Jobs & Opportunities
There are always ways of becoming involved with us, whether this is as a participant or a volunteer, a job or an artist call-out!
Current Opportunities
An open call for artists exploring DISSENT.
Selected artists will exhibit alongside works from the Lancaster University Art Collection.
DISSENT WORKS is an open call inviting artists from across north Lancashire to respond to Lancaster Arts' 2026 annual theme of DISSENT.
This year's programme explores the many ways dissent can be expressed through artistic practice. It might be loud or quiet, public or personal, but at its heart is a willingness to ask whether things could be different.
We're looking for work that surprises us with the strength of its ideas, the quality of its making, and its response to the theme. Whether your work is political, playful, personal or quietly provocative, we'd love to hear from you.
The Lancaster University Art Collection is one of Lancaster University's most significant cultural resources. Home to works by artists including Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Barbara Hepworth and David Hockney, it is an evolving collection and a living resource that inspires new conversations between artists, audiences and ideas. Through DISSENT WORKS, contemporary artists have the opportunity to become part of that story.
Applications are open to artists aged 18 and over who are based in north and west Lancashire.
Applications close: Monday 24 August 2026
Find out more
Before applying, please download the Open Call, which includes eligibility, artwork guidance and the selection process.
You can also explore the Lancaster University Art Collection to discover more about the artists and artworks it includes.
If you would prefer to submit using a word document please download it here.
Explore the Lancaster University Art Collection
Calling Visual Interpreters!
Lancaster Arts is looking for a small group of artists, illustrators, designers and visual practitioners to help us tell the story of our interactive creative events in different ways.
Many of our projects bring together people who might not otherwise meet, creating spaces for conversation, creativity and new ways of thinking. We believe that the most meaningful parts of these experiences are often difficult to capture through photographs, reports or meeting notes alone, especially for those who were not there.
This brief sits somewhere between documentation and artistic interpretation. Rather than creating a comprehensive record of an event, we're interested in work that identifies the threads running through a conversation, notices what matters, and shapes these into compelling visual work that invites reflection.
We're looking for people who can attend these events, listen deeply and create thoughtful visual responses. These will be shared with participants, helping them reflect on and recognise something meaningful about their shared experience. They will also be shared more widely, offering others a glimpse into the ideas, atmosphere, relationships and moments of connection that emerged.
Deadline: Sunday 16 August
Join the Lancaster Arts Ideas & Connectors Group
What is Lancaster Arts?
Lancaster Arts is a professional arts organisation based at Lancaster University, encompassing the Nuffield Theatre, the Great Hall and the Peter Scott Gallery as well as locations in the region, natural settings, community centres, carparks, and historic buildings. Our artistic programme includes commissions, Creative Gatherings and artist residencies alongside our presentational programme. We work across artforms and our work expresses a commitment to social and environmental justice. Our website https://www.lancasterarts.org/ can tell you more about the work that we do.
What is the Ideas&Connectors Group?
The Ideas&Connectors Group (ICG) is a diverse sounding board that helps shape the work that Lancaster Arts delivers for Arts Council England and Lancaster University. We have a brilliant group in place already but are looking to expand this by 5 people. The ICG groups meet 3 times a year. We intend that this group offers a way of joining the Lancaster Arts community to exchange ideas and explore the things that matter to you and us as an organisation.
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Subgroups in the Ideas&Connectors Group
Community Researchers
This is an opportunity to get directly involved in our artist commissions. We define ‘research’ as everything from informal conversations with artists and audiences, to probing local archives and making quiet observations. We are eager to draw on this group’s understanding of the places we work in and the communities in them.
Collections
Contribute your ideas and collaborate with our gallery team to bring Lancaster University’s Art Collection to new audiences, helping shape what we display through discussion and content-creation, relating to future acquisitions, displays, digital engagement, workshops and volunteering opportunities.
Communications and Engagement
Work with us to develop a more creative and inclusive approach to engaging with our audiences, addressing barriers that prevent audiences from engaging and helping us target specific groups identified in our Audience Development Strategy.
To find out more, please email: ICG@lancasterarts.org
Participate!
Lancaster Arts hosts commissions all year-round that invite participants to have a direct role in the creation of the work. If this is of interest, please get in touch with us at producers@lancasterarts.org.
Student Opportunities
Lancaster Arts has frequent opportunities for short term placements and internships. One of our marketing placements has written a blog about her experiences here.
Keep and eye on this page for the latest opportunities and how you can get involved.
Volunteering
Lancaster Arts has fantastic opportunities for volunteering. Please visit our Volunteering page. If you can spare a few hours we are always seeking volunteers of all ages to support our arts activity. Get in touch with us at volunteer@lancasterarts.org
