About
the Fourdrinier [four-drin-ee-ay] is a monthly online magazine dedicated to contemporary artists, exhibitions and visual art projects, with a focus on the North of England.
We are passionate about shining a light on contemporary art in the North and providing readers with long-form features, reviews and interviews. Through our Professional Art Writing Development Scheme, we are committed to fostering new writing talent.
Published by PAPER in Manchester, the Fourdrinier is edited by Jo Manby and co-founded by David Hancock and Sara Jaspan. It is funded by Arts Council England.
Our origins
the Fourdrinier started life in 2016 as the in-house magazine for PAPER Gallery, an artist-led, commercial gallery based in Manchester. It rebranded as the Fourdrinier in 2019, with Jo Manby taking over as editor from Sara Jaspan in 2021. This marked the beginning of a new direction – shifting away from concentrating on artists whose practice is based around the medium of paper, to covering all forms of contemporary art.
the Fourdrinier Professional Art Writing Development Scheme
In 2023, we were successful in our funding application for Arts Council England National Lottery Projects for the Arts. This has enabled us to launch our Professional Art Writing Development Scheme.
the Fourdrinier Professional Art Writing Development Scheme helps to support underrepresented writers early in their career and provide a platform where they can develop their art writing skills, grow their portfolio of published work and get paid.
Our current cohort features six wonderful writers who will be producing new pieces of critical writing across 2024 – 2025 which will sit alongside collaborative, sequential, experimental articles from our editorial team.
As part of the scheme, we are proud to be working with a team that includes mentors Michele Robecchi, commissioning editor at Phaidon and professional writer and co-founder / contributing editor at The Double Negative, Laura Robertson.
From the Artist’s Mouth
As part of our remit at the Fourdrinier, we’ve always sought to give coverage to independent, artist-led and not-for-profit spaces, and individual artists, with a focus on the northwest.
We will continue to do this, alongside our sponsor content offer for larger, funded organisations.
While there will always be a proportion of ‘free’ coverage for both independent and institutional exhibitions, due to the aims and ambitions of our contributors and the requirements of our forward planning, we can’t cover everything.
With this in mind, we have decided to open up a pre-existing section on our site, ‘From the Artist’s Mouth’ to allow one artist or artist group per month/issue to submit a 1000-2000 word text of their own wording (whether descriptive, critical, or experimental – subject to editorial) for publication, plus four images.
This opportunity is offered at a discounted fee to cover editorial and running costs.
This fee is considerably discounted in comparison to our sponsor content offer and opens up coverage on a leading north west based online art publication to underfunded projects in a direct and affordable way.
The text will remain archived on the Fourdrinier under the ‘From the Artist’s Mouth’ section, so contributing artists will always have a live link for their own promotional uses.
The Fourdrinier reserves the right to refuse content for whatever reason.
To begin with we are piloting this for a period of six months, to be reviewed in December 2024.
Email us at thefourdrinier@gmail.com
Our writers
Our writers and contributors are:
Chi Emecheta is an artist and writer based in greater Manchester. She is co-director of Longsight Art Space and works as a freelance creative producer.
Raphael Haque is a British-Bengali architect from Manchester, based in London. His work is focused on sustainable placemaking, regeneration of community and conservation of buildings through the merging of ecology and architecture.
Kirsty Jukes is an art historian and writer from Skelmersdale (now based in Manchester). With a specific interest in undoing art world biases, she reveals the personal experiences of each artist through the story of their work.
Harpreet Kaur is a speaker, writer and researcher who bridges arts, culture and technology, currently focusing on AI and creative innovation. Based in Manchester, Harpreet is a seasoned commentator and ecosystem builder, offering a nuanced and global perspective shaped by multidisciplinary, academic and nomadic experiences.
Sara Makari-Aghdam, born and living in Stockton-on-Tees, is a multi-ethnic curator, writer, poet and academic researcher. Her work mainly lies within the remit of Iranian Modern and Contemporary art and design but is not confined by its geographical reach.
Jo Manby is a Greater Manchester-based painter, writer and editor. Born in Scotland and brought up in the West Midlands, she is committed to expanding opportunities for underrepresented writers.
Marjorie H Morgan is an award-winning playwright, director, producer and journalist. Born in Wiltshire and based in Liverpool, her research and writing explore themes of 'Home' and 'Identity', giving voice to those marginalised in pockets of British and global societies.
Ella Otomewo is a Manchester based poet and performer. She collaborates regularly with other artists and is the New Writing Coordinator for Commonword.
Simal Rafique is a History of Art undergraduate student at the University of Manchester, excited to develop her writing skills under the Fourdrinier Professional Art Writing Development Scheme.
Charu Vallabhbhai is an Uganda-born, British museums and arts sector professional, independent curator and writer of Indian heritage based in West Yorkshire.
Previous staff writers and contributors
Natalie Bradbury, Anna Columbine, Alison Criddle, Laura Harris, Laura Robertson, Charlotte Patricia Robson, Greg Thorpe, Sara Jaspan.
Supported content
We work with regional arts organisations on a support content model. This allows us to create opportunities for underrepresented writers – and draw attention to some of the most exciting contemporary artists today. If you’re interested in directly supporting a review, feature or interview, then get in touch.
Contacts:
Jo Manby, the Fourdrinier editor
David Hancock, director
Email: thefourdrinier@gmail.com
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the Fourdrinier is funded by Arts Council England and the University of Salford.
Web design and branding by David Williams.
