Role: Freelance Artist
Deadline: Final artwork must be ready for installation by 16 February 2026
Fee: A set fee of £2,100 is offered (inclusive of VAT) plus up to £500 for materials and workshop costs
Location: Anywhere in the UK
In March 2026, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will launch a new temporary public exhibition on the history of migration and nursing, exploring the contributions of migrants from across the globe to healthcare over the last 150 years. The exhibition will be displayed for 6 months in London and 6 months in Edinburgh, accompanied by a programme of events.
Through an artistic commission, we would like to involve migrant and refugee nurses in the co-creation of an artwork themed as a ‘Balikbayan Box for Nursing’. This refers to the Filipino custom of migrant workers sending boxes of items back home as a way of returning in spirit and is inspired by nurse and poet Romalyn Ante’s poem ’Notes Inside a Balikbayan Box’. ‘Balikbayan’ means ‘homecoming’ and the resulting artwork could draw on themes including but not limited to migration, home, identity and belonging to explore the spirit of nursing as experienced by a range of migrant workers across the UK.
We are seeking an artist to create an artwork through collaborative practice or co-creation with RCN members. We are open to any medium and any method of responding to the theme, which can draw on a range of different global cultures, with the final result installed in the exhibition to launch on 5 March 2026. The participatory element of the project should be inclusive to different migration experiences and nursing backgrounds. The RCN Library and Museum team will support access to audiences for workshops and idea sessions, at least some of which should take place virtually to enable broader geographic participation.
For more information on the work and history of the RCN, visit our website at: www.rcn.org.uk and the Library and Museum at www.rcn.org.uk/library
How to Apply
Please submit an expression of interest and your CV by midnight on Sunday 19 October to audienceengagement@rcn.org.uk.
Your expression of interest should explain in 500 - 1,000 words: the concept for the work including any visual ideas, how it relates to healthcare and migration, a brief outline of how the work will be created, including nurse participation.
The final work must be completed and ready to install by 16 February 2026. The install will take place w/c 23 February 2026.
If you require any additional information or would like to discuss the project further, please contact Antonia Harland-Lang at antonia.harland-lang@rcn.org.uk
Please find a 360 degree view of the exhibition space here and photographs below:
