LGBT History Month Drop-in with Queer Kernow CIC
Queer Kernow’s collection is coming to Bodmin!
Come chat with us on the 5th February at IntoBodmin, 11am-2pm.
Delve into the archives of Cornwall’s LGBTQIA+ past, from leafing through the ‘Outback: Newsletter for Lesbians in Cornwall and the Far South West’, to learning about Bodmin’s own LGBTQIA+ past.
We will also have some creative materials for you to make your own protest badge, draw a zine or share a story.
The artist SHARP will be in residency at IntoBodmin on February 4th and 5th, researching Bodmin’s LGBTQIA+ history, with a special focus on The Bethany Project, which was a HIV Respite Home that opened in the 1990’s in Bodmin
SHARP is currently working on a new art installation for the KOMPAS project in collaboration with Queer Kernow. During this time, SHARP is looking to record local LGBTQIA+ voices, sharing their dreams and aspirations, which will be included in the installation.
If you would like to be a part of the project and be recorded please get in touch by emailing SHARP – theartistsharp@gmail.com. or pop by intoBodmin on those dates.
Call for Artists for KOMPAS project by Queer Kernow and Decoder Art
Who: LGBTQIA+ Cornwall based artists with experience of working on commissions and public projects.
Payment: £2,500 artist fee plus materials and travel
When:
5 February (midnight) – deadline for applications
10 February – shortlist interviews begin
18- 20st February – Initial artist residency period at Kresen Kernow (attendance in person essential)
Duration of the project
Project starts 18th February 2025
Project ends August 2025
Completed artworks by July 2025
Timeline and what’s expected for the project will be discussed at interview.
Details:
Queer Kernow and Decoder Art are pleased to welcome Cornwall based LGBTQIA+ artists to apply for two new commissions as part of the Kompas project. Kompas is a new art and heritage project that connects Cornwall’s rich and diverse LGBTQ+ history with newly commissioned site-specific artworks by LGBTQ+ artists and a new interactive online map. KOMPAS, which is named after an old Cornish word for “compass,” aims to link different geographic areas of Cornwall and provides new and innovative ways to learn about and navigate its LGBTQ+ history.
The first phase of KOMPAS will focus on specific histories including The Bethany Project, which was an HIV Respite Home that opened in the 1990’s in Bodmin, and also the Outback Newsletter for lesbians in Cornwall and the far South West. We encourage artists to further explore these histories with the support of Queer Kernow using existing archives and materials, but Queer Kernow is also open to other ideas around Queer histories relating to Bodmin and West Penwith.
Artists must be available for an initial residency at Kresen Kernow 18- 20st February 2025 during which you will be supported to further explore your ideas, connect with the other artists on the project and access research materials. There is an additional materials and travel budget that will be discussed during the initial meeting at Kresen Kernow. Each artist will create an artwork that is specific to the history and location they are exploring. Lead artist SHARP will support artists to develop artworks that both signpost the Queer histories and are accessible to the public. The project is open to a wide range of mediums. We are especially interested in responsive ideas and new ways of visualising our Queer histories so that they may be more visible and appeal to a wider public.
Location:
The selected artists must be able to travel to project locations in Bodmin and Sancreed. Support will be available if travelling to hard to reach sites.
Further details:
Queer Kernow is a non-profit community project based in the heart of Cornwall. Our goal is to act as a conduit for LGBT history in our local area: partnering with local museums and archives to research this facet of Cornwall’s past and share the stories we uncover. We want to challenge intolerance through education and outreach, connect Cornwall’s current LGBTQ community with their past, and celebrate the rich, fascinating world of queer Cornish history — all the way from prehistory to the present day.
Decoder Art is a Queer Visual Art project based in Penzance led by artists SHARP and Ro Robertson which started as a Queer artist led space in Manchester in 2012. Decoder have produced educational materials for major exhibitions including Arts Council Collection Partnership Programme exhibition SEEN at Newlyn Art Gallery and The Exchange as well as delivering sessions for Intercom Trust’s Gathering events and have commissioned artists to collaborate on ‘Queers to the Front’ which gave Penzance Prom a taste of the New York vogue ball scene.
Apply:
Please submit an expression of interest outlining your interest in the project, its relevance to your artistic practice and some details about any similar projects you have worked on previously. You do not have to have worked on a commission in exactly the same way as this project, but you must demonstrate an ability to work to a schedule, share ideas, to develop research driven projects and to create and exhibit new and engaging art works.
Email your expression of interest as either text (500 words maximum) or video (5 minutes maximum) along with your CV and either a link to a website or Instagram or a PDF of images of your artwork (10 maximum)
Email – research@queerkernow.co.uk
KOMPAS Project
We are excited to announce KOMPAS our new art and heritage project that connects Cornwall’s rich and diverse LGBTQ+ history with newly commissioned site-specific artworks by LGBTQ+ artists and a new interactive online map.
We are pleased to have received an Arts Council England National lottery project grant and an additional Feast small grant for our project KOMPAS
KOMPAS, which is named after an old Cornish word for “compass,” aims to link different geographic areas of Cornwall and provides new innovative ways to learn about and navigate its LGBTQ+ history.
The first phase of KOMPAS will focus on specific histories related to Bodmin in North Cornwall and West Penwith. For KOMPAS Queer Kernow is collaborating with DECODER Arts CIC and creative producer and lead artist SHARP. We are also partnering with local organisations in each area, including intoBodmin and Kresen Kernow, to connect our research with community events and workshops.
In January 2025, we will issue a call-out for applications for two paid artist commissions. The selected artists will have the opportunity to spend time as artists-in-residence in the areas, working alongside lead artist SHARP to create new site-specific artworks inspired by local queer history.
Throughout 2025, there will be exciting opportunities for people to be a part of the project.
To stay updated on the project, please sign up for our mailing list.
