Creative Voices – Support Artist Call Out

Nottingham University Hospitals Trust (NUH) and Nottingham Hospitals Charity (NHC) are seeking a socially engaged global ethnic majority artist with lived experience or knowledge of Sickle Cell, Thalassaemia or other chronic health conditions. The selected artist will help lead a co-designed creative project with patients, exploring lived experience, representation, and health inequalities.

About Nottingham University Hospitals Trust

Every day, our people make a difference. We save lives, improve lives, and usher in new life. We are proud to be part of the community, improving the health and wellbeing of people in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, and beyond.

We care for more than one million people each year across Nottingham City Hospital, the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC), Ropewalk House, and community services. With more than 19,000 colleagues, we are the largest employer in Nottinghamshire and one of the busiest NHS Trusts in the country, with a budget of £1.6 billion.

About Nottingham Hospitals Charity

Nottingham Hospitals Charity has raised over £65 million in the past 19 years to support patients, families, carers, and staff at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Our vision is to create the best possible NHS care and facilities at NUH for people across the East Midlands and beyond. We work closely with NUH to fund projects that have the greatest positive impact on patients, families, carers, and staff.

Project Brief

We are commissioning a Support Artist to work alongside a Lead Artist on a community-led creative project for patients living with Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia. The project will explore lived experience, challenge stigma, and amplify underrepresented voices in healthcare.

Working with Arts at NUH, the Adult Haemoglobinopathy team, and patients, artists will co-design and deliver a programme of creative workshops using a range of artforms. Patients will shape both the process and outcomes.

  • Ten facilitated sessions exploring creative expression
  • Focus on chronic illness, identity, and health inequalities
  • Final exhibition of curated artworks

The project will culminate in a public exhibition at New Art Exchange for one month, followed by permanent installation at Nottingham City Hospital.

This work responds to patient feedback about stigma, lack of understanding, and disempowerment in healthcare settings. It aims to build stronger communities and improve awareness through creative practice and research.

Aims of the Project

  • Bring people together: Create a safe, inclusive space for shared experiences and creativity.
  • Amplify patient voice: Support authentic and empowering storytelling.
  • Challenge stigma and inequality: Raise awareness of Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia and address bias in healthcare.
  • Improve environments: Create artwork that reflects the communities using hospital and gallery spaces.
  • Support wellbeing and engagement: Build confidence, reduce isolation, and encourage engagement with services.

Approach

This is a co-designed, community-led project. Patients will help shape:

  • Selection of artists
  • Creative approach and artforms
  • Workshop structure and content
  • How their stories are shared

Artists must work collaboratively and flexibly, prioritising dignity, inclusion, and participant ownership.

Person Specification

We are looking for an emerging or early career artist who:

  • Has an interest in socially engaged practice, participatory arts, or creative health
  • Has lived experience of Sickle Cell and/or Thalassaemia and/or is a global ethnic majority artist. Applications from artists of African and Caribbean heritage are particularly welcomed.
  • Is interested in community-led creative practice
  • Is open to working across different artforms
  • Has strong communication and listening skills
  • Demonstrates awareness of cultural identity, racism, wellbeing, and health inequalities
  • Is organised, reliable, and collaborative
  • Wants to develop experience in workshops or creative health settings
  • Experience in community, participatory, or healthcare settings is desirable but not essential

The Support Artist will assist with workshop delivery, participant engagement, documentation, and exhibition preparation.

Sessions will take place at New Art Exchange (NAE), Nottingham, and across NUH sites. The role requires travel.

Fee

The total fee for the project is £1,200, which includes:

  • Two planning sessions
  • Ten half-day delivery sessions
  • One exhibition launch day

Additional travel expenses are available.

The selected artist must have a current DBS check (registered to the update service) and Public Liability Insurance.

How to Apply

Please submit the following as a single PDF document:

  • Artist statement and/or CV
  • Statement outlining your interest and what you hope to gain
  • One or two examples of your work (images, links, or descriptions)
  • One referee
  • Access statement (if applicable)

We welcome applications from artists at the beginning of their careers.

Email your application to lucy.knight33@nhs.net with the subject line “Creative Voices Support Artist”.

Deadline: 10:00am, 12 June 2026

Further Information

For more information or to discuss the opportunity, contact:

Acknowledgements

This project has been developed in collaboration with patients and the Adult Haemoglobinopathy team at NUH.

It is supported and funded by Nottingham Hospitals Charity.