This project presents an opportunity for a small group of illustrators to undertake individual commissions for display in the Royal Museums Greenwich temporary exhibition, Pirates (29 March 2025 - 4 January 2026). The project will include a period of research and the production of work that will be included in the exhibition at the Museum.

Background of the project

An exhibition on the theme of pirates will be opening at Royal Museums Greenwich in March 2025. The exhibition explores how British understanding of piracy has been shaped by their representation in popular culture, including film, fashion, theatre and literature. The exhibition includes objects and artworks from the Royal Museums Greenwich collections and archive.

Stories of piracy have captured the attention of the British public for hundreds of years and they have been widely explored in popular culture. The images that have shaped the narrative of piracy in Britain are predominantly white and male, and do not reflect the individuals who have been involved in and affected by piracy around the globe.

Certain stories are missing from the visual record of piracy, and specifically, the lives of Global Majority communities, LGBTQ+ people and women are not well documented. This research project aims to uncover these stories and communicate them to audiences through new and engaging illustration interventions that can sit within the Pirates exhibition in 2025.

Underrepresented Pirate figures

Illustrators will be given a suggested list of individuals related to piracy that may form the basis of their commissioned work but will also have the opportunity to suggest alternatives that may arise from their research. These will need to be agreed with Royal Museums Greenwich's team to ensure the final works can be used within the exhibition narrative.

Royal Museums Greenwich will be commissioning a minimum of one illustration from each participant, preferably to be presented in a 2D format in the Special Exhibitions Gallery (SEG), National Maritime Museum, during the run of the Pirates exhibition.

The illustration/s should be suitable for display within the exhibition and be able to be reproduced at large-scale format. The final work should not be produced until sign off has been agreed with all stakeholders (see programme below). The final file should ideally be delivered as a high-resolution file, RMG can provide support to produce this if needed, following agreement and discussion with the Illustrator.

Fee

£2500 fee per illustrator for research, production, review meetings and materials. The cost of printing for display will be covered by the Museum.

In order to apply for this opportunity, please provide a link to a digital portfolio, website or examples of previous work by noon, Friday 23 August to the email address shown after clicking "apply",
Please note, there is no requirement to create any new work for the application process.

Please also provide a brief statement that outlines the following:
- Your previous experience of illustration, this can be study or professional experience
- Your illustration and research process
- The individual or theme related to piracy that you wish to explore (this can be from the list above, or your own suggestion).
- How this project might serve as career development and/or help develop your portfolio
- Outline how you would approach this project, including a rough indication of how you would anticipate allocating your time across the research, development and production stages.

We will be shortlisting based on your portfolio and suitability of your style with the exhibition