AIC Bursary Award 2017: Art and Activism – deadline November 17

Arts Council Artist in the Community Scheme

Bursary Award 2017: Art and Activism

The Arts Council Artist in the Community Scheme Bursary Award 2017 aims to support collaborative artists working in the area of art and activism. The Arts Council has provided this €10,000 bursary award as part of the Artist in the Community Scheme, which is managed by Create.

The purpose of the Bursary Award is to support and nurture professional arts practice and it is specifically aimed at an artist who has a track record of working collaboratively with communities of place or interest. The Bursary Award of €10,000 provides the selected artist with time and resources to carry out research and to reflect on practice. More particularly, the Bursary allows the artist to consider key questions associated with art and activist practice using collaborative methodologies.

It is expected that the successful applicant will share the learning arising from the Bursary with the wider arts and activist community and collaborative arts sector. Create will work in partnership with the Fire Station Artists’ Studios in providing information sessions and on the selection process.

For further information please email info@create-ireland.ie

Deadline for applications: 17 November 2017 at 5pm

Further Information

The Arts Council Artist in the Community Scheme Bursary Award 2015 is focused specifically on the area of collaborative art and activism.

It aims to support individual artists working in the field of art and activism. The purpose of the award is to support professional artists to further develop their community based art and activist practice. The award emphasises the value and benefit to an artists development that is derived from an extended process of engagement with a collaborative art and activist practice. The award therefore provides artists with the time and resources to think, research, reflect and engage with their practice.

The Bursary award will be available to artists with a proven track record who demonstrate how a bursary award will extend their knowledge of collaborative approaches to working in a community context and a clear concept of how this will be of benefit to the professional development of their practice.

It is aimed at artists who:

• work collaboratively with individuals and groups in the making and interpreting of art activist practices
• consider and prioritise the quality of the engagement at all stages (e.g. in the planning, making and evaluation of work)

Potential proposals could be those that enable artists working in the area of collaborative art and activism to reconsider their collaborative/participative thinking and practice through:

• research, dialogue and the negotiation of strategic partnerships
• participative/collaborative art making, critical reflection and evaluation
• practice that influences and expands alternative and varied strands of contemporary arts practice

Create, in partnership with Fire Station Artists’ Studios will host information and discussion events

Application process

Create recommends that the proposal is in the form of a written application, up to a maximum of 3 sides of A4, with your name and address, supported by additional information detailing work history and examples of professional collaborative practice.

Applicants’ principal residence should be in Ireland and applicants should be able to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to participative/collaborative arts practices.

All applications are acknowledged. You can expect a decision within one month of the deadline. Feedback on applications is available after decisions are announced.

The proposal should show evidence of:

• Commitment to collaborative art and activist practice
• A clear awareness and articulation of how the Bursary Award will extend and contribute to the artist(s) knowledge of collaborative approaches in art and activism
• An indication of the areas of research and exploration and of how the Bursary award will extend and expand the professional development of the applicant artist and collaborative arts and activist practice

Criteria for assessment

All eligible applications are assessed under 3 criteria as follows:

• Artistic merit
• Meeting the objectives + priorities of the Collaborative Art and Activism Bursary Award
• Feasibility

Who is eligible to apply

The award is open to artists at all stages in their professional careers. To be eligible to apply applicants must:

• have a track record in collaborative practice, and particularly art and activist practice
• have been born in, or are resident in, the Republic of Ireland
• be a professional practicing artist

Who cannot apply

Applicants who are not eligible to apply include:

• those who work in collaborative art and activist practice where development and/or development education goals take precedence over artistic outcomes (see Purpose and priorities of the Bursary Award)
• those who work in collaborative art and activist practice where the practice is youth arts – for information on youth arts opportunities please refer to the Artist in Youth Work Residency Scheme managed by the National Youth Council of Ireland – www.youtharts.ie
• individuals currently in undergraduate education

What you can apply for

The maximum award available is €10,000 for up to one year. The emphasis of the bursary award is to contribute to artist(s) reflective research time, it also provides for other costs that are intrinsic to supporting the development of the artist’s practice. In this context applicants may apply for living costs, they may also apply for materials, resources, third-party expertise or the hiring of services where it can be demonstrated that such costs are intrinsic or necessary to the development of the artist’s practice.

What you cannot apply for

Activities and costs that you cannot apply for include the following:

• activities or costs that do not fit the purpose of the award
• activities which are more suited to another award funded by the Arts Council or operated by other state agencies including Culture Ireland
• activities that have already taken place or which will have commenced; before a decision is due to be made on your application
• where the activity is for charity fund-raising purposes, for participation in a competition, or for primarily commercial or profit-making purposes
• activities that have already been assessed by the Arts Council, or where you are already in receipt of funding under the Artist in the Community Scheme

Assessment

Assessment will be made by a panel. The panel will consist of representatives from the Arts Council, Fire Station Artists’ Studios and Create.

If you have a query about any aspect of the award or the application process, please contact Create for clarification by sending an email to info@create-ireland.ie

Where to apply

Send completed applications to: 

AIC Scheme Bursary,
Create,
2 Curved Street,
Temple Bar,
Dublin 2

Please include your name and address

Deadline for applications: 17 November 2017 at 5pm.