- The applications are open during March 7 – 27, 2022. In this timeframe, submissions from emerging artists are welcome.
- Mentorship, a group exhibition and public art projects – are the main stages of the programme, with a full duration of 18 months.
- 10 emerging artists will be selected by an international jury.
- The project is financed with the support of EEA Grants 2014-2021 within the RO-CULTURE Programme and is implemented by Asociația Culturală Eastwards Prospectus (ACEP).
Bucharest, March 8, 2022 – Asociația Culturală Eastwards Prospectus (ACEP) announces the launch of the Open Call within the programme ACCELERATOR. Mentorship and Production for Emerging Artists.
The application process is open for 3 weeks, during March 7 – 27, 2022. In this timeframe, emerging artists are invited to send their applications.
ACCELERATOR is the most complex mentoring programme designed to boost the careers of Romanian emerging artists. Through its three stages – mentoring, group exhibition and public art – ACCELERATOR presents emerging artists with a game-changing opportunity, at a key career juncture.
10 artists will be selected by an international jury and will begin in May a mentorship programme. In this framework, they will interact with well-known international mentors and artists.
The emerging artists who will join the program will gain access to the resources required to produce new artworks, individual budget included. The total amount allocated to the artists exceeds 22,000 EUR.
The participants will be provided with the context to present the newly produced art works in a group exhibition, to be organised at Gaep gallery. They will also have the opportunity to take part in individual or collaborative public art projects, which will be rolled-out in Bucharest and in 3 other Romanian cities.
Eligibility
The programme accepts applications from artists who are:
- Emerging* artists
- 21+, no art degree requirement
- Exhibited in at least one group / personal exhibition organized in an independent art space
- Have continuous experience of maximum 10 years in the visual arts field
- Romanian citizens
- Advanced level of English language: all documents required by the organizer to be included in the application will be written in English, selection interviews organized during the second phase of selection will be conducted in English; the activities of the entire mentorship programme, in all its three stages, will take place mainly in English;
- Available to attend the laboratories that will take place in Bucharest (9–15 May 2022 & 6–12 June 2022) and to continue the mentorship online (23 May–5 June 2022, 13-19 June 2022, 27 June–31 July 2022);
- Available to attend the meetings organized by the curator of the group exhibition for discussing and preparing the production of new works of art (August – November 2022) and for organizing the group exhibition presented and opened at Gaep gallery (December 2022 – January 2023);
- Are interested in the research of a specific community and tin producing works of art for the public space (January – April 2023);
- Available to be involved in an extended mentorship programme for 18 months (May 2022 – September 2023), through physical and online participation in all the activities carried out within the programme, depending on how each stage will be designed by the organizer;
- Experience in public art projects / public space interventions will represent a plus during the evaluation process, but not an eligibility criterion.
* We consider emerging artists to be those who have less than 10 years of professional experience. We opted for the term “emerging” instead of “young” because the project also welcomes applications from those who have made a career change or have recently decided to prioritize their art above everything else, at any age.
All the information about how to apply, what the application file should include and regarding the timeframes of activities is published on ACCELERATOR webpage: https://accelerator-mentorat.ro/en/open-call/
The jury members who will perform the evaluation are Andrei Breahnă – Cultural manager and ACCELERATOR project manager, Andreea Drăghicescu – Cultural manger and coordinator of ACCELERATOR Mentorship Program, Auður Jörundsdóttir – Director of the Icelandic Art Centre, Tevž Logar – curator and Þorlákur Einarsson – Director of i8 Gallery, the partner of the programme.
The selection process will be done in 2 stages – the pre-selection and the interview. Following the review of applications, the jury will make a shortlist of artists who will qualify in the second round of the selection process and who will, therefore, be invited to an online interview. The jury members will decide upon the 10 emerging artists who will participate in ACCELERATOR after all the interviewed are finalised.
Key dates:
- March 7-27, 2022, 23.59 – Open Call – submission of applications
- March 28 – April 17, 2022 – Jury days – selection process
- April 19, 2022 – Announcing the selected emerging artists
- May 9 – Start of the mentorship programme
Mentors
The mentors who will coach the 10 participating artists are: Andrei Breahnă – cultural manager (workshop: The Art Market and Financing Options), Ioana Chira – communicator (workshop: PR, Communication in Art and Writing in the Context of Artistic Practice), Þorlákur Einarsson – director, i8 gallery (laborator: Sistemul artei contemporane), Tevž Logar – curator (workshop: Curating. The Relation Between Artist and Curator), Ólöf Nordal – artist (worskhop: Art in the public space). The mentor who will deliver the Artist statement publication topic will be announced shortly.
The project partners are i8 Gallery, renowned for collaborating on a long-term basis with internationally recognized artists, and Gaep Gallery, based in Bucharest.
Contact person:
Ana-Ilinca Macri
Cultural mediator
0723 408 816
ilinca.macri@eastwardsprospectus.com
https://accelerator-mentorat.ro/
Asociația Culturală Eastwards Prospectus