 Artist open calls, jobs, commissions, volunteer and funding opportunities across Lancashire. Over the past six months, we’ve shared more than 100 training opportunities and creative career opportunities across Lancashire. This month’s creative career development round-up highlights a selection of exciting roles, commissions, open calls and professional development opportunities from across the county, with deadlines throughout October. Got a Lancashire-based opportunity in the arts to promote? If applications close within the next couple of months, send the details to [email protected] and we’ll help spread the word JOB
Theatre Technician (F/T - Term Time Only) Stonyhurst College | Clitheroe Stonyhurst College is seeking a proactive and highly organised Theatre Technician to support the technical delivery of its extensive programme of productions, performances, concerts, events and whole-school activities. This is a full-time, permanent, term-time only position, offering up to £15.43 per hour. Find Out More EVENT The Birley Exhibition – In Conversation The Harris | Preston Event Details: Thursday 8 October, 6–7pm The Birley Exhibition – In Conversation takes place at The Harris in Preston on Thursday 8 October, 6–7pm, bringing artists Julie Mayer and Rita Robson together for an informal conversation hosted by Jayne Simpson. They will discuss their creative practices, the works featured in The Birley exhibition and their pairings with works from The Harris collection. The event is free, suitable for adults and creatives, but a ticket is required. Find Out More NETWORKING Artist Network Event Box of Tricks | The Dukes, Lancaster Event Details: Thursday 8 October On Thursday 8th October Box of Tricks will be hosting an Artist Network Event before their performance of How Soon is Now at The Dukes Theatre in Lancaster and as an extra treat there will be a post-show Q&A!! This is a really exciting opportunity for artists in and around Lancaster. The Artist Network Event is FREE to attend, please contact [email protected] to confirm attendance. If you would like to purchase a ticket to see the show and attend the post-show Q&A you can buy tickets here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eAZi8sae NETWORKING South Ribble Creatives | Worden Hall, Leyland Event Details: 5pm - 7pm Thursday 8 October 2026 Are you an artist, maker, performer, writer or creative working in South Ribble? Come and join South Ribble Creatives for their next gathering. No registration needed. Just turn up. ARTIST BURSARIES Arts Lancashire X LANDS Application Deadline: 5pm Friday 9 October 2026Arts Lancashire have five bursaries of £100 each to award to enable Lancashire-based freelance artists to attend this year’s LANDS Assembly at LICA at Lancaster University on Wednesday 18 November 2026. Hosted by LANDS - the Lancashire Arts Network for Developing Sustainability, the LANDS Assembly is a day of ideas, conversation and collaboration exploring the role of creativity and the arts sector in responding to the climate crisis, what we can do and how we can do it. Bringing together artists, cultural organisations, researchers and communities, the LANDS Assembly will be a space to connect, share practice and imagine sustainable futures together. These bursaries are for those for whom the cost of taking a day away from work is a prohibitive factor to attending the event. The bursary includes the cost of the ticket and a contribution towards your time and travel to the event. These spaces are part of our wider work towards creating a more inclusive sector. To apply for a LANDS Assembly Bursary, please complete the Bursary Application Form by 5pm Friday 9th October 2026. Successful applicants will be contacted by Friday 23rd October 2026. Recipients will receive their bursary via bank transfer prior to the event. Find Out More JOB Teacher of Photography (P/T) Runshaw College | Chorley Application Deadline: 12 Noon Friday 9 October 2026Runshaw College are looking to appoint a highly motivated individual to join the School of Creative Arts. The successful candidate will take the role as teacher of Photography. There will be the opportunity to contribute to the planning and development of the curriculum, working with our highly successful and ambitious teaching team. The successful candidate will be required to teach largely on UAL Art and Design courses but also contribute to A Level Photography and FAD courses. A specialism in Photography is essential. The role offers up to £41,353 p.a. (FTE £51,691 p.a.) based on 29.6 hours per week and a competitive benefits package, including up to £11,860 per annum (FTE £14,825) in employer pension contributions. Find Out More TRAINING Music Industry Pathways for Young People More Music | The Gregson Centre, Lancaster Event Details: 1.30pm - 3.30pm Sunday 11 October 2026Hosted by More Music as part of Lancaster Music Festival, this free event is aimed at 16–25-year-olds and offers the chance to hear from music industry professionals about different routes into careers in music and the arts, including alt-pop singer-songwriter Lois, More Music Executive Director Marianne Barraclough and award-winning composer Max McGuire. The session will include a panel discussion and smaller breakout groups, giving young people the opportunity to hear about their guests’ career journeys, ask questions and explore the steps they can take towards a career in the music industry. Free, but advance booking is required. Find Out More COMMISSION Artist Commission - Blackpool Tree Wardens Creative Blackpool | Blackpool Application Deadline: 9am Monday 12 October 2026Creative Blackpool is seeking a talented, ambitious creative or collective to work with Blackpool Tree Wardens in Revoe, creating work that will brighten and enliven the Tree Nursery at Revoe Park while engaging the local community and encouraging a sense of ownership of the site. The opportunity is open to UK-based creatives who meet the eligibility requirements, with the successful applicant needing to be available to work in Claremont, Blackpool. The commission is worth £5,000. Find Out More COMMISSION Artist