Welcome to g39`s Wales Artist Resource Programme

Welcome to the new WARP website. It's been a long time coming but its finally here in its full orange glory. This website has been designed by artists to be used as a tool for artists. You can use it to find out about upcoming peer-to-peer sessions and future seminars/talks to be held by WARP in your area. Using the resources page you can download various advice sheets and podcasts of seminars as well as our recommended services. The Artist page will be where we highlight the work of artists we come across through the programme and you will also be able to use the website to keep up to date with our current Group Mentored programmes.

First thing to do if you haven't already done so is sign up at the top of the page so you can access the resources and receive our fortnightly e-bulletin. Don't forget to send us information about what you are up to so we can include it in future bulletins.

Now here's some of the official info about what WARP is for those of you who are new to its wonders....

g39 has always used its strength as Wales' foremost artist-run space to be an invaluable resource to emerging artists. Through exhibitions and informal mentoring it has supported a generation of artists who now play a significant factor in defining the Welsh art scene both nationally and internationally.

Through the new Wales Artist Resource Programme we are able to offer a fully operational support network to artists at the beginning of their career. Funded with the assistance of the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and the Arts Council of Wales, the scheme is aimed at promoting professional practice across the visual arts in Wales.

WARP is based on the second floor of g39 in a specially created Artist Resource Area. The room serves as a drop-in centre for any artists wishing to take advantage of the specific resources we offer towards the administration of an art practice.

An ongoing programme of one-to-one sessions give artists the opportunity to talk about their practice with gallery staff, and a series of seminars and artist talks will allow them to hear first-hand about different modes of art practice. The Group Mentoring Programme assists three artist groups a year in establishing their own cultural activity, with participants mentored by a range of arts professionals throughout Wales.

Becoming a successful contemporary artist is a highly challenging process and is prone to countless pitfalls and setbacks. Artists in the UK are statistically more likely to be self-employed than any other professional in a field where there is no clearly structured career path, very little support and few opportunities for young and emerging artists. WARP bridges the gap between the end of an artist's formal training and their achieving a successful career as a professional artist.