The Collective: Young Curators Call Out

With support from the Transform team, you will:

• Learn about festival curation from leading industry professionals
• Experience new performances and encounter new art forms through artistic research trips
• Explore ideas and develop themes for the festival
• Identify international artists to connect and collaborate with
• Shape a larger participatory project involving young people as performers and co-creators which will take place during the festival in October 2025

This is a unique opportunity to be part of a team of passionate young people, develop new skills in festival curation, gain professional experience in the arts industry and build international connections with individuals and organisations across the sector.

We’re interested in meeting people who want to make things happen. You don’t need to have any education or experience of working in the arts – you just need enthusiasm to make interesting things happen in the city you live in. You might be excited about new ideas with a desire to create interesting experiences – be that live performance, club culture, community events, or anything in between.

You must be:

• Aged 18-25 and living in the Leeds City Region.*

*This opportunity is open to young people living within the Leeds city region, which is made up of the local authority areas in West Yorkshire, comprising Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield. As you will receive an hourly fee for your involvement, travel expenses will not be provided on top, unless these are due to access requirements (which includes physical or financial barriers).

• Interested in live performance (theatre, dance, live art, music/spoken word).
• Excited about organising events (no prior experience needed).
• Available for weekly evening meetings at Transform’s office on Mabgate, Leeds and some home research.

We are currently recruiting for 8 Young Curators to take part in phase one of the programme which runs from September until December 2024. The next phases are dependent on funding outcomes, but we’re ideally looking for people willing and able to commit to roughly 18 months of engagement with Transform, from September 2024 until February 2026.

• Introductory session: Tuesday 24 September 2024, 6-8pm
• Series of weekly 2-hour meetings which will take place 6-8pm on Wednesdays fortnightly from 25 Sept – 18 Dec
• Pay: £12 per hour
• All sessions will take place in a physically accessible space, and additional access provisions are available in accordance with support needs.
• Sessions will be facilitated by experienced members of the Transform team alongside external industry professionals / invited guests

If you want to be involved, please fill in this form by 5pm Tuesday 10 September 2024.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to have a conversation with us the week beginning 16th September 2024. We will send the questions we’ll ask in advance.

Transform will also hold an informal information session on Wednesday 28 August from 6-6.30pm with our Producer Ema Boswood, who will give more of a background into the festival, what the role of a young curator would involve, and answer any questions you may have. This session will be held online via zoom. The information session is not compulsory, and attendance will have no bearing on the outcome of your application. To access the zoom link please sign up here. 

If you can’t attend this session but have questions about the role, please contact info@transformfestival.org

We have also answered some Frequently Asked Questions here which will give you some more information.

If you’re interested in applying but would appreciate some additional support, a member of Transform’s team will be happy to help you to fill in the application in person at our office in Mabgate Mills – and you can make use of our computers if needed. To book in with the team, contact info@transformfestival.org