Deadline: 31 August 2023
In working to create the conditions for the widest variety of art and creativity for both artists and audiences through the Support for the Individual Artist Programme, Arts Council of Northern Ireland is seeking to address the barriers to access, progression and representation in the arts encountered by minority ethnic artists with this mentoring and residency scheme.
Aims of the Programme
- The Arts Council of Northern Ireland recognises and welcomes the diversity within the society.
- The aim is to support individual artists and creative practitioners from minority ethnic backgrounds and migrant backgrounds at every stage of their career.
- Through this Minority Ethnic Artists Mentoring and Residency Programme they wish to create opportunities for specialized training, research, cultural exchanges, networking and learning for individual artists, creative practitioners and arts administrators from minority ethnic and migrant backgrounds.
- Programme Aims:
- Increase opportunities for young and emerging minority ethnic artists. The Arts Council particularly welcomes applications from emerging artists – an emerging artist is someone who is in the early stage of their career as a professional artist. They are developing their artist ‘voice’ and are in the process of establishing a reputation and recognition among critics, galleries, producers etc, and will have practised as a professional artist for less than 5 years.
- Support arts workforce skill development and career pathways for young and emerging artists from minority ethnic and migrant backgrounds.
- Inspire excellence through the support of high-quality, ambitious, innovative and imaginative opportunities for artists to collaborate with others.
- Increase the capacity and opportunities for artists to take professional and creative risks.
- Contribute to a vibrant and diverse workforce across the breadth of the creative and cultural industries.
- Specifically, the scheme will fund residencies and mentoring opportunities through which applicants can develop their creative and professional practice.
- Applicants are invited to shape a programme of support, tailored to their own needs and through wider collaboration.
Funding Information
- The total budget for this programme is £50,000.
- The maximum award will be up to £5,000.
- The Minority Ethnic Artists Mentoring and Residency Scheme will only fund proposals that will take place between 10 November 2023 and 31 October 2024.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants to the Minority Ethnic Artists Mentoring and Residency Scheme are as follows:
- Artists of all disciplines and in all types of working practice (including DJs) from minority ethnic and migrant backgrounds, including people in need of international protection.
- Creative practitioners and arts administrators from minority ethnic and migrant backgrounds.
- Emerging artists from minority ethnic and migrant backgrounds: The Arts Council particularly welcomes applications from emerging artists – an emerging artist is someone who is in the early stage of their career as a professional artist. They are developing their artist ‘voice’ and are in the process of establishing a reputation and recognition among critics, galleries, producers etc, and will have practised as a professional artist for less than 5 years.
- Employees of statutory bodies, undergraduates and postgraduates are eligible to apply but they must prove that the funds which they are seeking are for work/costs which are not properly the concern of their employer and/or are not related to their work or academic study. They must submit evidence of this in the form of a letter on headed paper from their Head of Department.
- In the case of post-graduate students, the letter must clearly state the title of the student’s PhD thesis and include a declaration by the Head of Department.
- Applicants undertaking a Masters or a PhD must also include a separate statement which provides information on how the project applied for differs from their Masters or PhD work.
- Eligible applicants must also:
- Have made a contribution to artistic activities in Northern Ireland for a minimum period of 1 year within the last 5 years.
- Live in Northern Ireland.
- Be at least 18 yrs old and not in secondary education.
Ineligible
- Applicants who have broken the conditions of any previous ACNI award and applicants who remain in breach of any previous letters of offer (regardless of the letter of offer date).
For more information, visit Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
