Primary's 2024 Summer Fundraiser!
Image: Primary’s Summer Garden Party, 2024. Image by Emma Ford.
Art Auction: Sunsets & Summer’s End
When: 16 September - 22 September 2024
Where: Online via indy.auction
Supported by indy.auction powered by the Auction Collective, we will celebrate the end of summer and ten years of Primary’s public programme as we host our first online art auction! The fundraiser will feature artworks by a mix of Primary residents and artists across the UK who have kindly donated artworks: Hurvin Anderson, Betsy Bradley, Simona Brinkmann, Seán Cummins, Jade de Montserrat, Line Nilsen and Yelena Popova.
This campaign is the culmination of our inaugural summer fundraiser, and we are filled with anticipation for tomorrow and the next decade as the sun sets on Primary, ushering in a new era.
For details about the auction, please email jade@weareprimary.org and check here and on our website for updates.
Primary's Summer Garden Party
LOCATION: Primary, 33 Seely Road, Nottingham, NG7 1NU
WHEN: Friday 19 July, 2024
BOOKING: Tickets are available in advance via Eventbrite. BOOK HERE.
EVENT TICKET: £35, doors at 5.30PM (end 11PM) - includes Prosecco on entry, sharing meal, in-conversation & live entertainment.
EVENING TICKET: £12.50, doors at 8PM (end 11PM) - includes live entertainment by Benjamin Luhis.
Highlights:
We will be joined by renowned artist Keith Piper
Celebrating 10-years of Primary’s Public Programme
Sharing Menu by Little Brickhouse
Conversation between Jade Foster and artist Caragh Thuring
Our exhibition, Imagining Otherwise, will be open between 5.30 - 7PM
Live jazz and funk music by Benjamin Luhis
DJ’s playing reggae and soul
Card only bar
Join us for Primary’s most ambitious fundraising event to date – a ‘Garden Party’ in our newly refurbished and lush outdoor space. During the event we’ll be receiving pledges of support, helping fund different areas of activity across Primary’s programme, building and outdoor spaces. Help Primary reach our £50,000 summer fundraising target!
This ambitious event will bridge the past with the present and ask: What is Primary’s relationship to art history and the Nottingham community?
Primary’s Garden Party will include a tasting menu catered by our neighbours, Little Brickhouse, serving home-cooked and seasonal goodness. The meal is served on long tables within a large outdoor marquee and includes ingredients and edibles from Primary’s very own garden. Local jazz and funk giant Benjamin Luhis will perform live in the evening, and DJs will play reggae and soul music throughout the event.
This event will celebrate artist Keith Piper, who, along with other members of the Blk Art Group, presented their artwork within the landmark exhibition, The Pan-Afrikan Connection, in Nottingham 41 years ago with the Midland Group. The New Midland Group is a legacy consortium comprising Primary and BACKLIT. Artist Caragh Thuring, who studied at Trent Polytechnic (Nottingham Trent University), will also be in conversation with Primary’s Public Programme Curator Jade Foster, discussing her experience participating in artist-led projects in Nottingham before there was Primary, Nottingham Contemporary and New Art Exchange and what it’s like returning.
After a decade of impactful presence in the arts community, we wish to bring people together who want to help move the organisation forward by joining us on the 19 July to celebrate, donate on the day and help us reach our fundraising goal. Your support is vital to ensure Primary’s future, and funds raised will support operations, demonstrate community commitment, and secure a sound future for Primary.
Every donation, however big or small, matters. Pledge on the day to help Primary reach our £50,000 summer fundraising target!
Pledge 1
A Great Day in Nottingham
5 x £1,000
Black Cultural Archives hosted a historic group photoshoot of notable Black British artists in Britain to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the British Black arts movement, which began on 28th October 1982 with the first national Black art convention, started by the Wolverhampton Young Black Artists (also known as the Blk Art Group). Over 60 artists, both established and emerging, are in the making of the image. Jade Foster, our Public Programme Curator and artist Keith Piper, who we are celebrating, were among the 60.
On this great day in Nottingham, we ask that you support our ongoing commitment to artistic production and Black curatorial practice by supporting our exhibitions programme. Our programme features a new commission by the respected Swedish-based British artist Santiago Mostyn, whose work has been collected by world-renowned institutions such as Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Sweden; a new commission launching in Spring 2025 by Colorado-based artist Maia Ruth Lee, who features in Prospect.6, New Orleans; and an upcoming group exhibition in 2025-26 featuring Queer local to international artists working within the intersection of textile and performance. With your help, Primary will present Santiago and Maia's first UK solo exhibitions.
All the exhibition projects mentioned are curated by Jade in collaboration with Primary’s programme team.
Pledge 2
Studio A4 Residency Programme
2 x £5,000
Funding two international art residencies.