Commission - Fylde Opportunities Trust Creative Blackpool | Blackpool Application Deadline: 9am Monday 12 October 2026Creative Blackpool is seeking a talented, ambitious creative or collective to work with Fylde Opportunities Trust on a community-led creative project in Claremont, Blackpool, supporting adults with disabilities and neurodivergent adults to explore and express their identity, feelings and lived experiences through accessible creative activity. The £5,000 commission is open to UK-based creatives who are available to work in Claremont. Find Out More COMMISSION Artist Commission - Layton Library Creative Blackpool | Blackpool Application Deadline: Monday 12 October 2026Layton Library is seeking an artist or artists to create artwork for the entrance to its hidden garden, a small oasis of nature in the busy Layton area that was redeveloped a few years ago and is enjoyed by local residents and volunteers. The commission involves installing a mosaic pavement on either side of the existing railings and designing artwork for two 110 x 250cm acrylic panels to be displayed on either side of the railings, directing visitors towards the hidden garden and incorporating the garden’s existing logo. The project will be supported through Pride in Place funding, with work expected to begin as soon as funding is secured and an artist selected, with an ideal completion date of 30 November, although this can be flexible. Artists interested in the opportunity are asked to submit a quote by 12 October. Find Out More EVENT Artists in Conversation: Parham Ghalamdar Lancaster Arts | LICA, Lancaster Event Details: 5pm – 6pm Tuesday 13 October 2026In partnership with Lancaster University School of Arts and Fine Art, join Lancaster Arts in person at the LICA Building Laboratory Space A036 for their free artist conversation programme. Bringing together artists working across a range of media with researchers and professionals from relevant fields, the programme explores the ideas, themes and questions driving their work, with audiences encouraged to actively join the conversation. The first conversation of the season welcomes Iranian-British multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker Parham Ghalamdar, whose practice explores forgotten mythologies, buried philosophies and visual ruins, moving between material work and moving image to examine themes of war and exile, belief and technology. Through his exploration of dissent, understood in its root sense of feeling or thinking apart, Parham’s work questions the systems through which violence and history become visible. Free to attend, booking advisable. Find Out More JOB Accessibility Manager Live Nation | Preston Application Deadline: Wednesday 14th October 2026Live Nation is looking for an Accessibility Manager to help ensure its venues, events and experiences are accessible and inclusive for everyone. The role focuses on supporting accessibility across the organisation, working with teams and stakeholders to identify and improve access, and helping create positive experiences for disabled customers and visitors. Find Out More WEBINAR Arts Council England National Portfolio Applicants Online Various Dates and Times From Wednesday October 14 This webinar is for any organisation in England who wishes to apply for it’s next round of National Portfolio funding. People who will lead, coordinate or support their organisation’s application will find it most useful. Find Out More NETWORKING Burnley Artist Network Creative Spaces Burnley | Gallery OneTwoThree, Burnley Event Details: 6.00 - 8.00pm Thursday 15 October 2026Burnley Artist Network’s next event takes place at Gallery OneTwoThree, 123 St James’s St, Burnley, BB11 1PP – a relaxed, friendly space to meet other creatives, connect, collaborate and share ideas. Whether you’re looking to make new connections or simply spend time with like-minded people, everyone is welcome. Find Out More WORKSHOP Short Story Workshop with Jenn Ashworth Litfest | The Gregson, Lancaster Event Details: Sunday 18 October 2026 Tickets: £15Jenn Ashworth is well known for her novels and memoirs, but less well known is that one of her secret passions is the short story. In 2022, ‘Flat 19’ was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award and read on BBC Radio by Maxine Peake, and in 2025 ‘The Hanging Stones’ was included in the collection Bog People – A working class anthology of folk horror (Penguin). This workshop is part of the Litfest 2026 programme. It’s for writers with previous experience or none who want to explore the key elements of the short story, and to dive deeper into the craft of creating short fiction that hits home. There are 15 places available for this workshop series, including 2 bursary places. Find Out More EVENT Conversations in Creativity: Threads of Memory Creative Lancashire in association with the BFI National Archive and British Textile Biennial | The Harris, Preston Event Details: Thursday 22 October, 6–8pm, with doors at 5.30pm.Presented by Creative Lancashire in association with the BFI National Archive and British Textile Biennial, the evening will feature a special screening of filmmaker Juliana Kasumu’s Threads of Memory, exploring the influence of West African and Caribbean migration, cultural memory, identity and resilience on Black British fashion, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with Kasumu, cultural curator Harris Elliott, BFI National Archive’s Jemma Buckley and curator and fashion historian Tosin Adeosun. The event is free to attend, with places limited and registration required, and attendees will also have the opportunity to preview the Inside the Archive exhibition at The Harris. Find Out More NETWORKING Artist Networking Event – Hosted by The Birley Artist Studios. The Harris | Preston Event Details: 6pm - 8pm Thursday, 22 October at 6pm - 8pm.An opportunity for creatives based in the Preston area to meet like-minded people, chat, share ideas and make connections in an informal setting. This is a free, drop-in event in The Art Gallery. Find Out More PAID INTERNSHIP Costume & Production Assistant imitating the