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AXIS IS TURNING 35 🎈

As we mark 35 years, we’re putting more directly into artists’ hands!

Because it’s not easy being an artist. Time is limited, income is uncertain, and support is uneven. Too often, support is shaped by systems that don’t start with what you need.

We do something different. We’re independent, led by artists, and funded by our members, not the Arts Council. That means we put resources directly into artists and their work.

So this year, we’re taking action. In 2026, we’ll put more than £70,000 directly into artists’ hands, not as a one off, but as part of how we work.

Head to the link in our bio or visit here to learn more about what we’re doing for our birthday:
https://axisweb.org/blog/axis-is-35

#Axis35

🖼️: Matt Gale @matthew.r.gale, Coventry Biennial, The Row, 2019 (photographed by Jules Lister)

AXIS IS TURNING 35 🎈

As we mark 35 years, we’re putting more directly into artists’ hands!

Because it’s not easy being an artist. Time is limited, income is uncertain, and support is uneven. Too often, support is shaped by systems that don’t start with what you need.

We do something different. We’re independent, led by artists, and funded by our members, not the Arts Council. That means we put resources directly into artists and their work.

So this year, we’re taking action. In 2026, we’ll put more than £70,000 directly into artists’ hands, not as a one off, but as part of how we work.

Head to the link in our bio or visit here to learn more about what we’re doing for our birthday:
https://axisweb.org/blog/axis-is-35

#Axis35

🖼️: Matt Gale @matthew.r.gale, Coventry Biennial, The Row, 2019 (photographed by Jules Lister)

AXIS IS TURNING 35 🎈

As we mark 35 years, we’re putting more directly into artists’ hands!

Because it’s not easy being an artist. Time is limited, income is uncertain, and support is uneven. Too often, support is shaped by systems that don’t start with what you need.

We do something different. We’re independent, led by artists, and funded by our members, not the Arts Council. That means we put resources directly into artists and their work.

So this year, we’re taking action. In 2026, we’ll put more than £70,000 directly into artists’ hands, not as a one off, but as part of how we work.

Head to the link in our bio or visit here to learn more about what we’re doing for our birthday:
https://axisweb.org/blog/axis-is-35

#Axis35

🖼️: Matt Gale @matthew.r.gale, Coventry Biennial, The Row, 2019 (photographed by Jules Lister)

🗣️ Public liability insurance, now up to £15 million
Protection for your work. Support for your practice.

As part of your Axis membership, you’re covered with public liability insurance - helping safeguard you if someone is injured or property is damaged through your art activities. Whether you’re exhibiting, running workshops, working from a studio, or inviting people into your home, it’s there to support you when the unexpected happens.

While not a legal requirement, having this level of cover strengthens your professional standing and gives reassurance to collaborators, venues, and clients alike. It also means you can focus on your work, knowing potential legal and compensation costs are handled.

Comparable cover can start from around £65 a year - but with Axis, it’s included in your Associate Membership, as part of a wider commitment to supporting artists.

Join Axis here: https://buff.ly/t6O6ASE
Find out more about Axis turning 35 here:
https://buff.ly/dnOagSH

#Axis35

🖼️: Matt Gale @matthew.r.gale, Coventry Biennial, The Row, 2019 (photographed by Jules Lister)

🗣️ Public liability insurance, now up to £15 million
Protection for your work. Support for your practice.

As part of your Axis membership, you’re covered with public liability insurance - helping safeguard you if someone is injured or property is damaged through your art activities. Whether you’re exhibiting, running workshops, working from a studio, or inviting people into your home, it’s there to support you when the unexpected happens.

While not a legal requirement, having this level of cover strengthens your professional standing and gives reassurance to collaborators, venues, and clients alike. It also means you can focus on your work, knowing potential legal and compensation costs are handled.

Comparable cover can start from around £65 a year - but with Axis, it’s included in your Associate Membership, as part of a wider commitment to supporting artists.

Join Axis here: https://buff.ly/t6O6ASE
Find out more about Axis turning 35 here:
https://buff.ly/dnOagSH

#Axis35

🖼️: Matt Gale @matthew.r.gale, Coventry Biennial, The Row, 2019 (photographed by Jules Lister)

🗣️ Public liability insurance, now up to £15 million
Protection for your work. Support for your practice.

As part of your Axis membership, you’re covered with public liability insurance - helping safeguard you if someone is injured or property is damaged through your art activities. Whether you’re exhibiting, running workshops, working from a studio, or inviting people into your home, it’s there to support you when the unexpected happens.

While not a legal requirement, having this level of cover strengthens your professional standing and gives reassurance to collaborators, venues, and clients alike. It also means you can focus on your work, knowing potential legal and compensation costs are handled.

Comparable cover can start from around £65 a year - but with Axis, it’s included in your Associate Membership, as part of a wider commitment to supporting artists.

Join Axis here: https://buff.ly/t6O6ASE
Find out more about Axis turning 35 here:
https://buff.ly/dnOagSH

#Axis35

🖼️: Matt Gale @matthew.r.gale, Coventry Biennial, The Row, 2019 (photographed by Jules Lister)

🗣️ We’re launching £35,000 for 35 artists

Our biggest ever awards scheme, offering £1,000 each to support your practice, whether that’s time, research, materials or equipment. Alongside this, three Fellowships offer £4,000 each with tailored development support, and bursaries continue across the year through a simple, accessible process.