One pledge will support a one-month residency at Primary, covering an artist fee, studio rent, accommodation in Nottingham, and travel to the UK.
For over a decade, we have regularly collaborated on artist residencies with world-class organisations in the city, like Nottingham Contemporary (NC), hosting international contemporary artists such as Dora Budor, Rana Hamadeh, and Julian Abraham 'Togar', who has made new work at Primary for his first solo exhibition in a European institution held currently at NC.
Primary has a strong track record of initiating opportunities for artist development by supporting some of the most innovative, bold and experimental artistic practices today. Ongoing residency programmes such as Work in Common, established six years ago, have brought extraordinary artists to Nottingham, such as Turner Prize 2024 nominee Jasleen Kaur, Libita Clayton, Larry Achiampong, Hardeep Pandhal (2018 artists-in-residence), Nathalie Anguezomo Mba Bikoro, Voices that Shake! (2019), Matthew Arthur Williams and Chiemi Shimada (2023).
We are where people gather to help make, learn, and feel something, however remarkable or ordinary.
Help us build a better Primary for artists.
Pledge 3
Primary’s Garden
£3,000
A pledge to support maintenance and a garden programme.
We are excited to share the recent capital developments for Primary’s Garden, our cherished outdoor space and playground. This area has undergone significant improvements to create more growing space and enhance water harvesting capabilities, which have transformed our garden into a more sustainable and productive environment.
However, our vision for Primary’s Garden extends far beyond these initial developments. We seek further funds to support this large, ongoing outdoor project. Your generous pledge of £3,000 will be instrumental in continuing this vital work.
The funds raised will support the following key areas:
Gardener Support: Our talented gardener, Kathryn Cooper, plays a crucial role in maintaining and developing the garden. Continued funding will ensure Kathryn’s invaluable work carries on, especially during the busy summer months when we run open gardening sessions.
Tools and Infrastructure: We need more tools and improved infrastructure to sustain and expand our gardening activities. Your contribution will help us purchase the necessary equipment and materials for our garden's growth and maintenance.
Community and Collaborative Programme: Primary aims to create a vibrant community space by hosting a variety of events and workshops in our outdoor areas. We plan to launch a community takeover programme that keeps our garden open and free for Nottingham residents of all ages to use for their benefit. The programme also fosters a deeper connection with nature and sustainable practices.
Your support will help us realise our vision for Primary’s Garden as a thriving, green oasis that benefits our entire community. Together, we can cultivate a space where nature, learning, and community spirit flourish.
Pledge 4
Digital is the Future
10 x £500
Support our Digital Commissions programme – a new strand born out of the COVID-19 pandemic and the belief that art is essential, so digital is the future. Launching to critical review in 2022, our online programme has featured digital artworks by British artists David Steans and Roy Claire Potter. Due to the commission, the latter went on to present work at Bergen Kunsthall.
Primary feels strongly that the art we present should be accessible to those who cannot engage with our activity in person for health, financial and geographical reasons. There is currently no resource to continue this initiative, so we need your support to commission exceptional digital projects for the widest possible audience.
Alongside our Digital Commissions, we also need support expanding our hybrid events (a combination of in-person and online activity) to continue offering art and the conversations around art to the widest possible audience.
Each pledge of £500 will directly contribute to:
Fees & Staffing: Contribute to covering artist fees and ensuring we have the necessary team to plan, manage, and execute our hybrid events' in-person and online components.
Technical Support for Production: Covering the costs of the equipment, software, and expertise required to deliver high-quality digital commissions.
Documentation: Recording and preserving the events, allowing audiences to view and engage with the content multiple times, broadening the reach and impact of our programmes.
Your generous pledge will help us bridge the gap between physical and digital spaces, ensuring that art remains accessible and engaging for our audiences, regardless of location. By supporting our hybrid events, you are contributing to a dynamic cultural experience that brings together diverse communities of interest that can bond over their differences and synergies.
Pledge 5
Building a Better Primary
£3,000
Next stage of Capital work and contributions to maintain the building.
We are excited to announce the next stage of our capital work, focused on essential maintenance to support our studio holders in the Blue Building. Your generous contribution of £3,000 will directly support critical maintenance and renovations, including the replacement of the Blue Building roof, which is in desperate need of repair.
Each pledge will contribute to:
Essential Maintenance: Addressing urgent repairs to ensure a safe and functional environment for our studio holders.
Roof Replacement: Replacing the Blue Building roof to protect the 13 artists whose workspace is currently under threat due to its poor condition.
Support for Studio Holders: Ensuring that our artists have a secure and conducive space to continue their creative work.
Your support is crucial in helping us maintain and improve the Blue Building, securing the future for the artists who call it home. By contributing to this essential maintenance, you are investing in the sustainability of our artistic community and enabling these artists to thrive.
