Artists' International Development Fund opens for applications
A joint three-year programme between the British Council and Arts Council England which will support individual artists based in England to work internationally opens for applications today (Thursday 1 March).
The Artists' International Development Fund will provide grants of between £1,000 to £5,000 for artists to travel, explore and collaborate internationally while carrying out professional projects.
The £750,000 fund aims to support artists who have carried out little or no work internationally, and is designed to help artists build on their domestic success and develop markets and audiences overseas for their work.
Arts Council England and the British Council are each providing half of the total funding available.
Alan Davey, Chief Executive, Arts Council England said: “The Artists' International Development Fund is practical, flexible support for artists who wish to expand their practice by working internationally. It will help develop the careers of individual artists and create new links between the art community in England and their international colleagues.
“It has been created in response to the strong message we’ve received from artists that working internationally and exchanging ideas is of great importance to them.
“The opportunities, aspirations and ambitions the fund will support will also drive the creation of new and exciting work which will benefit audiences in this country.”
Graham Sheffield, Director Arts, British Council said: “Our relationship with Arts Council England has in the past months moved into a new phase and we are delighted to be announcing this fund together. Helping young and emerging artists is an important part of the British Council’s arts work. It is vital that the UK’s creative sector has the chance to develop an international perspective and a global network at a young age and this scheme will facilitate that. ”
Author Neel Mukherjee added: “An international exchange is one of the greatest gifts that can be given a writer. It does two seemingly contradictory things: while optimising the essential solitude that is vital for any writing by freeing her into pure, undistracted work for the period, it also positions her in a bigger map of the networks and global community of writers. Magic!”
All projects must include one or two periods spent working abroad by the artist.
There are three funding rounds in each financial year the programme will run. The deadline for applications to be received for the first funding round this year is 31 May 2012.
The fund will be managed by the Arts Council. Successful applicants will be chosen jointly by Arts Council England and the British Council.
The grants are to be used towards covering travel costs, daily needs, some material costs, and accommodation.
Artists who are interested in applying should go to www.artscouncil.org.uk/artistsinternational
Press enquiries
For more information contact:
Brian Maycock, Media Relations Officer, Arts Council England
Tel: 020 7973 6890
Email: brian.maycock@artscouncil.org.uk
Alex Bratt, Senior Press Officer, British Council
Tel: 0207 389 4872
alex.bratt@britishcouncil.org
Public enquiries
The British Council does not process/administer the applications. For general information and help about Artists’ International Development Fund, please contact Arts Council England. How to apply and eligibility criteria can be found at www.artscouncil.org.uk/artistsinternational
About Arts Council England
Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2011 and 2015, we will invest £1.4 billion of public money from government and an estimated £0.85 billion from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk
About the British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide. We work in over 100 countries in the arts, education and English and in 2010/11 we engaged face to face with 30 million people and reached 578 million. We have 6,800 staff worldwide. Our total turnover in 2010/11 was £693 million, of which our grant-in-aid from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was £190 million. The remainder was generated through trading activities such as English language teaching. For every £1 of taxpayer money invested we earn £2.65 in additional income. www.britishcouncil.org