Our member-only monthly mentoring brings artists, curators and the Axis team together for honest advice and support. There are also more opportunities to share your work through features, curated projects and publications.

This sits within a bigger year. You’ll see key programmes return, including Back to School and Mental Health for Artists, alongside new work, a new publication, new ways of sharing and supporting artists’ work, and moments to come together in person.

We’re building something collective, where artists support artists, and where membership turns into real, visible support.

Applications open in June. Open to Axis members.

Head to the link in our bio or visit here to learn more about what we’re doing for our birthday:
https://axisweb.org/blog/axis-is-35

#Axis35

🖼️: Matt Gale @matthew.r.gale, Coventry Biennial, The Row, 2019 (photographed by Jules Lister)

🗣️ We’re launching £35,000 for 35 artists

Our biggest ever awards scheme, offering £1,000 each to support your practice, whether that’s time, research, materials or equipment. Alongside this, three Fellowships offer £4,000 each with tailored development support, and bursaries continue across the year through a simple, accessible process.

Our member-only monthly mentoring brings artists, curators and the Axis team together for honest advice and support. There are also more opportunities to share your work through features, curated projects and publications.

This sits within a bigger year. You’ll see key programmes return, including Back to School and Mental Health for Artists, alongside new work, a new publication, new ways of sharing and supporting artists’ work, and moments to come together in person.

We’re building something collective, where artists support artists, and where membership turns into real, visible support.

Applications open in June. Open to Axis members.

Head to the link in our bio or visit here to learn more about what we’re doing for our birthday:
https://axisweb.org/blog/axis-is-35

#Axis35

🖼️: Matt Gale @matthew.r.gale, Coventry Biennial, The Row, 2019 (photographed by Jules Lister)

MEMBER TALK: GWEN JOHN - A dialogue through the archive with Anna Falcini @annafalcini

Join us for our first Member Talk and Q&A as Axis Member Anna Falcini discusses her ongoing dialogue through the archive with the late Welsh artist Gwen John (1876 -1939).

In 2014 Falcini began researching John’s correspondence and notebooks in the National Library of Wales, visiting Paris in a quest to trace John’s footsteps. Returning to the city in 2023, with the support of British Council Wales, she embarked on a new body of work exploring three distinct episodes of John’s life in Paris.

👉 Head to the Axis Community to read more & RSVP: https://community.axisweb.org/c/networking-events/member-talk-gwen-john-a-dialogue-through-the-archive-with-anna-falcini

🎥 This session will be recorded and shared in the 🗝️ Axis Knowledge Base.

🤝 Axis' meet-ups are held according to our 🔗 Community Guidelines. We ask all members to please be considerate of others at all times, mute your mic when others are speaking, and read our guidelines before joining.

MEMBER TALK: GWEN JOHN - A dialogue through the archive with Anna Falcini @annafalcini

Join us for our first Member Talk and Q&A as Axis Member Anna Falcini discusses her ongoing dialogue through the archive with the late Welsh artist Gwen John (1876 -1939).

In 2014 Falcini began researching John’s correspondence and notebooks in the National Library of Wales, visiting Paris in a quest to trace John’s footsteps. Returning to the city in 2023, with the support of British Council Wales, she embarked on a new body of work exploring three distinct episodes of John’s life in Paris.

👉 Head to the Axis Community to read more & RSVP: https://community.axisweb.org/c/networking-events/member-talk-gwen-john-a-dialogue-through-the-archive-with-anna-falcini

🎥 This session will be recorded and shared in the 🗝️ Axis Knowledge Base.

🤝 Axis' meet-ups are held according to our 🔗 Community Guidelines. We ask all members to please be considerate of others at all times, mute your mic when others are speaking, and read our guidelines before joining.

Highlights

1. Preconception, 2026 by Jenny Bradbury @jenny.bradbury75

This work developed from research into how quotidian objects can be used as a representation of self-perception, growth and identity. It was created using wire and thread, representing strength and fragility and symbolises an analogy of the self. Forming part of my BA (Hons) Textile Practice degree at Bradford School of Art 2026, stimulating the audience to consider why we have assumptions and preconceptions and the reasoning behind them.

2. Smile (give us one), 2020 - 2026 by Nick Grellier @nick_grellier

Found work gloves on canvas

3. Upright sculpture - Erection, 2025 by Naty Lopez-Holguin @natylopezholguin

Tumble-dryer fluff.

4. Lipstick Applicator, 2025 by Mia Roberts @miarbrts

A PIR sensor wired to a relay that powers a motor. The work, when looked at, applies lipstick to itself, eventually wearing down from a perfect circle to something clogged, messy and smeared.

Highlights

1. Preconception, 2026 by Jenny Bradbury @jenny.bradbury75

This work developed from research into how quotidian objects can be used as a representation of self-perception, growth and identity. It was created using wire and thread, representing strength and fragility and symbolises an analogy of the self. Forming part of my BA (Hons) Textile Practice degree at Bradford School of Art 2026, stimulating the audience to consider why we have assumptions and preconceptions and the reasoning behind them.

