OPEN CALL - Young writers commission

What is this commission?

We’ve made a number of different plans in 2020 for the ‘ODG Assembly’ project which we’ve been unable to realise due to a number of circumstances. All of these plans were based around the idea of an Oriel Davies Gallery youth assembly that supports young people to creatively explore the issues that they care about, develop connections, and use the gallery in new ways.

Commissioned writers will each create a piece of creative writing in response to a different unrealised ODG Assembly activity. The writing will bring these plans to life through imagining how they would have been experienced from the point of view of a young person.

Through this commission we invite you to inhabit these unrealised plans by producing a piece of creative writing that explores what could have happened and what could have been experienced. By doing this we hope to learn about your interests, needs and ambitions and use your work to help shape the future of the ‘ODG Assembly’.

Our plans have been postponed, but there’s still potential to be explored by you and your writing.

Project background

‘ODG Assembly’ is a project that designer Hefin Jones has been developing in 2020 with Oriel Davies Gallery as part of his Craftspace residency. Craftspace is a partner organisation to Oriel Davies Gallery for the residency and the work produced during this writers commission will form part of ‘ODG Assembly’ project and Craftspace touring exhibition titled ‘We are Commoners’ - a national touring exhibition and festival focusing on the theme of craft and the commons.

All commissioned writers will have their work credited across the exhibition, print copies and website.

Who is this commission open to?

Anybody aged 18 - 25 that is based in Powys and interested in developing their writing through this project.

We welcome interest from all levels of experience, from people that have just started to those that have been writing for a while, or those that have had shared their writing publicly to those that have always kept it private.

We are particularly interested in hearing from people who are underrepresented in current arts and culture. This includes, but is not limited to, writers of colour, disabled writers, LGBTQIA+ and non-binary writers, and working-class writers.

How to apply?

If you would like to apply, please email ODGTeam@OrielDavies.org with your contact details (name, age and area - exact address not necessary), along with an example of your writing in any writing form (fiction, non-fiction, creative, poetry, journalism, scripts, and so on). This example could sent in as text in the email itself, attached as a PDF, or a link to an external site or recording.

The deadline for applications is 5pm, Monday 4th January 2021

If you have any questions, please contact ODGTeam@OrielDavies.org

When are the key dates?

Timeline & Process

5pm, Monday 4th January 2021 - Deadline for applications.

8th January 2021 - All applicants informed of the decisions.

11th January 2021 - Online meet-up between the commissioned writers, Hefin Jones & Oriel Davies staff

1st February 2021 - Deadline for submission of creative writing pieces.

Following the submission of the work from the commissioned writers, Hefin Jones will format everything as part of the exhibition and accompanying publication. It isn’t a requirement of the commission but there will be opportunities for the writers to be involved in this process if they are interested.

Response & Feedback

We will email every person to inform them of the outcome of their application. Due to time commitments we won’t be able to offer feedback on every application, but we will strive to make time if you have any questions about other opportunities at the Oriel Davies Gallery and other projects to get involved in.