Reader Residency 2025 Open Call

Deadline 11:59pm Tuesday 22nd of April

Market Gallery is excited to announce a third iteration of our Reader Residency, a funded opportunity for an artist or researcher based in the Glasgow area. The residency invites you to take our Resource Library as a starting point, to explore how its collection could be activated in conversation with your own research or practice.

About the Resource Library —->

Founded in 2021, The Resource Library is a small lending library home to a growing collection of books, including writing and artists’ publications on anti-racism, solidarity across global movements, anti-carceral justice, world-building, disability and access, cultural theory and ecology. The library grows in tandem with the committee’s ongoing research interests and in collaboration with the artists we work with, acting as a programming tool, educational resource, and community space where learning and conversation can take place. The current catalogue can be found here. Previous artists that have participated in the Reader Residency include Harvey Dimond (2024) and Zoë Charlery (2023).

More about the opportunity —->

The selected artist or collective will receive: 

• A fee of £1400 for the residency itself (based on SAU New Graduate Residency Rates) to support the development of their practice in the Resource Library.
• An additional fee of £226.40 (SAU New Graduate Day Rate) and a materials budget of £80 for the delivery of a public sharing event. 
• Market Gallery will also provide technical and administrative support, refreshments and documentation for the event outwith this. 

The duration of the residency is 10 days, spread flexibly across June 2025. The public sharing event will take place in August 2025. 

The purpose of the residency is to offer the opportunity to research, create and interact with the Library. The Market Gallery Committee will be in dialogue with the artist or researcher throughout the residency, offering feedback, support and conversation. This residency is an invitation to reflect on work that has come before and to open up new discussions around the importance of reading through this time of environmental, social, political, and creative apocalypses.

The residency will culminate in a public event at Market Gallery, providing an opportunity to share your practice, research, or other work related to the Resource Library.

The Library is currently located in our space at 13 Ross Street, and while we encourage working in the space, this is not a requirement.

Please note that this residency opportunity does not include accommodation. 

Criteria and selection process —->

This Residency is suitable for someone based in the Glasgow area with a research-based practice interested in exploring creative and accessible ways of disseminating knowledge.

The successful applicant will be selected by the Market Gallery committee members on the basis of the applicant’s research interests and artistic practice.

We strongly encourage applications from people who are LGBTQIA+, global majority*, living with disabilities, and from working class or low socio-economic backgrounds.

Please note that we cannot accept applications from those enrolled in full-time education. 

*People who are Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and/or have been racialised as ‘ethnic minorities’.* from: Global Majority; Decolonising the language and Reframing the Conversation about Race

Accessibility —->

We have an allocated budget of £500 to contribute towards access (for example, travel, childcare, support worker).

Market Gallery is located at Many Studios in a wheelchair accessible space, with an accessible and gender neutral toilet. The space is quiet, spacious and bright and is equipped with a kettle, table and chair. There is also a communal kitchen with a fridge and microwave, which is wheelchair accessible through a separate door. Please note the space will be shared with the Market Gallery Team on Mondays and Wednesdays and we can’t always guarantee the artist an exclusive use of the space or access to a separate quiet room on these days. 

How to apply: —->

1. Fill in the application form here, answering the following questions:

• Tell us about your artistic practice and research interests. What are you excited about at the moment? (300 words max)
• Why is this a good time for you to undertake this residency? How would this support the development of your practice? (300 words max)
• Provide 3-5 items that support your application (more details on the form). These could be examples of previous work or work in progress. Sound files and videos can be linked in the PDF and should not exceed 3 minutes each. Text-based pieces or writing should be under 500 words. You can identify an extract of longer works for us to consider.

2. Complete an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Monitoring form
For further information about the residency, or if you would like to submit in an alternative application format such as a video or audio, please contact us at: market@marketgallery.org