2. Smile (give us one), 2020 - 2026 by Nick Grellier @nick_grellier

Found work gloves on canvas

3. Upright sculpture - Erection, 2025 by Naty Lopez-Holguin @natylopezholguin

Tumble-dryer fluff.

4. Lipstick Applicator, 2025 by Mia Roberts @miarbrts

A PIR sensor wired to a relay that powers a motor. The work, when looked at, applies lipstick to itself, eventually wearing down from a perfect circle to something clogged, messy and smeared.

Highlights

1. Preconception, 2026 by Jenny Bradbury @jenny.bradbury75

This work developed from research into how quotidian objects can be used as a representation of self-perception, growth and identity. It was created using wire and thread, representing strength and fragility and symbolises an analogy of the self. Forming part of my BA (Hons) Textile Practice degree at Bradford School of Art 2026, stimulating the audience to consider why we have assumptions and preconceptions and the reasoning behind them.

2. Smile (give us one), 2020 - 2026 by Nick Grellier @nick_grellier

Found work gloves on canvas

3. Upright sculpture - Erection, 2025 by Naty Lopez-Holguin @natylopezholguin

Tumble-dryer fluff.

4. Lipstick Applicator, 2025 by Mia Roberts @miarbrts

A PIR sensor wired to a relay that powers a motor. The work, when looked at, applies lipstick to itself, eventually wearing down from a perfect circle to something clogged, messy and smeared.

Highlights

1. Preconception, 2026 by Jenny Bradbury @jenny.bradbury75

This work developed from research into how quotidian objects can be used as a representation of self-perception, growth and identity. It was created using wire and thread, representing strength and fragility and symbolises an analogy of the self. Forming part of my BA (Hons) Textile Practice degree at Bradford School of Art 2026, stimulating the audience to consider why we have assumptions and preconceptions and the reasoning behind them.

2. Smile (give us one), 2020 - 2026 by Nick Grellier @nick_grellier

Found work gloves on canvas

3. Upright sculpture - Erection, 2025 by Naty Lopez-Holguin @natylopezholguin

Tumble-dryer fluff.

4. Lipstick Applicator, 2025 by Mia Roberts @miarbrts

A PIR sensor wired to a relay that powers a motor. The work, when looked at, applies lipstick to itself, eventually wearing down from a perfect circle to something clogged, messy and smeared.

Highlights

1. Preconception, 2026 by Jenny Bradbury @jenny.bradbury75

This work developed from research into how quotidian objects can be used as a representation of self-perception, growth and identity. It was created using wire and thread, representing strength and fragility and symbolises an analogy of the self. Forming part of my BA (Hons) Textile Practice degree at Bradford School of Art 2026, stimulating the audience to consider why we have assumptions and preconceptions and the reasoning behind them.

2. Smile (give us one), 2020 - 2026 by Nick Grellier @nick_grellier

Found work gloves on canvas

3. Upright sculpture - Erection, 2025 by Naty Lopez-Holguin @natylopezholguin

Tumble-dryer fluff.

4. Lipstick Applicator, 2025 by Mia Roberts @miarbrts

A PIR sensor wired to a relay that powers a motor. The work, when looked at, applies lipstick to itself, eventually wearing down from a perfect circle to something clogged, messy and smeared.

Axis awards opening soon. Join now.

Axis is 35 this year, so we’re putting £35,000 directly into 35 artists’ hands through the Development Awards.

You need to be an Axis member to apply. Development Awards are open to all active Axis members. The Fellowship is open to Professional Members only.

Artists only need to complete one application and will be considered for all awards they are eligible for.

Join us: https://axisweb.org/join

🖼️: Matt Gale @matthew.r.gale, Coventry Biennial, The Row, 2019 (photographed by Jules Lister)

Axis awards opening soon. Join now.

Axis is 35 this year, so we’re putting £35,000 directly into 35 artists’ hands through the Development Awards.

You need to be an Axis member to apply. Development Awards are open to all active Axis members. The Fellowship is open to Professional Members only.

Artists only need to complete one application and will be considered for all awards they are eligible for.

Join us: https://axisweb.org/join

🖼️: Matt Gale @matthew.r.gale, Coventry Biennial, The Row, 2019 (photographed by Jules Lister)

Axis awards opening soon. Join now.

Axis is 35 this year, so we’re putting £35,000 directly into 35 artists’ hands through the Development Awards.

You need to be an Axis member to apply. Development Awards are open to all active Axis members. The Fellowship is open to Professional Members only.

Artists only need to complete one application and will be considered for all awards they are eligible for.

Join us: https://axisweb.org/join

🖼️: Matt Gale @matthew.r.gale, Coventry Biennial, The Row, 2019 (photographed by Jules Lister)

Axis awards opening soon. Join now.

Axis is 35 this year, so we’re putting £35,000 directly into 35 artists’ hands through the Development Awards.

You need to be an Axis member to apply. Development Awards are open to all active Axis members. The Fellowship is open to Professional Members only.

Artists only need to complete one application and will be considered for all awards they are eligible for.

