Open-call: designer
Deadline: Mon 5 January - midday
Contract Period: For work undertaken in February 2026
Artist & dramaturge Emma Lewis-Jones is seeking designer to collaborate on the delivery of a dance dramaturgy toolkit for choreographers, performance makers and organisations in Scotland and the UK. Dance Dramaturgy is a practice of critical external support during devising stages of choreographic work, which help an artist understand audience experience. The toolkit aims to deepen and demystify dance dramaturgy tools for artists. The toolkit will consolidate research Emma has been undertaking over the past three years, and will share prompts for thinking about key dramaturgy features such as critical feedback, audience advocacy & positionality; & tools for building a conceptual landscape.
As a neurodivergent practitioner, Emma is keen to think through neurodivergent-led and accessible modes of communicating and disseminating information - particularly in the articulation of what are often embodied and affective encounters.
About Emma Lewis-Jones
Emma Lewis-Jones is an artist, facilitator & dramaturg based primarily in Glasgow & working across visual art, dance & interdisciplinary performance spheres. She holds an undergraduate in Choreography from Falmouth University & an MLitt in Fine Art: Performance from Glasgow School of Art.
Emma’s initial interest in dramaturgy stemmed from her experience of hosting post-show discussions in the dance world and observing how this contrasted with critical feedback sessions in art school. She is passionate about facilitating generous, generative spaces for discourse and discovery for artists to interrogate their ideas to the max.
Brief
The selected designer will work with lead artist and dramaturge Emma Lewis-Jones, and co-writer Hannah Sullivan, to develop an accessible visual layout and engaging graphic design for the future digital and print publishing of the toolkit.
The ideal candidate will have:
Experience of working in a design capacity within artistic contexts and/or in collaboration with artists
Demonstrable knowledge of best practice related to accessibility in graphic design and an interest in exploring accessible ways of representing writing
Experience of designing and preparing files for both digital and print publications
Desirable - An interest in dance, dramaturgy and/or interdisciplinary performance
Winter 2026 timeline
Deadline: MIDDAY, Monday 5 January
Notification of success: Thursday 8 January
Meeting with lead artist: to be agreed
Meeting with team: Wednesday 28 January or Thursday 29 January
Deadline for completion of project: 28 February 2026
Fee
£1050 (based on approx 3 working days at £350 per day)
Apply
To apply please send responses to parts 1 and 2 to eljaccess@gmail.com by midday on Monday 5 January:
1
Send an example of your relevant design practice. This might take the form of a portfolio, website, instagram or a link to where your work can be found. Please highlight any projects you think relate well to the nature of this role.
2
A document containing:
-Approx 150 words introducing yourself with relevant information regarding your practice and positionality in the context of this project.
-Approx 150 words describing why you’re be interested in working on a project about dance, neurodivergence & access, devising and development tools and any relevant experience.
OR
A voice/video recording:
-1- 2 mins introducing yourself with relevant information regarding your practice and positionality in the context of this project.
-1-2 mins describing why you’re interested in working on a project about dance, neurodivergence & access, devising and development tools and any relevant experience.