Welcome!

Welcome to The Emporium blog!

First of all thankyou to everyone who came to the opening exhibition 'The Waiting Rooms' at The Emporium this weekend. It was great to have so many different people come down and have a look. Watch this space for more work from those artists!

WE ARE NOW OPEN!

This means YOU can come and use this new community space TOO! We welcome all kinds of proposals for exhibitions, meetings, workshops etc.
Just email: emporium37@gmail.com or if youre not computer inclined, just drop your proposal in to: The Emporium, 37 Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS1 3PY

This also means that you can get involved! If you have a skill, energy, or materials to share please get in touch and we can make The Emporium even better for more people.

FOR ALL WHO WANT TO GET INVOLVED, PLEASE READ BELOW


Thanks for visiting the Emporium! If you would like to use the space for an exhibition/performance/meeting/film night etc, please read the following information, and then send a proposal to us at emporium37@gmail.com. Please make sure that your proposal for use of the space fulfils the requirements below, as its important that we are clear what you want to do, and that you know how the Emporium works and what you're up to.

Your proposal should be specific; ie it should include a brief description of why you want the space, what the form of your work is and any themes that you are addressing. It should include images of the actual work you wish to exhibit (not just a link to your website, as this doesn't give us a clear idea of the show), and how you are thinking of using the physical space of the gallery; ie will the work be wall-based, sculptural, projected... If you want to use the space for a performance that you don't have images/footage of, please send us a detailed description and any images/footage of previous work you've done. You should also give us an idea of the desired duration and dates of the show; we can't guarantee you'll get the exact dates you ask for, but we will try. Try to give your email a good title; not just 'please can we have an exhibition, but something a little more intriguing…

Your proposal will be sent out to the members of the Emporium, who will each read it carefully and look at your images/info and come to a decision whether they personally think the show should go ahead. If the majority of members like the idea, you get the space. Simple....

We will endeavour to respond to your proposal within a month and let you know whether you've got the space. If you desperately want to have a show in less than a month, send it anyway and we'll do our best. This applies especially to one-night shows and performances, as these can sometimes be fitted in between other, longer exhibitions. Once a decision has been made, we can work out dates between us, and put you in contact with the people who will be using the space before and after you so that you can organise a smooth changeover.

The Emporium is a horizontally organised space; by using the the space you become part of an on-going community-based project. You have complete autonomy over your own show. This means that you organise it; you do the promotion and publicity (we will send out a flyer to our mailing list if you provide us with one), you get the keys, you man the space for the duration and you do your own clean up; you effectively 'own' the space for the duration of your show. Whilst the Emporium collective will always be available to answer any questions, we cannot run your show for you, or help you create/man/clean the space! You will need to communicate with the shows before and after you about any wall-based work; whether you need to paint it out etc. The idea is that the space can grow and evolve organically, but if the following show needs white walls, you will need to be considerate of this.

The Emporium is a not-for-profit organisation; we do not ask for a fee for the use of the space, although we do accept donations to help us out with running costs. If you sell any work as a result of your exhibition, we ask for a donation of 15% towards running and maintainance costs of the space, the same applies to donations given on the door or within the space. Please be honest about this. We would like to avoid all involvement with the iniquity of the fiscal world, but that's quite hard to achieve, so we make a collaborative compromise; i.e. it's up to you! You should be aware that although the space is free to use, you will almost certainly need a bit of cash to put on a show, as you will need to promote it, you may wish to have an opening night bar etc. These are costs that we cannot help you with, so you will need to consider carefully if you are able to cover them.

Remember that once you have become involved in the Emporium, you can always come back and help with making it more functional and beautiful; the garden needs work, the plumbing really needs work, and the roof needs a bit of love. We are not a normal gallery, we are an autonomous arts and community space; that means we like it when artists and people from the community get involved, rather than just disappearing after their show!

If you've already sent in a proposal and feel that it doesn't cover some of the points above, do not fear. Just send us the relevant bits if its just a few small things, or rework what you've sent already if it needs more work, and email it to us.

Thanks! and good luck with your proposal.
Love
The Emporium


Just email: emporium37@gmail.com or if you're not computer inclined, drop your proposal in to: The Emporium, 37 Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS1 3PY