Associate Membership — Opening January 2027
Become an
Associate
Member
1838 Collective is building a membership for emerging contemporary artists across Greater Manchester. We’re building the community, events, open calls, and professional development you need to keep your practice going.
Join the waitlist and you’ll be the first through the door.
Doors open
10 January 2027
£10per monthor£100per year
01
Why we started this
We started 1838 Collective as recent graduates from Manchester School of Art. We know that leaving art school can feel like falling off a cliff. The studio, the tutors, the crits, and the community — all of it disappears overnight. No one warns you how alone that feels, or how hard it is to find a studio, a job in the arts, or people who’ll look at your work seriously.
We also saw how much gatekeeping there is in this sector. Who gets seen, who gets opportunities, who already knows the right people. 1838 Collective exists to change that. We’re building the network, the knowledge-sharing, and the community that shouldn’t have to depend on where you studied or who you know. We want to make sure that regardless of background or circumstance, no artist feels alone.
02
Who this is for
i
Just finished your degree and lost the structure that kept you moving?
We’ll help you pick up where you were.
ii
Got the knowledge and skills, but lack the network?
We’re building a community of artists and professional networks to help you stay connected and access opportunities.
iii
Practice on hold for everyday life?
Flexible ways back into your practice, built around the time you actually have (when you’re not working 9–5 or picking up the kids from school).
iv
No degree, but have an art practice?
No gatekeeping here, we’ll support you to have the confidence to take the next steps into professional practice.
03
What’s Coming
Built from conversations with artists across Greater Manchester about what is actually needed.
A community of contemporary artists
Regular events to bring visual artists together to build networks, share skills, and support one another. Expect group crits, workshops, talks, socials, co-working sessions, and reading groups. Plus an Associates WhatsApp community to stay connected between events.
Exhibition opportunities
A members-only open call exhibition every year, plus access to other exhibition spaces through partner open calls — including an open call with our partner hotel in Manchester city centre.
Professional development
Funding advice, application support, and 1-1 advisory sessions and signposting — the kind of feedback that’s hard to get on your own.
Visibility and exposure
Your profile featured on our website and social channels, plus PR opportunities as they come up. We’ll also open up volunteering opportunities with 1838 Collective — good for your CV and a way to get more involved.
Discounts
Members discounts on art supplies from our partner organisations.
A network you can’t build alone
Introductions to artists, galleries, curators and organisations who open doors you can’t always open yourself.
04
Be first in line
Membership opens January 2027 at £10 a month or £100 a year. Join the waitlist now and we’ll email you the moment doors open.
We’re also working hard to secure reduced rates for anyone facing financial barriers — more on this in January.
Monthly
£10
Yearly
£100
Opens
Jan 2027
Open to artists across the North West. In-person events are hosted primarily in Manchester city centre and Salford.
05
Join the Waitlist
We’ll email you the moment doors open in January 2027.
We’ll only use your details to keep you posted about 1838 Collective. No spam, no passing your details on.
1838 Collective — Manchester, UK