Building Creative Futures: Expanding Creative Opportunities

Building Creative Futures comprises two, two-part sessions combining practical skills development with networking and peer exchange. Each session is designed to strengthen professional practice, confidence, and connectivity of visual artists and makers based in, hailing from or connected with Mansfield.

Attendees do not need to attend both sessions, but it is advised.

Access: There is level access throughout the building, dedicated blue badge-holder parking and an accessible toilet. For more information regarding site access please visit Mansfield Museum & Art Gallery’s website.

There is a modest budget available to support participant access. For more details, please email audiences@mansfield.gov.uk 

Event 2: Expanding Creative Opportunities

Date: Saturday 21 February 2026
Time: 10.30 – 3pm (arrive from 10am)
Venue: Mansfield Museum & Art Gallery

Overview:
The second session builds on the learning and relationships from Event 1, with a focus on professional growth, opportunity awareness, and commercial development.

Programme:

• 10 – 10.30am: Arrive from 10am if you would like to view current exhibitions and connect with the site team ahead of the session. 
• 10.30 – 10.40am: Welcome and introductions from Mansfield Museum team and CVAN East Midlands
• 10.40 – 12pm: Positioning Your Practice | presentation and discussion with Saziso Phiri, supported by Colette Griffin 
  Saziso and Colette will cover:
  • Applying for opportunities such as open shows, commissions, and residencies
  • Behind-the-scenes insight into how selection panels assess applications and what they look for
  • Exploring commercial routes including craft fairs, online shops, gallery stores, and collaborations
  • Overview of CVAN East Midlands and its support for artists across the region
• 12 – 12.45pm: Lunch break (lunch provided, please confirm dietary requirements on booking)
• 12.45 – 2.30pm: Networking & Reflective Crit Networking & Reflective Crit | Facilitated by No Jobs in the Arts
  • Group crit focusing on reflection and progress since Event 1
  • Guided discussion to help participants develop skills in leading and participating in crits
  • Preparation for future peer-led sessions 
• 2.30 – 3pm: Closing reflections from the Mansfield Museum & Art Gallery team

Contributor Bios

Saziso Phiri is a UK-based curator, creative producer and consultant working across the UK and internationally. Her practice encompasses curating and producing art exhibitions, developing cultural programming, supporting artist development, and advising arts organisations on strategic approaches. In 2016, she founded The Anti Gallery (2016–2022), a platform that challenged traditional gallery norms by hosting around 30 activations, from exhibitions, film screenings, residencies, performances, workshops and talks, with the aim of facilitating contemporary arts engagement in unconventional spaces. This initiative sought to democratise access to art and question the limitations of formal gallery settings. Her commitment to the arts extends beyond institutional frameworks, driving collaborations that enrich the cultural landscape. As a passionate advocate for wider arts engagement, she explores innovative curatorial methods that foster meaningful dialogues between artists and audiences. She believes in the transformative power of art to connect communities, challenge perspectives, and inspire change. Alongside her curatorial practice, Saziso actively supports artists at all stages of their careers through mentorship initiatives, and she regularly participates in open-call panels for exhibitions and residency opportunities.

Colette Griffinis a curator, artist developer, artist mentor, arts writer and access support worker based in Nottingham and working across the Midlands.

She is Director of CVAN West Midlands (CVAN WM) and CVAN East Midlands (CVAN EM), part of the national CVAN network working collectively toward a more sustainable and inclusive visual arts sector. CVAN WM is hosted by DASH and CVAN EM by New Art Exchange (NAE).

In these roles, Colette advocates for contemporary visual arts across the Midlands by supporting artists, arts workers, and organisations through paid opportunities, critical programming, and partnership working. She fosters regional and cross-regional collaboration, focusing on participation, artist development, and long-term infrastructure building.

Previously, Colette was Artist Development Curator at Primary (2020–2024) and a director of New Midland Group, delivering an Arts Council England-funded development programme. From 2018–2020, she was Curator at Mansions of the Future in Lincoln. She has also worked with Nottingham City Museums and Galleries and Ikon Gallery.

No Jobs in the Arts Working from the Midlands, UK, No Jobs in the Arts support and champion the voices of early-career creatives, namely emerging artists and curators at the start of their careers in the visual arts. They do this through creative opportunities, services, and representation. 

At No Jobs in the Arts, we develop professional opportunities tailored for, by, and with early-career creatives in the visual arts. Our diverse programmes include events, workshops, exhibitions, and publications—all designed to foster growth and engagement. Many of these initiatives offer free-to-access outcomes, ensuring that creativity reaches a wide audience

Our work has led to remarkable achievements. Through our opportunities, publications and prints have been showcased across the UK, including notable acquisitions by the Tate and the Welcome Collection. Since 2018, our self-titled publication series has captured the evolving practices of emerging artists. You can explore all previous issues and selected documentation from past events in our online archive.

CVAN EM celebrates and supports arts and culture in the region.