Join us: https://axisweb.org/join

🖼️: Matt Gale @matthew.r.gale, Coventry Biennial, The Row, 2019 (photographed by Jules Lister)

Axis awards opening soon. Join now.

Axis is 35 this year, so we’re putting £35,000 directly into 35 artists’ hands through the Development Awards.

You need to be an Axis member to apply. Development Awards are open to all active Axis members. The Fellowship is open to Professional Members only.

Artists only need to complete one application and will be considered for all awards they are eligible for.

Join us: https://axisweb.org/join

🖼️: Matt Gale @matthew.r.gale, Coventry Biennial, The Row, 2019 (photographed by Jules Lister)

TONIGHT! MEET & GREET: Performance Artists - Led by Holly Slingsby @hollyslingsby
📆 21st May ⏰ 6.00-7.00pm 👉 RSVP through the link in our bio

Open to members working with performance and live art - and those who are interested in learning more about this. Meet others with shared interests, share ideas, and ask questions. Join us for a friendly and informal chat with your peers.

Holly Slingsby works in performance, video and painting. Her practice explores belief, and examines representations of women and their implications. Her visual language reflects a fascination with iconography, drawing on biblical imagery, mythologies, and contemporary culture. Much of her recent work seeks to convey lived experience of infertility.

👉 Screenshot, save and click the link to RSVP: https://buff.ly/IaITYCk
❌ This event is not recorded

📌 See the 'How to Join a Meet-up' post here for some help if you are unsure how to join: https://community.axisweb.org/c/announcements-updates/how-to-rsvp-and-join-a-member-meet-up

💬 If you have an access requirement that you feel might impacts your ability to attend or take part in this event, please contact emma@axisweb.org in advance, if you feel comfortable doing so

📷: Her Template, 2025, Holly Slingsby - Photo by Marta García Cardellach

TONIGHT! MEET & GREET: Performance Artists - Led by Holly Slingsby @hollyslingsby
📆 21st May ⏰ 6.00-7.00pm 👉 RSVP through the link in our bio

Open to members working with performance and live art - and those who are interested in learning more about this. Meet others with shared interests, share ideas, and ask questions. Join us for a friendly and informal chat with your peers.

Holly Slingsby works in performance, video and painting. Her practice explores belief, and examines representations of women and their implications. Her visual language reflects a fascination with iconography, drawing on biblical imagery, mythologies, and contemporary culture. Much of her recent work seeks to convey lived experience of infertility.

👉 Screenshot, save and click the link to RSVP: https://buff.ly/IaITYCk
❌ This event is not recorded

📌 See the 'How to Join a Meet-up' post here for some help if you are unsure how to join: https://community.axisweb.org/c/announcements-updates/how-to-rsvp-and-join-a-member-meet-up

💬 If you have an access requirement that you feel might impacts your ability to attend or take part in this event, please contact emma@axisweb.org in advance, if you feel comfortable doing so

📷: Her Template, 2025, Holly Slingsby - Photo by Marta García Cardellach

TONIGHT! MEET & GREET: Performance Artists - Led by Holly Slingsby @hollyslingsby
📆 21st May ⏰ 6.00-7.00pm 👉 RSVP through the link in our bio

Open to members working with performance and live art - and those who are interested in learning more about this. Meet others with shared interests, share ideas, and ask questions. Join us for a friendly and informal chat with your peers.

Holly Slingsby works in performance, video and painting. Her practice explores belief, and examines representations of women and their implications. Her visual language reflects a fascination with iconography, drawing on biblical imagery, mythologies, and contemporary culture. Much of her recent work seeks to convey lived experience of infertility.

👉 Screenshot, save and click the link to RSVP: https://buff.ly/IaITYCk
❌ This event is not recorded

📌 See the 'How to Join a Meet-up' post here for some help if you are unsure how to join: https://community.axisweb.org/c/announcements-updates/how-to-rsvp-and-join-a-member-meet-up

💬 If you have an access requirement that you feel might impacts your ability to attend or take part in this event, please contact emma@axisweb.org in advance, if you feel comfortable doing so

📷: Her Template, 2025, Holly Slingsby - Photo by Marta García Cardellach

We’re celebrating Simeon Barclay on his Turner Prize nomination for The Ruin, a spoken-word performance exploring Britishness, class, and masculine identity through the industrial landscape of northern England.

Simeon was commissioned as part of A Class Apart, in which our open call resulted in 13 artists and arts workers reflecting on how class has shaped their lives, practices, and places within the arts sector. We’re sharing his text, ‘Education, Education, Education’ in full in this post. Congratulations Simeon!

👉 To see the full 'A Class Apart' article, head to the link in our bio. Don't forget to download your digital copy at the end of the article!

We’re celebrating Simeon Barclay on his Turner Prize nomination for The Ruin, a spoken-word performance exploring Britishness, class, and masculine identity through the industrial landscape of northern England.

Simeon was commissioned as part of A Class Apart, in which our open call resulted in 13 artists and arts workers reflecting on how class has shaped their lives, practices, and places within the arts sector. We’re sharing his text, ‘Education, Education, Education’ in full in this post. Congratulations Simeon!

👉 To see the full 'A Class Apart' article, head to the link in our bio. Don't forget to download your digital copy at the end of the article!

