Open Call | DELFINA RESIDENCY WITH TATE LEARNING

OPEN CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR

A DELFINA RESIDENCY WITH TATE LEARNING

Delfina Foundation (DELFINA) and Tate Learning are pleased to invite applicants from the Middle East and North Africa region for a collaborative, project-based residency in London.

The residency aims to provide an opportunity for research, engagement, and collaboration with a strand of audiences through Tate’s innovative Learning programmes. This residency is aimed at artists for whom collaboration and public engagement figure as significant aspects of their practice, and is an opportunity to further develop these components with the support of Tate’s Adult Programmes team and DELFINA. The resident artist will, in dialogue with Tate’s community project curator, develop a collaborative, critically framed project that aims to address key questions and concerns emerging through a sustained dialogue with a specific audience group. The project will be framed around key research questions identified by the community project curator in dialogue with the resident artist, and will seek to address these through creative and collaborative methods.

This DELFINA residency is an opportunity for an emerging or mid-career artist to work with one of the world’s leading gallery education programmes, in one of the world’s leading art institutions. The resident will be supported by the curator of community projects and other members of the Adult Programmes team, in addition to DELFINA.  The resident artist may also have the opportunity to participate in events run through DELFINA’s public programme and Tate’s Adult Programmes team, including workshops, seminars, and talks.

The ideal candidate is an artist with a developed professional practice, for whom sound and/or performance form the core of their research and practice. The ideal candidate would have proven experience and interest in public and participatory modes of engagement, and will have a strong interest in critically developing their practice in relation to this. The ideal candidate will demonstrate how this residency will figure into their ongoing concerns and how it will constitute an important part of their professional practice.

The project will take the format of protracted residency, with the artist travelling to London for a period of six weeks, three times in a single year. The first phase of the residency will commence in February/March 2012 for six weeks. The second phase will take place from June/July 2012 for another six weeks, with the final phase of engagement and production taking place from October/November 2012 for six weeks. A subsequent evaluation will take place at a date to be determined. The final phase of the residency will include a public event to take place at Tate.

The selected artist will receive:

• A 6-week, quarterly residency (February/March 2012) / (June/July2012) / (October/November2012) in London, including return flights, accommodation at DELFINA and a bursary for per diems, basic living costs and materials. In addition the artist will receive a fee for project development and delivery.  Please note that any request for change in dates will not be accommodated.
• The opportunity to speak about their practice in a public event organized through Tate.
• Opportunities to engage with communities in and surrounding Tate Modern and Tate Britain.

DELFINA and Tate will provide an important platform for the recipient to meet fellow artists and a network of professionals in the field of contemporary art in London

Applicant criteria:

• Currently living and working in the Middle East & North Africa region;
• Have a developed professional practice;
• Able to demonstrate achievement or great potential in creatively articulating ground-breaking and critically engaged ideas and concepts in an innovative and collaborative way;
• Proven ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of audiences;
• Proven ability to deliver public activities and events such as workshops and seminars;
• Able to work with a range of audiences and settings;
• Resourceful and accomplished at working in a cost-effective way;
• Able to commit to a long term project;
• Can demonstrate how the experience of an international residency in London may benefit his/her practice and career development;
• Can demonstrate how learning outcomes from this residency may be shared and disseminated in their permanent place of residence;
• Available for the residency at the dates specified previously;
• Available for a subsequent follow up and evaluation phase.

• The completed application form
• Recent CV/resume
• Samples of work
• Two references

The recipient will be chosen by a jury of representatives from DELFINA and Tate.

Please submit only electronic copies of the above documents to: apply@delfinafoundation.com.

Closing date for applications: July 18, 2011

All applicants will be notified of the panel’s decision in early August 2011.

About the partners

Delfina Foundation – www.delfinafoundation.com

Founded in 2007, The Delfina Foundation’s mission is to nurture artistic professional development through cultural exchange between the West and the East and to support collaboration across different cultures and disciplines, using art and creativity to promote mutual understanding.  Our work has two interlocking strands:

• A residency programme for artists, writers and curators to further the practical and conceptual nature of their work
• A public programme that explores the link between visual culture and civic society through exhibitions, talks, and new commissions.

As a non-political, charitable organisation, our current focus of exchange is between arts professionals in the UK and the greater Middle East & North Africa (MENA); however, we forge collaborations that extend beyond our geographical remit to promote critical discourse on issues of international concern.

Tate Learning- www.tate.org.uk

Tate Modern is the national gallery of international modern art. Tate Britain is the national gallery of British art. Located in London, they are part of the family of four Tate galleries which display selections from the Tate Collection. The Collection comprises the national collection of British art from the year 1500 to the present day, and of international modern art.

At Tate we want everyone to be able to get the most from art. In a rapidly changing world, we need to look forward and find new ways of responding to art works, to exhibitions and to new ideas.

Exploring ways of engaging with art is what learning at Tate is all about.

Adult Programmes

The Adult Programmes team create events for the public to deepen engagement with art. These range from symposia, courses and talks to bespoke workshops, seminars and tailored events. Our practice is inter-disciplinary, and is informed by a series of inquiries. These include exploring the present role of the art museum in a diverse world city, how we can work with art as a catalyst for learning, and how our events can create new contexts for learning and change expectations.

Research informs our team and our events, underpinning our thinking, actions and programme development. Our current strategic priorities include artists’ practice, a critical approach to learning, and creating platforms for dialogue and exchange with local, national and international audiences.

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