Open Call: Socially Engaged Photographer

Deadline: 10am Monday 7^th July

The University of Salford is working in partnership with RHS Garden Bridgewater (RHSGB), Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool and Salford Youth Service to widen access to and engagement with nature through the medium of photography. We have secured Arts Council England (ACE) project grant funding to support a socially engaged photographer to work with Salford Youth Service and up to 4 groups of young people between September 2025 and October 2026.

Background

University of Salford and Open Eye Gallery have a strong track record of collaborative working including includes developing a joint Masters programme in Socially Engaged Photography. We delivered a socially engaged artist in residence with the Collection in 2021/22 (Gwen Riley Jones; who developed work with Salford Youth Council) and worked again with Salford Youth Service on the Is Anybody Listening project in 2023.

The University of Salford Art Collection and Open Eye Gallery have also established a partnership with RHS Gardens Bridgewater – which is hosting its first joint artist in residence programme with the photographer Yan Wang Preston.  With funding from Arts Council England we are working with 2 socially engaged photographers Anoosh Ariamehr and Fiona Robinson to develop projects with the health and wellbeing and community grow gardens at RHS Garden Bridgewater.

The opportunity

We are now looking for a socially engaged photographer (or socially engaged artist focussing on photography) to work with young people from Salford Youth Service and to engage with them with nature through the RHSGB and the broader residency programme.

The selected candidate will work with SYS who have identified the following 4 groups:

• NEET (Not in education, employment or training – across Salford)
• Salford Youth Council (across Salford)
• Little Hulton and Walkden Youth Group
• Eccles and Winton Youth Group

SYS will support the selected photographer with a dedicated youth work worker and assistant supporting all activity. 10 digital cameras will be available for use.

Objectives

• Introducing or improving photography-based skills for local young people
• Supporting young people to visit and connect with new places (RHS, Salford Museum, campus)
• Encouraging young people to think about issues around nature, environment, sustainability and wellbeing
• Creating space and time for young people to express what’s important to them
• Sharing young people’s voices with a public audience (format TBC – may be e.g. digital blogs, publication, visual outcome, presence in planned events/exhibitions programmes).

What we are looking for and what to expect

A socially engaged photographer with demonstrable interest in nature and the environment and experience of working with young people.  Our young people are mainly from low socio economic backgrounds and have diverse needs including low confidence and neurodiversity.

We anticipate:

• Approximately 40 days delivery, based on site (across Salford) with SYS and 4 groups of young people. Based on 10 sessions per group – including a minimum of 2 visits to RHSGB, and 1 visit to Salford Museum and Art Gallery (Oct 26)
• 2 groups taking place from mid Sept 25, and 2 groups from April 26
• Approximately 10 days planning and preparation, and contributing to  evaluation and communications and events (symposium Oct 26)

There is also potential to:

• present work or documentation publicly at RHSGB (summer 26), Salford Museum and Art Gallery (Oct 26), UOSAC or OEG, or online at the end of the project.
• engage with students of MA Socially Engaged Practice at UoS
• engage with the UOSAC

The successful candidate will be required to pass a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check (enhanced with children’s barred list) in order to be able to take up the role, or be registered with the DBS Update Service in order for an employer check to be carried out.

You will also be committed to working in or developing environmentally sustainable practices.

We recognise that the project will develop and change over the year and our staff teams will support you in embracing opportunities as the project evolves.

Fees and expenses

Fee: Fixed artist fee of £10,000 to include all expenses and any VAT if payable. Payable in quarterly instalments.

This is based on a programme of activity from Sept 25 – Oct 26 –  approx. 40 days across the 4 groups, plus 10 days for planning, preparation,  and contribution to communications, evaluation and events (symposium).  We anticipate that the work will happen mainly in autumn and spring when the weather is better for outdoor activity and when the gardens will be at their most interesting.

Costs: there is an additional budget available of up to £3400 to cover all additional costs such as transport, refreshments and materials for working with SYS.

There is potentially up to a further £2000 available for legacy.  This could cover time/material costs such as: printing/framing and presentation at a public venue (eg at Youth Centre or Salford Museum and Art Gallery), making books or objects to take home at end of project, digital skills to present work online.

You will also receive organisational support from the University of Salford Art Collection team and partners as well as marketing reach for the project.

Reporting:

Line Manager and first point of contact: Stephanie Fletcher, Curator, UOS
Lead contact at SYS: Rob Fulton
Lead contact at OEG: Sarah Fisher
Lead contact at RHSGB: Daniel Atherton

APPLICATION PROCESS:

To apply:

1. Please send us your CV along with a letter explaining your interest in this position and how you might approach the role (1-2 pages maximum).
2. Please include a selection of images of your work or include links to work online.
3. Please send your application in standard file formats (e.g Word, PDF and JPEG). Please do not send very large files or Wetransfer/Dropbox/etc links as these may not reach our inbox.

Send your application to artcollection@salford.ac.uk with the subject line “SEP SYS Residency 2025”
Application Deadline: 10am Monday 7^th July
Interviews: Tuesday 22^nd July

Accessibility: 

If you have access needs and wish to discuss these in relation to the application and interview stage, or the opportunity more broadly, please contact: artcollection@salford.ac.uk

We are committed to equal opportunities and will work with the successful selected applicants to support access requirements through reasonable adjustments during the programme. Where disclosures are made and access needs are identified, this will be discussed in more detail with selected candidates after interview stage.

We actively encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply. We fully recognise the value of a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences and abilities.

Image: RHS Garden Bridgewater © RHS / Lee Charlton