We’re celebrating Simeon Barclay on his Turner Prize nomination for The Ruin, a spoken-word performance exploring Britishness, class, and masculine identity through the industrial landscape of northern England.

Simeon was commissioned as part of A Class Apart, in which our open call resulted in 13 artists and arts workers reflecting on how class has shaped their lives, practices, and places within the arts sector. We’re sharing his text, ‘Education, Education, Education’ in full in this post. Congratulations Simeon!

👉 To see the full 'A Class Apart' article, head to the link in our bio. Don't forget to download your digital copy at the end of the article!

We’re celebrating Simeon Barclay on his Turner Prize nomination for The Ruin, a spoken-word performance exploring Britishness, class, and masculine identity through the industrial landscape of northern England.

Simeon was commissioned as part of A Class Apart, in which our open call resulted in 13 artists and arts workers reflecting on how class has shaped their lives, practices, and places within the arts sector. We’re sharing his text, ‘Education, Education, Education’ in full in this post. Congratulations Simeon!

👉 To see the full 'A Class Apart' article, head to the link in our bio. Don't forget to download your digital copy at the end of the article!

We’re celebrating Simeon Barclay on his Turner Prize nomination for The Ruin, a spoken-word performance exploring Britishness, class, and masculine identity through the industrial landscape of northern England.

Simeon was commissioned as part of A Class Apart, in which our open call resulted in 13 artists and arts workers reflecting on how class has shaped their lives, practices, and places within the arts sector. We’re sharing his text, ‘Education, Education, Education’ in full in this post. Congratulations Simeon!

👉 To see the full 'A Class Apart' article, head to the link in our bio. Don't forget to download your digital copy at the end of the article!

We’re celebrating Simeon Barclay on his Turner Prize nomination for The Ruin, a spoken-word performance exploring Britishness, class, and masculine identity through the industrial landscape of northern England.

Simeon was commissioned as part of A Class Apart, in which our open call resulted in 13 artists and arts workers reflecting on how class has shaped their lives, practices, and places within the arts sector. We’re sharing his text, ‘Education, Education, Education’ in full in this post. Congratulations Simeon!

👉 To see the full 'A Class Apart' article, head to the link in our bio. Don't forget to download your digital copy at the end of the article!

We’re celebrating Simeon Barclay on his Turner Prize nomination for The Ruin, a spoken-word performance exploring Britishness, class, and masculine identity through the industrial landscape of northern England.

Simeon was commissioned as part of A Class Apart, in which our open call resulted in 13 artists and arts workers reflecting on how class has shaped their lives, practices, and places within the arts sector. We’re sharing his text, ‘Education, Education, Education’ in full in this post. Congratulations Simeon!

👉 To see the full 'A Class Apart' article, head to the link in our bio. Don't forget to download your digital copy at the end of the article!

We’re celebrating Simeon Barclay on his Turner Prize nomination for The Ruin, a spoken-word performance exploring Britishness, class, and masculine identity through the industrial landscape of northern England.

Simeon was commissioned as part of A Class Apart, in which our open call resulted in 13 artists and arts workers reflecting on how class has shaped their lives, practices, and places within the arts sector. We’re sharing his text, ‘Education, Education, Education’ in full in this post. Congratulations Simeon!

👉 To see the full 'A Class Apart' article, head to the link in our bio. Don't forget to download your digital copy at the end of the article!

What does it mean to genuinely put artists first?

For Axis, it means building structures that support artists in practical, long-term ways. Over the last decade, Axis has grown a community where artists share knowledge, support one another, and sustain their practice together. Most of the team are practising artists themselves, shaping the organisation from lived experience rather than distance.

It also means recognising the real value artists bring. In this piece, our Director Mark Smith reflects on why artists should benefit wherever value exists, and how Axis continues to create opportunities rooted in fairness, collaboration, and trust.

👉 Read the full piece here, or click the link in our bio: https://axisweb.org/blog/how-axis-independence-puts-artists-first

📷: Cover photo of Delphi Campbell & Simon Godby - Jules Lister, Umbrella, Cardiff, 2025
Photo by Jules Lister, Social Art Summit, 2018

What does it mean to genuinely put artists first?

For Axis, it means building structures that support artists in practical, long-term ways. Over the last decade, Axis has grown a community where artists share knowledge, support one another, and sustain their practice together. Most of the team are practising artists themselves, shaping the organisation from lived experience rather than distance.

It also means recognising the real value artists bring. In this piece, our Director Mark Smith reflects on why artists should benefit wherever value exists, and how Axis continues to create opportunities rooted in fairness, collaboration, and trust.

👉 Read the full piece here, or click the link in our bio: https://axisweb.org/blog/how-axis-independence-puts-artists-first

📷: Cover photo of Delphi Campbell & Simon Godby - Jules Lister, Umbrella, Cardiff, 2025
Photo by Jules Lister, Social Art Summit, 2018

What does it mean to genuinely put artists first?

For Axis, it means building structures that support artists in practical, long-term ways. Over the last decade, Axis has grown a community where artists share knowledge, support one another, and sustain their practice together. Most of the team are practising artists themselves, shaping the organisation from lived experience rather than distance.

