Incubator: Call for Workshop Proposals

The goal of this call is to strengthen artists in their ability to share their creative practice and experience with others, while also fostering collaboration and dialogue on specific topics. They are looking for socially engaged proposals that focus on local realities, engage audiences beyond the art community, and include hands-on experiences and practical tools. Priority will be given to workshops that promote learning and working across disciplines.

Workshop Categories

• Immigration, Migration, Mobility
  • Production Partner: Heritage Space.
  • Eligibility Requirements: Artists from and living in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Philippines, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.
  • Workshop Topic: The focus of this workshop will be to explore forms and modes of mobility that are oriented towards sustainability, this may include points such as transport, human immigration, and climate change. Participants should be encouraged to express their ideas through artistic practice, interactive activities, and collective processes.
• Gender and Equity
  • Production Partner: Meta Arts.
  • Eligibility Requirements: Artists from and living in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
  • Workshop Topic: The focus of this workshop will be to identify and develop new artistic interventions based in firm belief that a gender equal South Asia is possible and urgently needed.
• Climate Action
  • Production Partner: Meta Arts.
  • Eligibility Requirements: Artists from and living in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
  • Workshop Topic: The focus of this workshop will be to identify and develop new artistic interventions based in firm belief that a gender equal South Asia is possible and urgently needed.
• Indigenous, Afro, and Caribbean Cosmogonies
  • Production Partner: Place to Doubts.
  • Eligibility Requirements: Artists from and living in Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
  • Workshop Topic: The focus of this workshop will be to encourage using the language of art to enhance local practices and knowledge systems with an aim to mediate non-Western knowledge
  • Note: Proposals submitted to this category may be written in Spanish or English.
• Food Futures
  • Production Partner: Global Landscapes Forum.
  • Eligibility Requirements: Female artists from and living in Djibouti, DRC, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda.
  • Workshop Topic: The focus of this workshop will be to use artistic practices and approaches to draw attention to women transforming African food systems.
• Conservation through Creation
  • Production Partner: Global Landscapes Forum.
  • Eligibility Requirements: Artists from and living in Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Djibouti, DRC, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, and Uganda.
  • Workshop Topic: The focus of this workshop will be for participants to develop artistic interventions and approaches to protect the landscape they are living in. The term “land” indicates a sense of belonging (= I own). Yet the suffix “-scape” means, in many languages, to “shape.” The landscapes are very much the living representation of the civilization in various forms.

Funding Information

• Grant Amount: CHF 4000 each projects.
• The grant will be paid in two instalments to cover the expenses associated with producing the outputs of the workshop, such as honorariums, fees, and non-personnel costs.
• Proposed workshops must run for four weeks, held online for 10 to 15 participants.
• The Incubator runs from November 2023 to April 2024.

How it Works

• The Incubator runs from November 2023 to April 2024. It consists of six workshop categories, each of which is hosted by one of the Incubator partners – all of whom are experienced workshop producers. The Incubator partner provides mentorship, advice, and support to the successful applicant on both a content and technical level. Applicants for each workshop category are selected based on a review of their proposals. One successful applicant is chosen for each category and is then mentored for a period of four weeks to design and plan the proposed workshop in detail. After the four weeks of mentoring, 4-5 weeks are set aside for the coordination of the workshop, such as for recruiting participants. The workshop then runs for a period of four weeks. The Incubator culminates in a joint showcase in a virtual space, which features all the content created in the six workshops. Mentorship details and support are customized depending on the type of successful application and are determined between the partner and the artist.

Proposal Instructions

• The proposed workshop format should meet the following criteria:
  • Provide a learning experience in an online environment to 10-15 participants
  • Workshop duration of 4 weeks (Schedule details I.e., frequency of learning sessions will be developed during the mentorship)
  • Include 1-2 activities in your workshop that are open to an audience wider than just the participants (e.g., a talk or presentation that engages a broader community)
  • Include at least 1 further training facilitator or expert beside yourself.
  • Include hands-on experience and practical tools
  • Engage with the topic in the workshop category
  • Encourage a socially engaged practice and if applicable, promote learning and working across disciplines
  • The output/works resulting from the workshop will be displayed in a virtual exhibition.
• Proposals should be written in English and include the following information:
  • A title and brief description of the workshop content and how it engages with the topic of the workshop category.
  • A statement of need establishing the problem and current conditions that you plan to address in the workshop
  • A description of the target audience and a tentative plan to interest and select workshop participants
  • A description of the methodology and activities involved in the workshop I.e., what will participants create? How will you guide participants?
• Your proposal should respond to the following questions:
  • What are the specific problems or issues that you are addressing and why does it matter?
  • Who benefits from your workshop?
  • Describe the intended participants i.e., level of expertise, demographics…
  • What kind of effect – artistic, intellectual, communal, civic, social, political, environmental – do you hope your project will have on a broader public?
  • What methodology, approach, and artistic mediums, will you use to achieve the workshop objectives?
  • What knowledge or skills will be shared in the workshop?
  • What are the specific learning activities involved?
  • Who will facilitate the workshop and specific learning activities? (You? Additional facilitators/experts?)
  • What is the timeline of activities?
  • What are the personal and professional outcomes that participants will achieve through this workshop?
  • What resources are required to implement the workshop, such as materials (handouts, slides, equipment), technologies and staff?

Note: They encourage the use of visualisations (graphs, tables, drawings, images) to help explain and support the ideas in your proposal.

Who can Apply?

• Artists of all disciplines with an active creative practice of 3+ years are invited to submit a proposal. No prior experience in running a workshop is necessary.
• Applicants must have English proficiency and submit proposals written in English. The workshop language may be determined by the successful applicant in consultation with the category partner. Proposals submitted to the “Indigenous, Afro, and Caribbean Cosmogonies” category may be written in Spanish or English.
• Only one proposal per applicant will be considered in this call. Before submitting a proposal, applicants must consult the workshop categories and their respective criteria. Applicants and their proposals must meet the eligibility requirements outlined for the relevant category and the proposal must engage with the respective workshop topic.

For more information, visit South Cultural Fonds.