An inspiring talk by arts director, producer and founder of Northern Narratives Tracy Marshall who carried out a talk about her experience in the art field.
After studying an arts degree, Marshall worked a lot in the directing field for charities in Ireland and then moved on to a bigger project ‘209 Women’ (2018.) This project focused on photographing all 209 female MPs in Parliament to recognise how far women have come since the first women vote 100 years ago, bringing together the arts and politics. What interests me about this project is the idea that all MPs participated and gave their support and meant that every party took part. It conveys the message that women empowerment is important, especially in those sectors where male dominance is apparent.
Finding a job after completing an art degree is not easy and so Marshall set up ‘Belfast Exposed Futures.’ The organisation provides graduates with a grant of £1000 to help with expenses to get themselves started and to get their name out. It also provides a 5 year artistic plan and 2 year business plan to help start up a business if they wish to do so. I feel this organisation is important because it shows those who want to start up in the art world that there are businesses and organisations out there that want to help you achieve the best.
Working for free is something else Marshall bought up in her talk. Nowadays people believe it is okay to ask for free work from artists and this is unacceptable. The amount of time that goes into carrying out one shoot is too much to charge nothing at all. Day rates are important and should be established before executing any photographic work so that you receive the payment you deserve.