It also means recognising the real value artists bring. In this piece, our Director Mark Smith reflects on why artists should benefit wherever value exists, and how Axis continues to create opportunities rooted in fairness, collaboration, and trust.

👉 Read the full piece here, or click the link in our bio: https://axisweb.org/blog/how-axis-independence-puts-artists-first

📷: Cover photo of Delphi Campbell & Simon Godby - Jules Lister, Umbrella, Cardiff, 2025
Photo by Jules Lister, Social Art Summit, 2018

What does it mean to genuinely put artists first?

For Axis, it means building structures that support artists in practical, long-term ways. Over the last decade, Axis has grown a community where artists share knowledge, support one another, and sustain their practice together. Most of the team are practising artists themselves, shaping the organisation from lived experience rather than distance.

It also means recognising the real value artists bring. In this piece, our Director Mark Smith reflects on why artists should benefit wherever value exists, and how Axis continues to create opportunities rooted in fairness, collaboration, and trust.

👉 Read the full piece here, or click the link in our bio: https://axisweb.org/blog/how-axis-independence-puts-artists-first

📷: Cover photo of Delphi Campbell & Simon Godby - Jules Lister, Umbrella, Cardiff, 2025
Photo by Jules Lister, Social Art Summit, 2018

How Axis's independence puts artists first

For many artists, stability can feel out of reach. Funding structures are unstable, opportunities are uneven, and sustaining a practice often means navigating systems that were never designed with artists’ needs at the centre.

In this new piece, Axis Director Mark Smith reflects on the organisation’s journey from the brink of closure to building an artist-led model rooted in mutual support, fair pay, and long-term sustainability. He shares how choosing autonomy allowed Axis to rethink what support for artists could look like, and why putting artists first continues to shape everything the organisation does.

👉 Screenshot, save and click the link to read the full piece, or head to the link in our bio: https://axisweb.org/blog/how-axis-independence-puts-artists-first

📷: Cover photo of Delphi Campbell & Simon Godby - Jules Lister, Umbrella, Cardiff, 2025
Photo of Buhle Wonder Mbambo by Jules Lister, Art House, 2018

How Axis's independence puts artists first

For many artists, stability can feel out of reach. Funding structures are unstable, opportunities are uneven, and sustaining a practice often means navigating systems that were never designed with artists’ needs at the centre.

In this new piece, Axis Director Mark Smith reflects on the organisation’s journey from the brink of closure to building an artist-led model rooted in mutual support, fair pay, and long-term sustainability. He shares how choosing autonomy allowed Axis to rethink what support for artists could look like, and why putting artists first continues to shape everything the organisation does.

👉 Screenshot, save and click the link to read the full piece, or head to the link in our bio: https://axisweb.org/blog/how-axis-independence-puts-artists-first

📷: Cover photo of Delphi Campbell & Simon Godby - Jules Lister, Umbrella, Cardiff, 2025
Photo of Buhle Wonder Mbambo by Jules Lister, Art House, 2018

How Axis's independence puts artists first

For many artists, stability can feel out of reach. Funding structures are unstable, opportunities are uneven, and sustaining a practice often means navigating systems that were never designed with artists’ needs at the centre.

In this new piece, Axis Director Mark Smith reflects on the organisation’s journey from the brink of closure to building an artist-led model rooted in mutual support, fair pay, and long-term sustainability. He shares how choosing autonomy allowed Axis to rethink what support for artists could look like, and why putting artists first continues to shape everything the organisation does.

👉 Screenshot, save and click the link to read the full piece, or head to the link in our bio: https://axisweb.org/blog/how-axis-independence-puts-artists-first

📷: Cover photo of Delphi Campbell & Simon Godby - Jules Lister, Umbrella, Cardiff, 2025
Photo of Buhle Wonder Mbambo by Jules Lister, Art House, 2018

How Axis's independence puts artists first

For many artists, stability can feel out of reach. Funding structures are unstable, opportunities are uneven, and sustaining a practice often means navigating systems that were never designed with artists’ needs at the centre.

In this new piece, Axis Director Mark Smith reflects on the organisation’s journey from the brink of closure to building an artist-led model rooted in mutual support, fair pay, and long-term sustainability. He shares how choosing autonomy allowed Axis to rethink what support for artists could look like, and why putting artists first continues to shape everything the organisation does.

👉 Screenshot, save and click the link to read the full piece, or head to the link in our bio: https://axisweb.org/blog/how-axis-independence-puts-artists-first

📷: Cover photo of Delphi Campbell & Simon Godby - Jules Lister, Umbrella, Cardiff, 2025
Photo of Buhle Wonder Mbambo by Jules Lister, Art House, 2018

Highlights

1. ANGE(L) Icon version, 2025 by Pascal-Michel Dubois

This piece is inspired by the collaborative work of Karl Herzog & Erich Von Holst on the aerodynamic motion of birds’ wings. It consists in the superposition of a pair of diagrams drawn by Herzog on the subject. The head & tail of the bird have been omitted, and the modified superposition reveals a new diagram representing a very peculiar set of wings where the information from the original diagrams has been “mashed up”.