dog | Lancaster Application Deadline: 12pm Friday 23 October 2026imitating the dog is recruiting a Costume & Production Assistant for a three-week paid internship in December 2026, working on Remember Romeo, its new adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, co-produced with The Dukes and supported by Lancaster Arts. The opportunity is aimed at early-career or emerging arts professionals based in the North of England who are underrepresented in the arts sector, with the role paid at the Real Living Wage and travel and accommodation expenses covered where required. Applications close at 12pm on Friday 23 October 2026. Find Out More ARTIST COMMISSION Padiham Gable Art Phase 2 Commission Mid Pennine Arts | Padiham Application Deadline: 5pm Friday 23 October 2026 Mid Pennine Arts is inviting experienced mural artists to apply for a new commission in Padiham, working with Burnley Borough Council to create two or three new murals at prominent sites across the town. The project is the second phase of a successful mural programme and will culminate in spring 2027, with artists expected to create bold, distinctive work that responds sensitively to local identity and place, informed by engagement with a small group of Padiham residents. The opportunity is supported through the UK Government’s Pride in Place fund, with two mural sites available via open submission. Find Out More NETWORKING Filmmakers Chat with LA1 Shorts LA1 Shorts | The Dukes, Lancaster Event Details: 7pm Friday 23rd October 2026Are you a local filmmaker? Join LA1 Shorts at The Dukes Theatre in Lancaster. This is an opportunity for filmmakers to come together, and have a chat. Hosted by Lancasters LA1 Shorts. Starting at 7.00pm, ahead of The Dukes’ annual short-film programme, Sharp Shocks. This is a free event, but tickets are limited. Booking is advised. Find Out More ARTIST DEVELOPMENT Artist Support Programme - Return To Heart Jwllrs | Morecambe Application Deadline: 27 October 2026:Jwllrs, an alterative free arts school in Morecambe, presents their next free six-week artist development programme exploring experimental approaches to time-based practice. Rooted in Morecambe’s heritage of performance and cinema, the programme considers how time-based media has shaped contemporary life, alongside questions of immediacy, distance and what it means to be human in the digital age. Across six weekly sessions, participants will explore the histories, politics, practices, identities and poetics of experimental time-based practitioners, engaging with significant works through a series of weekly briefs, discussion and practical responses. The programme offers a postgraduate-equivalent cohort and supportive space for artists to test new rhythms, ideas and ways of working. Sessions take place in Morecambe on Thursdays, 19:00–22:00, from 5 November to 10 December 2026. Find Out More FUNDING Music Growth Fund Arts Council England | Everywhere Application Deadline: 29 October 2026 The Arts Council England Music Creators Growth Fund is a new investment programme designed to support growth across new music and is open to music artists, bands, composers, songwriters, DJs and producers. The fund will provide investment for music creators with a sustained track record of professional creative practice, enabling them to strengthen their skills, capacity, and resilience; develop sustainable careers; create and share high-quality work; innovate and diversify income; and build professional opportunities. You can apply for between £10,000 and £20,000, but you must have 25% cash match funding. Find Out More TRAINING Developing Music Careers & Lancashire’s Music Sector Lancashire Music Association | Barnoldswick Library, Barnoldswick Event Date: 9.30am - 12.30pm Saturday 31 October 2026 Lancashire Music Association is currently on tour across the county, bringing music-sector know-how, encouragement and networking opportunities to libraries, music venues, colleges, universities and community spaces. Join them for Developing Music Careers & Lancashire’s Music Sector at Barnoldswick Library on Saturday 31 October (9.30am–12.30pm). The Barnoldswick session will explore developing sustainable music careers, running events and growing audiences, releasing music and building digital activity, with opportunities to ask questions, make connections and access follow-up support. Sessions are suitable for artists, musicians, producers, promoters, managers, event organisers, students, young creatives, venue staff, educators and anyone interested in developing music activity locally. Free entry, booking advised. Find Out More OPEN CALL Open Call: Creative Responses to Lytham Institute Lytham Institute | Lytham Deadline for Responses: Saturday 31 October 2026 Lytham Institute is inviting artists, designers and creative practitioners - established or emerging - to share ideas for a future programme responding to the building, the Lytham Heritage Group Archive Centre, and the many layered histories of Lytham. Once a working men’s reading room, then a library, and now a community asset on Lytham High Street, the Institute has many stories to tell. This is an opportunity to start a conversation, explore what might be possible, and imagine what could happen next at Lytham Institute. Find Out More TRAINING INCUBATE Professional Development Programme The Old Electric | Blackpool Application Deadline - 3 weeks before each session INCUBATE is a new professional development programme from The Old Electric, designed to support creatives working in Blackpool through a series of paid workshops, skills-sharing sessions and mentoring opportunities to help develop creative practice and careers. Participants can apply for up to three paid sessions, with topics including theatre-making, funding, freelancing, budgeting, facilitation and festival arts. With sessions running throughout October and November, applications are now open and close three weeks before each individual session. Find Out More Also from Arts Lancashire Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
October 2026
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed