In April 2022, Metal announced a call out for submissions of artwork, essays, prose and more, that capture the experiences of being an early career artist. These submissions were curated and placed into a zine, Anvil.
Made up of 16 submissions from early career artists from across the UK, Anvil showcases the work of artists within the Metal New Artist Network. Together they share advice, motivation and/or provocations about the reality of starting an arts career.
Featuring artworks by Hannah Moshtael, Sam Slattery, Laura Skinsley, Sarah Judd, Becky Bone, Erika Cann, Keeley Robinson, Lauren Kendrick, Carole Bouvier, Adrien Châtelain, Isa Bascuñana, Sarah Weights, Yasmin Begum, Fae Ford, Sophie Lau, Sam Willis.
Anvil was pulled together by zine producer, maker, and curator, Arden Fitzroy. Arden is an actor, writer-poet, producer, and facilitator, who believes in experimentation and play.
With special thanks to Seleena Laverne Daye for her mentoring and zine making wisdom.
Click here to buy a limited edition copy of the zine. £2.50 with postage.
View a digital version of the Anvil zine below:
You can listen to an audio described version of the zine below and at the link here: Anvil on SoundCloud
Metal · Anvil – Metal New Artist Network Zine
Artist Bios
- Arden Fitzroy (they/them) is an actor, writer-poet, producer, and facilitator, who believes in experimentation and play.
- Sam Slattery (he/him) is constantly tinkering, whether it’s with music, writing, painting, drawing, or making films. He loves performing and has told stories, sung silly songs, and played improv music/noise at gigs across the UK.
- Carole Bouvier (she/her) is a French illustrator and colourist based in Cambridge, UK. Before completing the MA, her initial career was in independent film distribution, an occupation that developed and nourished her passion for storytelling.
- Lauren Kendrick (she/her) is a freelance artist & food activist in Peterborough. She’s a cross-disciplinary artist, passionate about food & stories. This is a recipe of things I have learnt & want to remember. Recipes are often shared, handed down, changed with time & tastes, just like experience does.
- Adrien Châtelain – Dust (they/them) a multidisciplinary artist working in audio, installation, photography, poetry and sculpture. Their practice focuses on the climate crisis, decay, gender, and technology.
- Sarah Weights (she/her) is a 25-year-old multi-media artist from Liverpool, living in Toxteth. She uses both film and digital photography, illustration and graphic design to create her work. She is interested in community and fascinated by people who connect over their hobbies, shared interests and personal history.
- Yasmin Begum (she/her) is an artist, writer, and campaigner based in her hometown of Cardiff, Wales.
- Fae Wolfe (she/her) is a Dance Artist based in Manchester, U.K. Her work blends poetry and movement to confess the multi-layered narrative of the othered body. She centres writing on queerness and experiences of otherness from a mixed heritage perspective.
- Isa Bascuñana (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist and graphic designer, currently based in London. Her work has a characteristic illustrative atmosphere, achieved through colourful and playful collages which crowd the pages of her favourite medium: fanzines.
- Becky Bone (she/her) is a writer, performer and facilitator from South London. Her writing began in the form of stand-up comedy but flourished in poetry and creative-non fiction when she returned to education in 2018 to study a BA in Creative Writing and English. Her poems have been published online and in print.
- Sarah Judd (she/her) is an illustrator based in Chelmsford. She makes bright, playful, narrative-based images for children. She graduated from UAL Camberwell College of Art during 2021 with a BA in Illustration, and is currently looking for work within the world of children’s publishing.
- Keeley Robinson (she/her) is an intuitive artist based in North Wales. Sausageface was created as an escape from the symptoms of chronic illness, a celebration of colour, and to remind others to never underestimate the power of art that simply makes you smile.
- Erika Cann (she/her) is a graduate from the Ruskin School of Art. Her home lies between the granite tors of Dartmoor National Park and the dynamic cliffs of the Jurassic Coast. She navigates the environment through climbing – pulling and squeezing her way up and through time, geologies, and accumulated narratives.
- Sophie Lau (she/they) is a freelance writer and educator who creates work inspired by her experiences navigating the world as a British Chinese woman. When she’s not playing with her dog, Doughnut, she is writing poetry, tutoring languages, delivering creative translation workshops and having life crises.
- Hannah Moshtael is Writer-illustrator and a graduate of the MA in Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art. Her image-making process is like growing a wild colourful garden of different textures and shapes, combining printmaking, drawing and digital techniques.
- Laura Skinsley (she/her) primarily specialises in painting with a preference of oils. By exploring the anatomy of the human face an uneasiness is created amongst the still life decorative objects in her work.
- Sam Wills (he/him) work hopes to blur the distinctions between production, distribution and spectatorship. Opting to display within more peripheral environments of both public and exhibition environments, his work activates audiences into participants.
Want to find out more about the ? Or have you made a ? Seleena Laverne Daye has made a series of resources to help get you started!
