PROJECT NAME – Kiplin Hall Art Commission: Maryland, Calverts and more
- Why is this project being developed?
Kiplin Hall & Gardens is a small historic house with gardens set in an estate of 90 acres. Located in the heart of rural North Yorkshire and located between Richmond, Northallerton and Catterick. The Hall is an elegant Jacobean Grade 1 listed building built in the early 17th century with a Gothic Revival style library wing as a later addition. Kiplin Hall is an accredited museum with around 40,000 visitors each year and there are 9.6 FTE staff.
The Jerwood Foundation and the Art Fund have formed a partnership to support museums to commission new artworks (Jerwood Art Fund Commissions – Get funding – Art Fund). Kiplin feels that we are perfectly positioned to work with an artist to develop a new artwork project that we can submit to this fund and meet all the details and criteria of the fund.
2034 is the 400th anniversary of the founding of the State of Maryland USA. The colonists were led by members of the Calvert Family who were the builders and owners of Kiplin Hall, which celebrated its own 400th anniversary in 2025. As part of the process of commemorating this event, Kiplin is working to develop how we tell the story of the Calvert family and Maryland on our site, especially given we have very few objects relating to the family apart from the building itself.
We have several projects we are developing and we are building contacts in America to encourage philanthropy to support our plans to make Kiplin a key centre for the engagement of British audiences with this poorly known and yet vital part of British history. A new art commission would be an important first step in this process. Initially this would be the first change on site as part of a new phase of developing our offer, but over time we expect it to become a centrepiece of with the new Maryland Garden or the Calvert/Maryland Galleries that we plan to create by 2034.
- Work to be commissioned
The work should focus on some part of the story of the Calvert Family and the founding of Maryland, USA. Below are some links to our history to help inform the design:
The Journey to Maryland | Kiplin Hall | Historic House | Tea Room | Day out in North Yorkshire
The Oath of Allegiance | Kiplin Hall | Historic House | Tea Room | Day out in North Yorkshire
Interpretation panels about the Calvert family, produced as part of our Interpreting Kiplin for 400 project (National Lottery Heritage Fund)
Interpretation panels about the journey to Maryland and arrival in Maryland, produced as part of our Interpreting Kiplin for 400 project (National Lottery Heritage Fund)
- http://history.kiplinhall.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/GP_MAST_01-03-R3-1.pdf
- http://history.kiplinhall.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/GP_EXT_01-09-R6.pdf
- http://history.kiplinhall.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/GP-PAG-01-R4.pdf
Home – Historic St. Mary’s City
These are to provide background and inspiration. We are open to a broad interpretation of the story and how it is told and are particularly keen to consider any submission that tackles the story in ways that challenge historical tropes or engages with underrepresented elements of the story.
Given the limited space within the Hall and other indoor spaces on site, it is likely that the work would be displayed outdoors. Therefore there is a need to consider how the chosen work could be displayed outdoors, potentially forever. This would limit the potential media and materials to those that would lend themselves to outdoor display (e.g. sculpture), robust works that could be displayed in adapted casing for outdoor use (e.g. a painting in a weatherproof frame) or those that can easily be displayed outdoors on related materials (e.g. photography that can be printed on outdoor appropriate boards).
As per the requirements of the funder, the created work would be taken into the formal museum collection of Kiplin Hall and Gardens. This means that the work cannot be ephemeral in nature and must be something that can be accessioned into an Accredited Museum’s collection. Digital works are permissible as long as they can be stored and therefore accessioned. Any acquisition will be made in line with Kiplin Hall and Gardens’ Collection Development Policy and Acquisition procedures, more details can be provided if required.
- Artist details
The Fund we are applying for outlines the following criteria for artists who can be considered:
- The Jerwood Art Fund Commissions are aimed at supporting artists in the earlier to middle stages of their career, for whom this commission would constitute a significant opportunity. We envisage that this will include artists who are within the first five to ten years of their professional artistic practice, allowing for career breaks for any reason, or to have changed career later in life. In this definition we would also include artists who have changed medium.
- Artists who are either based in or have a significant connection to the UK.
- Artists working across any area of artistic media or making practice (e.g., textiles, sculpture, ceramics, glass, painting, mixed-media, film, photography, performance etc).
- Artists that demonstrate the potential for excellence and innovation in the works they produce.
Kiplin is keen to receive applications from any artist who meets the above criteria. We are also keen to see submissions from artists who have a personal connection to the Calvert, Kiplin or Maryland stories. This could be through personal lived experience, ancestral or historic connections or other connections, so long as they also meet the above criteria.
- Target audience
Kiplin’s existing audience is largely white, middle class, retired couples. While these remain a strong demographic for us, we would welcome work that might encourage a widening of the diversity of our audience. If you feel your experience or your approach is likely to help us reach people outside of our existing audience, please specify this within your submission.
Kiplin’s rural location and lack of transport links mean that accessibility to the site for visitors is limited to those with access to private transport.
While not a requirement, we would be interested to see applications that have opportunities for members of the public to be involved in the development of the final artwork. This could be as part of the research or development phase or as part of the creation phase (as appropriate). It could be specifically targeted groups that are appropriate to the theme of the artwork (e.g. people with protected characteristic/s, people from a geographic region such as local to Kiplin or Marylanders, or other suitable target audiences). It could also be general public engagement or engagement with Kiplin’s existing audience. Full details can be developed as part of the refining of the bid with the chosen artist, but please do specify if you would like to engage in this work.
- Budget
The funding available is for a project in the region of £70,000 to £100,000. We would like to see proposals for artworks that are in the £60,000 – £80,000 range. This will allow scope for us to add on marketing and other support costs to the project. When considering a budget you should include:
- Artist fee (including detail on how artist fees have been calculated, with reference to current sector benchmarks, e.g., a-n The Artists Information Company.)
- Artist expenses
- Costs for public engagement in the creation of the artwork
- Cost of manufacturing/creation of the artwork
- Installation costs on Kiplin’s site
- VAT and any other appropriate costs
As part of the development process post selection, we will work with the artist and the Kiplin team to develop a full bid to include marketing and promotion, launch event, digital content to support the artwork, and other on-site costs.
- Application details
To apply for this commission we are asking for:
- An artist proposal that outlines the artwork that would meet the brief criteria
- A cv/portfolio with your artistic experience, previous works etc
- A brief outline budget as per the budget section
- An estimated timeline for creation of the work (how long it will take to create if we successfully receive the funds)
- An overview of expectations regarding copyright and intellectual property rights regarding any work(s) produced as part of the project.
Once we have selected an artist to work with, we will work with the artist to develop the project further and prepare the bid. We have available a maximum of £2,000 to help cover the costs of developing the project from this submission up to the bid submission.
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