Gathering: OPEN CALL

Overview

GATHERING 

Gathering is a meeting point, a community common and a resource exchange. A place where University of the Arts London students can connect, create, and contribute to a shared understanding of student support needs. We seek to encourage open dialogue that helps us learn about and respond to the evolving needs of students in arts education today. 

We recognise that arts students navigate unique challenges in their creative and academic journeys. We're interested in understanding what meaningful support looks like specifically for arts students at UAL. What resources, systems, and communities enable students to fully engage with their education and creative practice? What specific needs arise in the context of arts education that might be overlooked in broader conversations? 

Through this creative exchange, we'll explore the unique landscape of student support needs through collaborative activities, artistic expression, and community dialogue. Our goal is to map what meaningful support looks like for those studying art and design in the UK today. 

To focus our initial exploration, we're examining three interconnected areas: 

• Sustenance & Nourishment (food security, communal eating) 

• Creative Materials & Resources (clothing, textiles, art supplies) 

• Financial Hardship (navigating costs specific to arts education & studying in London) 

We're asking: What does essential support look like for arts students today? What provisions currently exist? What gaps need addressing? How can both the University and Arts Students' Union better support students in navigating these challenges? 

Exhibition Open Call: What Sustains You? 

As part of "Gathering" we invite UAL students to contribute works that explore what sustains your creative practice and wellbeing as an arts student. 

Your contribution could address: 

• What resources are essential to your practice? 

• How do you navigate material or financial constraints? 

• What systems of support have you created or discovered? 

• What barriers have you encountered in accessing what you need? 

Submissions can take any form - from textiles to recipes, photography to installation, written word to zines - that reflect your experience of navigating needs as an arts student. 

Selected works will be featured in our Gathering Space at The Bomb Factory in Holborn and help inform Arts SU's research on student support needs. 

Please make sure to read the application guidance before submitting your application.

Deadline for applications: Sunday 13th April 2025

Exhibition dates: 7th – 11th May 2025  

Location: The Bomb Factory, 99 Kingsway, London WC2B 6QX

APPLY HERE!