ARTIST CALL OUT: The Feminist Lecture Program Summer Exhibition Program at Nunhead Cemetery 2025
The Feminist Lecture Program with support from Friends of Nunhead Cemetery is seeking female, non-binary and trans artists to take part in a Feminist Exhibition Program this summer in South East London, with accompanying educational program.
We’d like to preface this call-out by acknowledging the amount of labour that goes into application writing and that such unpaid work is a significant barrier to many. With this in mind, we’ve kept our call-out to what is hopefully an anti-time-consumptive form, asking simply for a bio, images and links in the first round. Please ensure you have read all the details about this opportunity on our website before applying. If you would like any further support, reach out to us at hello@feministlectureprogram.com.
The second round will be an online interview with selected candidates, the questions for which you’ll find below.
There is a £5 application fee that must be paid via the link HERE for your application to be considered. We are an unfunded organisation that relies entirely on donations for our lectures, and at time of writing, we have no specific funding for this project, so this small fee will go some way to covering our administrative costs for running the program.
DEADLINE: Sunday 4th May 2025
ONLINE INTERVIEW FOR INVITED CANDIDATES: Tuesday 6th or Wednesday 7th May 2025
FINAL DECISION: Monday 12th May 2025
We look forward to reading your application!
FULL APPLICATION DETAILS BELOW:
The Feminist Lecture Program with support from Friends of Nunhead Cemetery (more info below), is seeking emerging female, non-binary and trans artists to take part in a Curatorial Program and Exhibition Opportunity this summer in South East London.
Five selected artists will have the opportunity to present a solo exhibition in the unique environment of Nunhead Cemetery Chapel (more info below) with the support of The Feminist Lecture Program, whilst also taking part in a wider program of satellite events across the four months of the program.
The overall program will run from May to mid-September 2025, with the five solo exhibitions taking place from July - September 2025.
Selected artists will receive:
A 1 week exhibition opportunity in the unique environment of Nunhead Cemetery.
Support and promotion from the Feminist Lecture Program throughout the program leading up to the show.
Access to 10 archive lectures of your choice from The FLP Archive.
A studio visit/tutorial with The Feminist Lecture Program director Luisa-Maria MacCormack in the run up to the show.
A private tour of Nunhead Cemetery with Friends of Nunhead Cemetery Director Jeff, exploring the history, ecology, and cultural significance of Nunhead Cemetery in the local area.
A series of three seminars led by our director Luisa exploring themes relating to Nunhead Cemetery (taking place May, June, July).
We also welcome self organisation for additional events and activites from our artist cohort throughout the duration of the program.
Funding Dependent (pending)
A series of three seminars led by the wonderful Kate Pickering around the theme of Spirituality in Contemporary Art
Group crits coordinated by Luisa-Maria MacCormack
What kind of artists are we seeking?
We are seeking artists whose work resonates with the themes of Ecology, Environmentalism, Spirituality and feminism and who are excited to explore these concepts within the context of Nunhead Cemetery (see our section on Nunhead Cemetery below).
We are open to any form of creative practice, from sculpture to performance, as long as it can withstand or work with the elements, including rain, as our exhibition venue within the cemetery (the beautiful ruins of a neo-gothic chapel) is open to the elements.
We are particularly interested in artists who are eager to engage with the space, forge new connections, and grow both personally and professionally through mentorship opportunities.
What do we want you to get from the program?
We’re aiming to gather a Community of like-minded local artists to offer ongoing support after the end of the program. We want to offer artists not just access to the unique space of Nunhead Cemetery, (and of course the expansive Chapel Space for the Solo Show), but a supportive and inclusive environment that will allow you to exchange creative ideas with a cohort of other artists, to evolve and grow your practise and to showcase your work as a solo show but in a group setting, as well as to be part of a network/ongoing relationship.
About Nunhead Cemetery
Nunhead Cemetery is one of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ cemeteries in London, built in the Victorian era as a response to the burgeoning mortuary needs of an increasingly populous london. The cemetery is located in Nunhead in the London Borough of Southwark. By the middle of the 20th century, the cemetery was nearly full and so was abandoned by the United Cemetery Company.
With the ensuing neglect, the cemetery gradually changed from lawn to meadow and eventually to woodland. It is now a Local Nature Reserve and Site of Metropolitan Importance for wildlife, populated with songbirds, woodpeckers and tawny owls. A lack of care and cash surrendered the graves to the ravages of nature and vandalism, but in the early 1980s, the Friends of Nunhead Cemetery was formed to renovate and protect the cemetery. Read more about Nunhead Cemetery here.
About The Feminist Lecture Program
The Feminist Lecture Program is a Cultural Program founded in 2018, which provides an open-source, university-level Gender Studies program at a pay-what-you-can price. Together, we aim to level the academic playing field and offer everyone access to university-quality gender studies.
On a weekly basis, we invite different lecturers from all over the world to take the stage each Monday evening (via Zoom) to explore topics from Witchcraft, Ecofeminism, Feminist Art History, Women in STEM, Female Neurodiversity, Decolonisation, Sex Positivity, and many many more.
