Get informal advice on your career or work during 1-1s with experts in the industry. At this month's critique, we welcome guest panellists Clarissa Corfe, Relationship Manager in Visual Art at Arts Council England, and photographer and lecturer Ben McDonnell in addition to Redeye's Director Paul Herrmann. 

Clarissa Corfe

Formerly Contemporary Art Curator at Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Clarissa Corfe is now a Relationship Manager for Visual Art at Arts Council England. She initiated and led on the commissioning of the application process that won the museum the Contemporary Art Society Award 2014 with internationally acclaimed artist Nathaniel Mellors. She has initiated and organised curatorial development trips to Istanbul, 2007, Berlin, 2008 and Havana 2012 for 31 North West based curators to meet Biennial curators and galleries, forging international links and partnerships. As a freelance curatorial consultant she has worked on artists’ professional development, organisational development as well as curatorial projects for Tatton Park Biennial, Barnaby Festival and Axis among others. She has previously worked at Arts Council England where she was instrumental in initiating Sideshow and Format Photography Festival. She has also worked at Castlefield Gallery, Tate Liverpool, The Lowry and Liverpool Biennial.

Ben McDonnell

Ben McDonnell graduated with a masters degree in photography from the Royal College of Art In 2017, his undergraduate degree was jazz composition and performance from Leeds College of Music. His studio is in south east London, UK. His work uses photography, sound and sculpture to raise questions around stability, support and structure. He draws inspiration from sound, music and the built environment.

Ben was recently selected for the Chisenhale Studio Residency in 2019 and by Outset Contemporary Art Fund for a residency in Vancouver, this was supported by the British Council and Vancouver Biennale. In 2018 he completed a studio residency and exhibition with PADA in Lisbon, Portugal, and was commissioned to make new work for Concealer, part of Peckham 24 photography festival. His work has been shown internationally and is held in public and private collections. Ben is lecturer in photography at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Paul Herrmann

Paul Herrmann is an organiser and leader in photography. He is director of Redeye and of The Photographic Collections Network, an equivalent to Redeye for photography specialists, archivists, scholars and historians. He has started and steered a range of projects, and brought people together, in photography and the arts. His background is as an editorial photographer working with not-for-profit organisations for three decades. He talks, writes and advises on a range of business and professional issues in photography.

---

When
This event runs from 5:30 – 8pm on Wednesday 22nd January. Please choose your preferred thirty-minute slot at the time of booking. Please ensure you arrive at least 10 minutes before your designated slot.

Where
This event takes place at the Jasmine Suite at the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, Market Buildings, Thomas St, Manchester M4 1EU, UK. The venue is fully accessible, for more information about the venue see our page about the venue.

Tickets

The Critique Surgeries are currently free for Redeye members - although limited to one free slot per member. To find out more about becoming a member go to our membership page. Price for non-members is £20 (the equivalent to five months membership if you decide to join instead). 

Space is limited so please book onto a specific thirty-minute time slot. If you are unable to attend your appointment please let Rachael Burns know as soon as possible. The Critique Surgeries are a regular feature of our events programme, with surgeries every few months and in different locations across the country. If you would like Redeye to host a Critique Surgery in your city please get in touch.

Who is it for?
The Critique Surgeries are designed to be informal sessions for photographers who are looking for feedback and advice. Maybe you are struggling for inspiration, have hit a dead end with your latest project or you simply want advice on where, or who, to show your work to. You might want advice on improving your work, or to discuss career moves. These sessions are designed as a friendly alternative to portfolio reviews and can be used to prepare your portfolio for an upcoming review or competition. Redeye welcomes photographers at all levels and at all career stages. Find out more information on our FAQs page.

Please note our terms and conditions including our refund policy.