Art Fund does not accept applications or enquiries directly from artists.

The deadline for museum applications is Friday 1 November, 5pm.