A PRINCETOWN arts organisation is looking for artists to implement a new project which puts Dartmoor farming practices in the spotlight.

Aune Head Arts, which is based at the Old Duchy Hotel, needs six artists to participate in its Focus on Farming project which has just received a £35,000 Regional Arts Lottery Programme grant.

The project will use contemporary artforms to present Dartmoor as a living landscape maintained through farming, and all the work produced will be displayed in an exhibition lasting 12 months.

The selected artists will be divided into three pairs and each will live and work with a Dartmoor farming family for a period of thirty days between March and October, recording their experiences.

Each pair will consist of an experienced, lead artist, selected from a search across the UK, and a less experienced apprentice, ideally from the Dartmoor area.

Project manager Nancy Sinclair said Focus on Farmers aims to encourage artists to stay on Dartmoor in the future by highlighting the artistic potential of agriculture.

?We are trying to develop new artists who will grow up and stay on Dartmoor in their future careers,? she explained.

?Also the project will provide the general public with a more accurate representation of what it means to be a farmer in this day and age.

?I think people know Dartmoor is a beautiful place, but have no appreciation of what goes on behind the scenes, in terms of looking after the livestock and maintaining the land.?

Selection criteria for the lead artists will centre on the strength of their past work, which must demonstrate that they can work in an innovative and experimental fashion.

Applications are invited from writers, digital artists, sound artists, painters and sculptors, but the chosen lead artists are likely to be multi-skilled.

The apprentice artists must have a proven background in a specific artform or artforms, and show an interest in working experimentally.

They should be in the early stages of their professional development.

Interested artists should visit the Aune Head Arts website at http://www.auneheadarts.org.uk">www.auneheadarts.org.uk to find out more about the application process.

The deadline for applications is February 14.