Wysing's new studio building

WYSING ARTS CENTRE is a research and development centre for the visual arts set in 11 acres of rural Cambridgeshire. Wysing was established in 1989 and completed a £1.7million capital development project in 2008. The centre has 10 separate buildings including studio buildings, specialist new media facilities, a large gallery, education facilities and a 17^th century farmhouse.

Wysing exists to support artists to maintain their careers, as artists, and explore new ways of working together and with audiences. Artists occupy studios for up to three years, of which there are 24 artists at any one time. They are offered individual professional development programmes that include career review meetings, support with seeking funding and access to networks.

To support artists in the Eastern region to develop strong networks and contacts, Wysing has developed a unique partnership with the Royal College of Art’s MA in Contemporary Curating; to deliver a series of themed artistic retreats over two years. The retreats are funded through Arts Council England East’s pioneering talent development programme Escalator.

Wysing launched a trading arm, Wysing Arts Contemporary (WAC), in 2009. The initiative profiles regionally based artists within a curated programme of selling exhibitions at Wysing, presents work at international art fairs which in 2009 included ZOO, and supports new ways of collecting art collectively; Wysing currently manages two collectives of collectors - a group of individuals and a corporate collective.

Wysing fundraises to offer international residencies that support artists to make ambitious new work and explore new ways of working. Recent residency artists have included Folke Köbberling and Martin Kaltwasser, Christodoulos Panayiotou, FREEE, Luca Frei, Celine Conderelli, and A Kassen. All residencies are thematically linked, in 2009 the theme was Generosity and in 2010 it was the Year of the Improbable. Many residencies include the active participation of local residents in their production. The programme is currently funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

During 2011 Wysing Arts Centre presents THE INSTITUTE OF BEYOND; a series of twelve artists’ residencies based within 3 research departments each lasting six weeks and culminating in a public presentation. The institute is an informal educational model, experimenting with methods of artistic research and production. Three departments have been created within the institute focusing on wrong answers, psychedelic studies and overlooked histories. The form the institute takes is actively defined by the work produced by participating artists, researchers and practitioners whilst on the residency.

We recommend checking that we are open before travelling any distance. Otherwise, please sign up to our e-bulltin to receive regular updates on our activities. Contact our reception if you require further details on access to Wysing Arts Centre on 01954 718 881.