2. On Substance, 2025 by n:u (melissandre varin) @nu.melissandre.varin

The stool of a chief, a statue used for worship, an ancestor’s image, a pipe with tobacco still in it, a comb, a vessel to contain food.

YOU HIDE ME by Nii Kwate Owoo (1970)

At the border of the land flowing with milk and honey* discourses around acquisition, conservation, patrimony and their definitions that are torn in a personal and global tracing of lineages of substance (ab)use. Staple food elements such as butter and flour - echoing extractivism - are juxtaposed with some of their ancestral, ceremonial, and ritualistic usage. Consumption of culture, gender, spirituality, race, religion, and food is questioned in this offering. With vulnerability and complicity, n:u (melissandre varin) interrogates healing as destruction and destruction as healing.

*Here referring to spiritual justifications of expansionist and genocidal governments.
Duration 1 hour.

3. I Remember (You) Changing, 2025 - 2026 by Sarah White @sarah_white16

This performance incorporates dance, speech and song, and is performed by Sarah White, with live singing from Kate Ryan, Donna Matthews and Jack Noutch. It is a prayerful exhortation directed to multiple people at once. It is an attempt to communicate at the edges of language. The work draws from multiple sources, including a strange story of a talking donkey in the Bible. In this story, the she-donkey is more spiritually awake than the human prophet.

The work will be performed in June 2026 at All Saints Church, Tudeley.

4. The cosmos she dared to be, 2025 by Morgan Sinton-Hewitt @morgansintonhewitt

Oil on canvas.

Highlights

1. ANGE(L) Icon version, 2025 by Pascal-Michel Dubois

This piece is inspired by the collaborative work of Karl Herzog & Erich Von Holst on the aerodynamic motion of birds’ wings. It consists in the superposition of a pair of diagrams drawn by Herzog on the subject. The head & tail of the bird have been omitted, and the modified superposition reveals a new diagram representing a very peculiar set of wings where the information from the original diagrams has been “mashed up”.

2. On Substance, 2025 by n:u (melissandre varin) @nu.melissandre.varin

The stool of a chief, a statue used for worship, an ancestor’s image, a pipe with tobacco still in it, a comb, a vessel to contain food.

YOU HIDE ME by Nii Kwate Owoo (1970)

At the border of the land flowing with milk and honey* discourses around acquisition, conservation, patrimony and their definitions that are torn in a personal and global tracing of lineages of substance (ab)use. Staple food elements such as butter and flour - echoing extractivism - are juxtaposed with some of their ancestral, ceremonial, and ritualistic usage. Consumption of culture, gender, spirituality, race, religion, and food is questioned in this offering. With vulnerability and complicity, n:u (melissandre varin) interrogates healing as destruction and destruction as healing.

*Here referring to spiritual justifications of expansionist and genocidal governments.
Duration 1 hour.

3. I Remember (You) Changing, 2025 - 2026 by Sarah White @sarah_white16

This performance incorporates dance, speech and song, and is performed by Sarah White, with live singing from Kate Ryan, Donna Matthews and Jack Noutch. It is a prayerful exhortation directed to multiple people at once. It is an attempt to communicate at the edges of language. The work draws from multiple sources, including a strange story of a talking donkey in the Bible. In this story, the she-donkey is more spiritually awake than the human prophet.

The work will be performed in June 2026 at All Saints Church, Tudeley.

4. The cosmos she dared to be, 2025 by Morgan Sinton-Hewitt @morgansintonhewitt

Oil on canvas.

Highlights

1. ANGE(L) Icon version, 2025 by Pascal-Michel Dubois

This piece is inspired by the collaborative work of Karl Herzog & Erich Von Holst on the aerodynamic motion of birds’ wings. It consists in the superposition of a pair of diagrams drawn by Herzog on the subject. The head & tail of the bird have been omitted, and the modified superposition reveals a new diagram representing a very peculiar set of wings where the information from the original diagrams has been “mashed up”.

2. On Substance, 2025 by n:u (melissandre varin) @nu.melissandre.varin

The stool of a chief, a statue used for worship, an ancestor’s image, a pipe with tobacco still in it, a comb, a vessel to contain food.

YOU HIDE ME by Nii Kwate Owoo (1970)

At the border of the land flowing with milk and honey* discourses around acquisition, conservation, patrimony and their definitions that are torn in a personal and global tracing of lineages of substance (ab)use. Staple food elements such as butter and flour - echoing extractivism - are juxtaposed with some of their ancestral, ceremonial, and ritualistic usage. Consumption of culture, gender, spirituality, race, religion, and food is questioned in this offering. With vulnerability and complicity, n:u (melissandre varin) interrogates healing as destruction and destruction as healing.

*Here referring to spiritual justifications of expansionist and genocidal governments.
Duration 1 hour.

3. I Remember (You) Changing, 2025 - 2026 by Sarah White @sarah_white16

This performance incorporates dance, speech and song, and is performed by Sarah White, with live singing from Kate Ryan, Donna Matthews and Jack Noutch. It is a prayerful exhortation directed to multiple people at once. It is an attempt to communicate at the edges of language. The work draws from multiple sources, including a strange story of a talking donkey in the Bible. In this story, the she-donkey is more spiritually awake than the human prophet.

