Commonwealth Connections International Arts Residencies
Online entry for the 2010 Commonwealth Foundation's international arts residency programme, Commonwealth Connections, will open at the end of February.
Applications can only be accepted via the online application form. This will be available from 26 February 2010. Start putting your application together now.
The deadline for receipt of applications is 31 March 2010.
Our residencies seek to support an environment that fosters creativity and individual cultural expression, increase mutual understanding between peoples through artistic exchange and give up and coming artists opportunities to learn new skills that will help them develop their livelihoods as artists.
In June six residencies will be offered for a period of between three to nine months, to be taken up by January 2011. Each residency is worth up to £8,000. Application is open to all professional visual artists who are citizens of a Commonwealth country (click here for list). Please note that previous recipients of a Commonwealth Connections residency or a Commonwealth Arts and Crafts Award are not eligible to apply for the Commonwealth Connections residency programme.
The Commonwealth Connections residencies are not intended for study leading to a degree. Students may apply but they must have completed graduation prior to September 2010.
The residency must be taken up in another Commonwealth country, preferably in another Commonwealth region. Please note that Commonwealth Connections residencies are not available for travel between any two of the following countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
For this round, at least one residency will be awarded in Photography and at least one residency will be awarded in New Media.
Please note that we are not looking only for good art. It is the quality, ideas and thinking behind the application which are as important as the quality of the art.
We are interested in innovative proposals, in artists who are willing to take risks, and in art which engages with the wider community.
We particularly wish to support artists who have not had many opportunities to travel, and who are ready to fulfil their potential through such opportunities as the residencies.
For your application you will be asked to include the following items:
1. Your name and contact details
2. The name and contact details for two referees, one of which must be from a recognised arts institution
3. Supporting material:
a) Visual material
This should be either six digital images (in jpeg format) for applications in craft, fine art and photography or a link to an external website where video can be viewed for applications in New Media.
The digital images should be images of individual pieces of work completed within the last two years. The images will be automatically resized when uploaded. Each individual image must be saved as 'firstname, lastname, number' with no spacing eg johnsmith1.jpg
You will also be asked to give the title, date, medium and size of each artwork.
Artists working in video, performance, time-based, web-based, interactive, kinetic and/or new media should submit a short (maximum 5 minute) video via an external site, eg YouTube or Vimio, and include the link to where the video can be viewed in your online application form.
b) Written material
i) You will be asked to give a description of your artwork in 100 words.
ii) Your biography/cv
You will be asked to enter details of your art qualifications, solo and group exhibitions, any artistic workshops you have given, any publications you have contributed, any awards you have received, in particular any travel scholarships and any other information you think relevant in order to assess your application.
iii) You will be asked for the following information (maximum 100 words for each answer):
· Why do you wish to visit your chosen country?
· What do you intend to do while there?
· If known, give names of artists and/or institutions with which you would like to work in your chosen country
· How will your artwork benefit from the residency?
· What can you contribute to your host organisation?
· How do you intend to work with other artists in your host country?
· Give us some information about collaboration and contact with other artists in your own country and how your experiences will benefit those artists on your return
