I’m currently working on a community art garden project in Bolton with Richard Dawson and Peter Castle.  Having put in a (very long) proposal which took us about two days to complete, we got asked to attend an interview, which was then followed up by an ‘interview workshop’ when the interviewers (which included a community member) couldn’t decide between us and another group.  We were paid to carry out this workshop, which I thought was a really positive approach, as I know many artists who have been expected to deliver a workshop for free as part of the interview process.

I’d be interested in hearing what other people think about the application and interview process for artists.  You are often expected to submit a comprehensive proposal as an initial application, which can easily take a day or two to put together, and then attend first and second stage interviews, which might include a presentation, with perhaps a workshop thrown into the mix too.

All valid methods for finding the right person for the job or is it taking the selection process a bit too far?