Real Work. Early Access.

This time of year has always marked the start of something at New Blood Art. It’s when I begin planning the degree show tour – train routes, flights, car journeys. Sometimes 40, even 50 shows in just a few weeks. It’s intense, and a little bit mad, but it matters.

Because that effort – that sheer scale of movement and attention – has always had one purpose: to find extraordinary artists, early, and bring their work into view. It’s real work. And it’s how we keep finding the artists worth finding.

And over the years – particularly in the early days, when hardly anyone else was working in this space online – that’s also how we caught the attention of the national broadsheets: The Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian, The FT.

Things have changed a bit since Covid, the rhythm shifted. We also introduced the wonderful New Blood Art Emerging Art Prize, which invites art tutors to nominate final-year artists. But this year, we’re going back to our own tour – alongside the prize – returning to the ground, the shows, the instinctive encounters.

The New Blood Art Emerging Art Prize continues – a wonderful initiative that offers a broad view of talent across UK art schools, with tutors nominating artists they believe show outstanding skill and vision. Alongside that, I’ll be returning to the degree show tour with Nicola, and once again selecting artists personally. These are separate processes – though there may be some crossover. I’m looking forward to being back in the studios, noticing the work that speaks directly, and inviting artists we believe have a real future with our collectors.

And because we’re stepping back into this with the care and attention it deserves, we’re also refining how we share what we find. We’ve never charged artists to show, and we’ve always tightly curated the work – now more than ever, as we’ve recently clarified and refined our core offering.

But this year, we’re protecting the value of the work we do – the same work our reputation has been built on, and making sure the relationships we build around it are held with the same clarity. So this year, we’re returning to that rhythm – and introducing a new structure around this valuable service. So things will be slightly different. And we think, better.

Because the artists we introduced often went on to sell for significantly more. Not because the work changed, but because others began to recognise what we saw from the beginning. The market value increased – but the artwork itself didn’t change. The quality was already there.

I’m not an economist or an investor, but I can see intrinsic value in artwork – and that tends to align, in time, with market price. We weren’t speculating. We were recognising value. And we know artwork. We’ve always done this instinctively. This year, we’re shaping things more clearly.

We’ll be releasing a new series of private Collector PDFs – curated selections of new and rising artists. These will only be sent to those who’ve spent over £500 at New Blood Art in the past six months, or who purchase a First View Pass (£500, fully redeemable against any artwork within the next six months). First View Pass holders will receive preview access to both our Prize-nominated artists and those personally selected from this year’s degree shows. Additionally, our Spotlight selections, where we highlight artists ahead of wider market recognition, will also be shared first with this group.

We’ll be emailing the collector group tomorrow (May 11th 2025) to confirm inclusion. If you don’t receive that message, you’re not currently on the list – but as soon as a First View Pass is purchased, your email address will be added.

Instead of sending generic emails when we discover and take on a new graduate artist, we’ll be sharing those announcements first, along with available works -exclusively with this group. After a short preview period, the wider newsletter list will also receive the update. But the early access will belong here – ensuring that the people gaining the most from our endeavours are those who have shown the most commitment and loyalty.

We’re still doing what we’ve always done now with a more intentional structure, to protect the gallery and prioritise our loyal buyers.

Sarah