Apply for a fully funded Castlefield Gallery Associates Membership

Posted on 11 February 2026

Deadline for submissions: Friday 20th March 2026, 12 noon.

We are pleased to announce our 2026 Open Call for Funded Castlefield Gallery Associates Memberships.

30 new 12-month memberships will be awarded to early-career artists. 25 of these memberships will be allocated to artists living in the North West of England, and 5 memberships for individuals living and/or working in the wider North of England.

This programme is made possible through the generous support of The Fenton Arts Trust alongside our core funders Manchester City Council and Arts Council England.

What is Castlefield Gallery Associates?

Castlefield Gallery Associates is a membership scheme for artists, writers and independent creatives working in contemporary art.

The scheme provides members with information and activities designed to strengthen your artistic practice and support your career development. Members gain access to a wide range of opportunities, resources and professional activities tailored specifically for artists.

As a Castlefield Gallery Associate, you’ll receive regular information, artist-focused workshops, skill-building sessions and development opportunities. You can also share and promote your work through the gallery’s digital platforms, and at certain times apply for access to Castlefield Gallery New Art Spaces alongside other members-only initiatives.

At its core, Castlefield Gallery Associates is a hub for creative practitioners. A space for critical exchange, peer connection, and meaningful engagement amongst artists operating in the North West and beyond.

We host monthly events for members, both in-person and online, shaped directly by the needs, requests and interests of our artist community.

Who Are We Looking to Support?

We are currently growing the membership offer and are keen to support artists and creatives who identify with one or more of the following:

Being from a low socio-economic background
Disabled or with a long-term health condition
Being from the Global Majority
Being neurodiverse

Please note: funded places are limited and we wish to prioritise those who are currently on a low income who could not otherwise afford to participate in the programme. Please consider whether the £5 monthly membership fee would be affordable for you before applying.

If you are currently a Castlefield Gallery Associate you can still apply for a funded place. If successful we will extend your current membership for 12 months.

What You’ll Have Access To:

Workshops & talks centred on creative professional development
One-to-one advisory sessions with Castlefield Gallery Directors
Talks with visiting artists, writers & curators
Opportunity to apply for the annual Castlefield Gallery Associates Members Exhibition
Opportunity to access our New Art Spaces scheme, which provides temporary work or project space to artists when we have availability
A Members-only resource page with tailored content
Regular mail-outs listing current & upcoming opportunities for creatives
A chance to apply to open call opportunities that are at times made only accessible to Castlefield Gallery Associates
10% discount at Fred Aldous
Limited complimentary tickets to attend Castlefield Gallery paid events

Our fully funded Associate places are a key part of Castlefield Gallery’s commitment to supporting artists, building creative communities – and making new art happen.

How To Apply

Fill out the online form below.

The form asks for brief personal information as to why you feel you would benefit from joining the scheme at this moment in time.

A pdf version of the form is available to download HERE

Or, you can write your answers in your own document.

We kindly request applicants complete an Equality Monitoring Form which is anonymised and can be completed here

Please send your PDF to associates@castlefieldgallery.co.uk by 12 noon, Friday 20th March 2026. Make sure that your subject heading is clearly marked as “Application to Fully Funded Castlefield Gallery Associates Membership”.

Please note that we cannot accept late or incomplete applications.

We will contact everyone who applied by Friday 3rd April 2026. Please note that we are unable to offer feedback.

Access

If you have any access requirements that could be a barrier to applying or taking part in the opportunity and you wish to explore access accommodations, please contact our Gallery & Volunteer Coordinator Kacey Stonnell at associates@castlefieldgallery.co.uk or on 0161 832 8034.

Our Selection Panel

Castlefield Gallery team members Matthew Pendergast and Kacey Stonnell will be joined by two current Castlefield Gallery Associates members, who also happen to be featured in our upcoming exhibition programme:

Deeqa Ismail

(b. 1988, Hargeisa, Somalia). Deeqa Ismail is a Somali-British artist and curator based in Stockport, Manchester. Working across printmaking, sound, video, and installation, her practice explores memory, speculative ecology, and the repetition of erased or hidden histories, often drawing on family archives. She has exhibited at HOME, Manchester; Numbi Arts at the Whitechapel Gallery; Cross Lane Projects, London; and Agora Collective, Berlin. She has also curated research-led exhibitions and artists’ book projects in London and Berlin. Recent projects include the 7th annual show How to be in the Future at the Salon for a Speculative Future (SFASF), Chisenhale Art Place, London, and research and translation for the Austrian documentary Unrecognized – The Untold Story of Somaliland (2022). Her work engages with hybrid identity, intergenerational histories, and the creation of spaces for reflection, imagination, and community.

Steve Sutton

Rooted in his farming background, Steve Sutton’s practice is shaped by a close physical relationship with the land and a deep respect for nature. The practical skills he developed on the farm – cutting, constructing, and working with wood and other materials – have evolved into a sculptural language reflecting both resilience and fragility. Sutton works across three interconnected forms: sculpture, two-dimensional works, and ephemeral installations. His sculptures, carved and assembled for both galleries and outdoor settings, engage directly with space and environment. Two-dimensional works in charcoal, pen, and paint explore tension and balance, while ephemeral installations – temporary arrangements of natural and discarded materials – exist briefly, documented before dispersal. Sustainability underpins Sutton’s practice: recycled and responsibly sourced materials are used within a low-carbon approach. Projects such as his outdoor sculptures for the 40th anniversary of Lindow Man’s discovery connect climate crisis with history, landscape and myth. He is a Castlefield Gallery Associate and a member of the Spark artists network.

Matthew Pendergast, Castlefield Gallery Head of Programmes

As curator Matthew works with regional, national and international artists at all stages of their careers. He regularly provides artist mentoring and has appeared on various judging panels. In the past he has worked for Chinese Art Centre (now esea contemporary), Urbis, and Contact, he has delivered various funded projects such as: Hankering for Classification, New Art Spaces: Federation House (2014) co-curated with Elizabeth Wewiora; Rule of Three, Islington Mill (2013) co-curated with Jeni Holt Wright; in 2011 he completed a Curatorial Residency at 501 Art Space, Chongqing, China. He has an MA in Contemporary Curating from Manchester School of Art and in 2023 attended the London Critical Theory Summer School at Birkbeck University. Matthew feels one of the great advantages of his role at Castlefield Gallery is the opportunity to learn from artists and their work. He believes art works and exhibitions can create much-needed spaces for us to encounter other people’s stories, ideas and experiences with nuance and complexity.

Kacey Stonnell, Castlefield Gallery & Volunteer Coordinator

Kacey is originally from East Lancashire and came to Manchester to study Art History and English Literature, and is now pursuing an MA in Arts Management, Policy and Practice at the University of Manchester. As the Castlefield Gallery & Volunteer Coordinator, Kacey works across multiple facets of the organisation, looking after the volunteers, Castlefield Gallery Associates and supports the other members of the team in the gallery across many projects. Before landing in the gallery world, Kacey was a support worker for adults with autism and worked in charity fundraising. She’s especially passionate about making arts spaces more welcoming and accessible, and loves working on projects that bring in fresh voices and new perspectives.