Grand Union and artist Exodus Crooks invite applications from artists within the West Midlands for ‘Students of Nature’, an alternative/otherwise learning programme.
Alongside Exodus, the group (Students of Nature) will use the city as resource and starting point to experiment with how we can use elements such as earth, water, wind and sun within nature as teachers, to develop new ways of learning together. The project will formulate through a series of learning days using different educational techniques, readings and practices to then develop a series of public lesson plans to share.
We are looking for 4 early career/emerging artists based in the West Midlands. You will have some experience and lots of interest in working in social contexts within participatory, engaged, community and educational practices.
You will be paid 5 days at £200 per day for contributing to the programme, £1000 in total. You will be able to confirm your availability for each session, taking place in different sites across the city over the next 12 months. This will include:
- 4 learning days, consisting of 2-3 hour learning sessions in-situ, exploring different sites across Digbeth and Birmingham, followed by a lunch and a reflective session to capture the learning experience.
- 1 x evaluative day to develop lesson plans for public sharing.
- 1 x public gathering day to develop the conversation further (optional).
The group consists of emerging artists, researching and shaping a new curriculum that responds to the idea/context of ‘The City as a Classroom’.
How to ApplyOpen accordion
To apply, please send in one PDF document:
- An overview of you and your practice, and why you would benefit from involvement in this project (approx. 300 words).
- Confirmation that you are able to attend all of the paid sessions in the programme.
- A weblink or up to 5 images of your practice.
Deadline: Monday, 1 June 2026
Please send applications to info@grand-union.org.uk with the subject heading Students of Nature.
We will review all applications and let you know if you have been selected by Tuesday 16 June.
Access InformationOpen accordion
These learning sessions will be taking place in different locations across the city in several venues. Some of these venues may not be level access, and may involve walking to travel from one location to another.
We want to make this opportunity as accessible as possible, therefore if you have any questions please contact us at info@grand-union.org.uk or call us on 0121 643 9079.
Grand Union has an access budget to ensure that selected artists are supported throughout the programme as needed.
Schedule
Thursday 9 July 2026Open accordion
Initial induction meeting (Online, Zoom), 11am
To meet each other, outline the programme and session content, share resources and reading list.
Thursday 13 August 2026Open accordion
Learning Day 1 (Canal boat, City Centre)
This first session will explore who we are as students of nature. What are our understandings and experiences of learning in today’s context? What does the environment of water teach us? What are the possible emergent learnings, patterns and strategies?
Thursday 8 October 2026Open accordion
Learning Day 2 (Nature site, City Centre)
This second session will focus on ideas of desire paths and freewill. Focusing on the materiality of wood, we will be responding to the season of Autumn and thinking about seasonal changes; what we have gathered and what we are about to lose.
Thursday 21 January 2027Open accordion
Learning Day 3 (Location TBC, Birmingham)
The third session is set within the middle of Winter. We will collectively consider our inner world environments, and how we can create careful approaches for our learning and thinking around loss and grief. How do we make or not make at this in-between seasonal time, and how important is this slower/colder/dead period? Taking place in a communal setting, this session will be indoors.
Thursday 18 March 2027Open accordion
Learning Day 4 (Nature site, Birmingham)
The fourth learning day will be exploring the parallels between Spring, new growth and thinking about ‘What is technology?’; growing and imagining new seeds through surveying, mapping and seeing nature as technology. This session will be outside, looking at nature and city environments.
Thursday 8 April 2027Open accordion
Learning Plans Development (Grand Union)
In this final session, we will reflect upon all of our learning days and start to consider what might be shared and how. How can we design and make public our experiences? What do we leave behind and carry forward?
Thursday 24 June 2027Open accordion
Public Sharing Day (Location TBC)
Bringing the learning together from across all the sessions, we will have a public gathering to invite further conversation and reflections on the context of ‘The City as Classroom’.
