Open Call: Between Dissent and Professionalisation: Debating Artist-Led Self-Organisation

 

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Expressions of interest are invited for Between Dissent and Professionalisation: Debating Artist-Led Self-Organisation; an upcoming conference and exhibition project in November 2026 on global artist-led(*) practices and organising, to be held at Exhibition Research Lab Gallery (Liverpool School of Art and Creative Industries). The project is co-organised by James Schofield (Liverpool John Moores University), Dave Beech (University of the Arts, London), Jason E. Bowman, (HDK-Valand Academy, University of Gothenburg) and Julie Crawshaw (Northumbria University).  

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Conference: 28th – 29th November 2026  

Exhibition: 27th November 2026 – 26th March 2027 

(The conference will coincide with the opening of the exhibition.) 

Is self-organisation capable of still being a critical and challenging force? If so, in what contexts and in what conditions, and via what strategies and models of organising, and with whom? What factors condition the current state of play of the artist-led? How – or not – do these correspond to previous narratives and lineages? How may these be mapped and discussed?

Via a conference and exhibition, Between Dissent and Professionalisation: Debating Artist-Led Self-Organisation asks: how are practitioners engaging in forms of self-organisation in a contemporary era of globalisation and network culture, set against a backdrop of ongoing neoliberal crisis? What happens to artist-led self-organisation after the era of curatorial managerialism and artistic ‘professionalisation’? 

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Focusing on artist-led practices and self-organising the project will be based around two main themes: 

1: Histories of the artist-led. 

2: Contemporary conditions of the artist-led after 2007 (global financial crisis). 

The following subjects will be explored: 

• Global genealogies of the artist-led. What are the marginalised histories of the artist-led that need to be attended to in supporting us to understand its current conditions and future concerns?
• The artist-led as an expanded form of artistic practice. What constitutes the artist-led as a practice, and can it even be defined as such?
• Artist-led intersectionality. How does the artist-led practice intersectionality as opposed to understanding it as a rhetorical lens? How do working class artists, those from global majority backgrounds, or those from minority groups self-organise to provide their own infrastructures to sustain their practices and communities?
• Methods of organising. How does the artist-led organise now; what are its current strategies and tactics; are these responsive and/or generative – and to what? Has the collective dimension of self-organisation survived within or alongside the tendency for artists to become organisers, curators and leaders?
• Methodologies of organising. Traditionally associated with collective resources such as studios, magazines, galleries and workshops, how have artist-led methodologies expanded in recent decades, including building art schools, artist-led economies, etc.?
• The artist-led and the curatorial. How has the establishment of a curatorial managerial strata transformed what it means for artists to self-organise? Which practices of artist-led self-organisation adapt to, or advance, the curatorial condition and which don’t?
• Economisation. How do funding/financing models and alternative economies impact on ‘alternative’ creative cultures amidst neoliberal power structures? How do changes in the economics of real estate impact the ability of artists to live and work independently and collectively? 

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The project will be organised collaboratively between the co-organisers and participants. In keeping with the ethos of solidarity and community within the histories of artist-led practices, it will be organised as horizontally as possible, with clear communication, honesty and transparency as a framework. 

Conference:
The co-organisers are willing to consider a broad range of formats ranging from conventional academic papers (max. 20 minutes, excluding Q&A), concepts for dialogic sessions around a selected theme (max. 1 hour including Q&A, for three or more people – these may be organised when we know who may be present), to provocations (max. 15 minutes, excluding Q&A), to workshops (between 1-3 hours max.). We are keen to read expressions of interest outside of these formats and reserve the right to suggest an alternative format to the one you propose (e.g. we may find possible panels within the proposals). Both in-person and online proposals will be considered.

Exhibition:
The premise of the exhibition is to map the artist-led in relation to its changing socio-political and economic circumstances. The diverse contexts that condition the artist-led are not always visible in the practices themselves, but are necessary for the ways in which it has been catalysed and constituted. The exhibition will therefore document the practices that it displays. For this reason, we wish to determine how an exhibition format can be motivated towards the framing and mediation of the artist-led as a practice, especially in terms of how it organises, what it organises, and whom it organises for. Proposals should focus on propositions that take these factors into account. We welcome experimental approaches to such mapping across different media. Whilst we will consider proposed artworks, these should speak directly to this premise.   

Finance:
For either or both parts of the project we can offer a single nominal and total flat fee for participants of £300. Unfortunately, we are currently unable to finance travel and accommodation outside of this fee. On acceptance of proposals we can offer formal letters of acceptance and invitations that may help you gain further funding from within academic institutions, or via external funding sources. For the exhibition we cannot, outside of the fee, further finance shipping, customs and excise, or taxation (including due to Brexit). We will, however, accept proposals for 2D or 3D contributions that can be digitally/physically printed from files and video projects that can be downloaded. We can advise on contributions, such as ephemera, being physically delivered or mailed to the exhibition site prior to installation.  

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To submit an expression of interest, please include the following information in a single PDF: 

• Name, contact email address, phone number and country. 

• State whether you are expressing an interest in presenting at the conference/or exhibiting, or both. 

• Provide a brief definition of the artist-led that informs your proposal (100 words max.). 

• Up to 500-word abstract outlining your potential contribution(s) and the format(s) it/they would take. 

• A single piece of writing no longer than 2 pages and/or a visual portfolio of up to 4 pages, or links to 4 relevant audio/video files or a single website.

Expressions of interest will be screened by the co-organisers and assessed on their relevance to the themes and main subject areas, in relation to the other submissions, and how they would/could inform the conference and/or exhibition. 

Unsuccessful expressions of interest will be held on file (unless requested otherwise by the person/group submitting them) for future developments and iterations of the project where more collaborators could be invited. 

All expressions of interest will be responded to.    

Please send all expressions of interest to James Schofield ( J.P.Schofield@ljmu.ac.uk ) by no later than 5pm (GMT) on Friday 24th April 2026. 

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(*The project welcomes other terminologies relevant to specific geographic locations such as artist-run, artist-run initiatives, self-organised, independent, alternative, etc. alongside the use of ‘artist-led’.)

(Image credit: Dave Beech, ‘Forms of Artist Self-Organisation’, 2023.)

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