The work will be performed in June 2026 at All Saints Church, Tudeley.

4. The cosmos she dared to be, 2025 by Morgan Sinton-Hewitt @morgansintonhewitt

Oil on canvas.

Highlights

1. ANGE(L) Icon version, 2025 by Pascal-Michel Dubois

This piece is inspired by the collaborative work of Karl Herzog & Erich Von Holst on the aerodynamic motion of birds’ wings. It consists in the superposition of a pair of diagrams drawn by Herzog on the subject. The head & tail of the bird have been omitted, and the modified superposition reveals a new diagram representing a very peculiar set of wings where the information from the original diagrams has been “mashed up”.

2. On Substance, 2025 by n:u (melissandre varin) @nu.melissandre.varin

The stool of a chief, a statue used for worship, an ancestor’s image, a pipe with tobacco still in it, a comb, a vessel to contain food.

YOU HIDE ME by Nii Kwate Owoo (1970)

At the border of the land flowing with milk and honey* discourses around acquisition, conservation, patrimony and their definitions that are torn in a personal and global tracing of lineages of substance (ab)use. Staple food elements such as butter and flour - echoing extractivism - are juxtaposed with some of their ancestral, ceremonial, and ritualistic usage. Consumption of culture, gender, spirituality, race, religion, and food is questioned in this offering. With vulnerability and complicity, n:u (melissandre varin) interrogates healing as destruction and destruction as healing.

*Here referring to spiritual justifications of expansionist and genocidal governments.
Duration 1 hour.

3. I Remember (You) Changing, 2025 - 2026 by Sarah White @sarah_white16

This performance incorporates dance, speech and song, and is performed by Sarah White, with live singing from Kate Ryan, Donna Matthews and Jack Noutch. It is a prayerful exhortation directed to multiple people at once. It is an attempt to communicate at the edges of language. The work draws from multiple sources, including a strange story of a talking donkey in the Bible. In this story, the she-donkey is more spiritually awake than the human prophet.

The work will be performed in June 2026 at All Saints Church, Tudeley.

4. The cosmos she dared to be, 2025 by Morgan Sinton-Hewitt @morgansintonhewitt

Oil on canvas.

Highlights

1. ANGE(L) Icon version, 2025 by Pascal-Michel Dubois

This piece is inspired by the collaborative work of Karl Herzog & Erich Von Holst on the aerodynamic motion of birds’ wings. It consists in the superposition of a pair of diagrams drawn by Herzog on the subject. The head & tail of the bird have been omitted, and the modified superposition reveals a new diagram representing a very peculiar set of wings where the information from the original diagrams has been “mashed up”.

2. On Substance, 2025 by n:u (melissandre varin) @nu.melissandre.varin

The stool of a chief, a statue used for worship, an ancestor’s image, a pipe with tobacco still in it, a comb, a vessel to contain food.

YOU HIDE ME by Nii Kwate Owoo (1970)

At the border of the land flowing with milk and honey* discourses around acquisition, conservation, patrimony and their definitions that are torn in a personal and global tracing of lineages of substance (ab)use. Staple food elements such as butter and flour - echoing extractivism - are juxtaposed with some of their ancestral, ceremonial, and ritualistic usage. Consumption of culture, gender, spirituality, race, religion, and food is questioned in this offering. With vulnerability and complicity, n:u (melissandre varin) interrogates healing as destruction and destruction as healing.

*Here referring to spiritual justifications of expansionist and genocidal governments.
Duration 1 hour.

3. I Remember (You) Changing, 2025 - 2026 by Sarah White @sarah_white16

This performance incorporates dance, speech and song, and is performed by Sarah White, with live singing from Kate Ryan, Donna Matthews and Jack Noutch. It is a prayerful exhortation directed to multiple people at once. It is an attempt to communicate at the edges of language. The work draws from multiple sources, including a strange story of a talking donkey in the Bible. In this story, the she-donkey is more spiritually awake than the human prophet.

The work will be performed in June 2026 at All Saints Church, Tudeley.

4. The cosmos she dared to be, 2025 by Morgan Sinton-Hewitt @morgansintonhewitt

Oil on canvas.

How we help artists ➡️

🎾 We have provided 76 temporary spaces for artists to realise their projects through our Vacant Space scheme.

🎾 Since our Graduates Programme started we have helped 32 recent graduates make the transition from university to professional practice through mentoring, support and exhibitions.

🎾 We've made 109 films about artists and their practice, showcasing their ideas, processes, influences, and their spaces.

How we help artists ➡️

🎾 We have provided 76 temporary spaces for artists to realise their projects through our Vacant Space scheme.

🎾 Since our Graduates Programme started we have helped 32 recent graduates make the transition from university to professional practice through mentoring, support and exhibitions.

🎾 We've made 109 films about artists and their practice, showcasing their ideas, processes, influences, and their spaces.

How we help artists ➡️

🎾 We have provided 76 temporary spaces for artists to realise their projects through our Vacant Space scheme.

🎾 Since our Graduates Programme started we have helped 32 recent graduates make the transition from university to professional practice through mentoring, support and exhibitions.

🎾 We've made 109 films about artists and their practice, showcasing their ideas, processes, influences, and their spaces.