PROFORMA is proud to present COMPASS; a year-long collaborative residency project connecting four visual artists across Norfolk and Greater Manchester. COMPASS will support four visual artists, two from each region, with residencies and exhibitions at Cromer Artspace and Rogue Artists’ Studios from November 2025 to November 2026. The project includes regular mentorship sessions, workshops, and talks, along with introductions to curators, artists and organisations in each region.
Over the year, COMPASS will support the creation of new, critically engaged work by combining coastal, urban and rural perspectives. The project marks a new model for inter-regional artist-led collaboration for PROFORMA, promoting climate-conscious practices and inclusive, community-focused engagement. COMPASS supports a vision of creative practice that is slow, critical and relational, allowing the selected artists time to reflect, experiment and engage deeply with new contexts and communities.
Norfolk Artists Open Call:
We are seeking two visual artists based in Norfolk through an open call from 15th August to 22nd September. The open call is for artists working in any medium and career stage with an interest in collaboration and experimentation. We will host an in person and online session to introduce PROFORMA, COMPASS and answer any further questions artists may have.
Application form – Here
Equal Opportunities Form – Here
Timeline:
1st August to 22nd September: Open Call for two Norfolk based visual artists 1st September: PROFORMA meet up and introduction to COMPASS (Cliftonville, Cromer, 6pm)
15th September: Virtual PROFORMA meet up and introduction to COMPASS (emailto bookaplace)
29th September: Selection of four COMPASS artists (two from Norfolk and two from Greater Manchester)
Artists must be available for the following dates:
Residency part one: 1st – 16th November: Cromer Artspace Residency Residency part two: 28th February – 15th March: Rogue Artists’ Studios
Dates to be confirmed:
September 2026: Exhibition at Rogue Artists’ Studios November 2026: Exhibition at Cromer Artspace
COMPASS Offer Fees and payments: Artist Fee: £2,500
*Travel to and from Cromer Artspace, Cromer
*Travel, to and from Rogue Artists’ Studios, Manchester *Accommodation at the Kate Davies Residency Cottage
Materials budget: £500 each
Mentorship:
December 2025 – November 2026: Monthly virtual professional development sessions and artists meet ups
Additional:
*Access and Working needs support *Publication
*Talks
*Meetings with community groups, artist-led organisations, curators and arts professionals in each region
Application Process:
Submit a completed application – Here
Submit a completed Equal Opportunities Form – Here
Selection Process:
We will announce the selection panel over the coming weeks. We will endeavour to give feedback on all applicants but this may not be possible.
All applicants will be notified by 24th September and selected artists will be confirmed by 29th September.
About Cromer Artspace
We are very happy to be working with Cromer Artspace to host our first residencies in November. Cromer Artspace’s aim is to help the arts in Cromer to grow, develop and
involve more people from across the community. Fundamentally we believe art should be accessible to everybody. They are a charity run by volunteers and display amazing art around the town – on walls where you’d least expect it – and in Artspace on the Prom.
About Rogue Artists’ Studios
We are also very happy to continue our partnership with Rogue Artists’ Studios, who have supported PROFORMA with a number of residencies since 2022. In March 2026, we will use their residency studio and host artists at their Kate Davies Residency Cottage.
Established in 1995, Rogue is an artist-run Community Interest Company providing accessible studio space close to Manchester city centre. Rogue is the largest independent studio group in the North West with more than 85 artists working in 57,000 square feet of space at the former Varna Street school buildings in Openshaw. Studio holders range from recent graduates to established practitioners working in a wide range of disciplines and media including drawing, film and video, illustration, installation, interactive art, painting, performance, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and textiles.
Contact: Chris Bailkoski info@proforma.org.uk www.proforma.org.uk
This project is kindly supported by Arts Council England