Our classes are all Pay-What-You-Can, which means that students can donate as little as £1 to attend the program, 7 days of recording access is included with every ticket, and the sessions can be accessed anywhere in the world with an internet connection.
In our four years, we and our director Luisa-Maria MacCormack have been hosted by and worked with incredible institutions such as The Vagina Museum, Dulwich Picture Gallery, the National Gallery, Tate, Harper's Bazaar, the BBC, Channel 4 and many more. We have hosted groundbreaking speakers at the tops of their fields, including Jennifer Higgie, Hettie Judah, Vex Ashley and Joanna Ebenstein to name but a few.
We believe that supporting underrepresented groups in the arts is one of the most important things we can do to help shift the balance in the fight against the rising tides of misogyny worldwide, and we’re excited to work with emerging artists who share our vision.
Application Questions
ROUND ONE - SHORT APPLICATION FORM we are asking a £5 DONATION to be considered for this opportunity, we are entirely self funded and have received no extra funding or support to curate this program.
ROUND TWO (SELECTION-BASED) - ONLINE INTERVIEWS:
We wanted to provide all applicants with interview questions to consider in advance. Following the first round of the selection process, these are the questions that selected artists will be asked via the online interview.
Why would you like to participate in this opportunity?
(What would you like to achieve during the program or gain from the experience? Why would this opportunity benefit you now?)How do you envision using the space of Nunhead Cemetery, and the Chapel in particular?
(We really want to understand the innovative and unusual ways in which your work might interact with the unique exhibition environment. This does not have to be set in stone, as we are aware that plans may shift throughout the course of the program and any research you might undertake in response to the cemetery. You might draw on previously exhibited work as long as it is somehow recontextualised to explore the environment of the cemetery, or consider new ideas that you have.)How does your work align with the ethos of the project and The Feminist Lecture Program?
Are there any events you might like to run during the run of your show?
(This could be a screening, panel discussion, dance performance, supper club, we’re entirely open to ideas and want to explore as many ways as possible to activate this incredible venue. We will also provide the relevant support needed to make these ideas happen)
Other Questions to Consider
Would you be looking at getting funding to support you with this opportunity? We are happy to provide you with references etc.
Preference for weeks for show July-September 2025 (we cannot guarantee you will be able to choose your weeks but we will do our best to work around everyone’s schedules)
Who is eligible to Apply?
We are seeking applications from female, non-binary and trans artists for this opportunity.
You do not need to be an established artist in order to be considered for this opportunity, we are seeking artists who are excited to work with us on this program and welcome applications from any age group and career level.
We welcome submissions from artists who align with our core Feminist Lecture Program values of inclusivity and intersectionality.
Priority will be given to artists in the local area of South East London but we are open to applications from further afield.
Priority will also be given to artists from the global majority, Black, Immigrant and low income backgrounds.
What you need to provide/guarantee
Public Liability Insurance - this is easy to get through CuratorSpace and is useful to have for future shows.
Promotional Materials
Attendance to all mandatory dates in the program, excepting cases of illness etc -
All works shown are entirely at the risk of the participating artist, FLP/FONC take no responsibility for loss or damage
Artists will invigilate their own shows or organise volunteers to do so with the help of FLP
Artists are responsible for any damage incurred during their tenureship of the chapel
Exhibition Conditions/Things to be Aware Of
ACCESS
FLP will organise a time for each artist to liaise with the directors of FONC who are kindly hosting the program to pick up keys on the week of their installation
INSTALLATION GUIDELINES
The artist is responsible for the installation of and maintenance of all works in the show,
Due to the delicate nature of the Chapel and its heritage, you are NOT able to damage the walls in any way.
Lightweight works may be installed on a few pre-existing iron nails, but any other pieces will have to be floor based. We think this is an interesting curatorial boundary and offers an opportunity to think about some creative and unusual ways to curate your show!
WEATHER
All works shown in the chapel MUST be weatherproof
This is due to the fact that there is no roof on the chapel which makes it an exceptionally beautiful place, but probably not suitable for paintings or works on paper
POWER
There are only two power points in the chapel, so for any work requiring electricity this must be taken into account, as must the weather conditions.
PRIVATE VIEW
Private Views are also organised at the whim of the British Summer Time, and will very much be weather dependent although they are welcome to go ahead in the rain!
Artists are responsible for organising and promoting their own PV (FLP will of course offer support and any assistance needed)
Artists are responsible for providing their own refreshments/alcohol at the Private View
Artists must exit the cemetery no later than 9pm on the evening of the Private View, although they are welcome to move the celebration to a local pub
PROMOTION
FLP can offer assistance in organising Private Views and will have a poster/leaflets printed and help with some promotion, but the artist will be primarily responsible for sending their own invites, promotion putting up posters and distributing printed media.
FLP will promote the artist throughout the course of the program and we will need to work with artists who are comfortable with us promoting their work.
If you would like any further support or require this application form in a different format, feel free to reach out to us at hello@feministlectureprogram.com