Spazju Kreattiv in collaboration with the Valletta Cultural Agency (VCA) and Ministry for Gozo invite international creatives from all fields to apply for an immersive and community-based artist-in-residence programme in 2023. The duration of each residency may vary from three (3) to four (4) weeks for projects taking place between January – December 2023.
These residencies are linked to Spazju Kreattiv’s strategic vision of growing the cultural and creative scene in Malta and to the VCA’s mission to sustain and strengthen the capital city’s vibrant cultural life through the creation of creative events developed in collaboration with artists, communities and other Public Cultural Organisations. The programme is developed in-line with both organisations’ remit of being a catalyst of contemporary expression, with the legacy of the Valletta 2018 European Capital of Culture and with Arts Council Malta’s strategy.
In such a framework, our residency programme aims to enrich cultural diversity within the national creative scene by encouraging encounters and exchanges between international and Maltese artists, creative collaborators and communities as well as the physical and virtual environments. The residency framework will provide the time for project research and development, as well as opportunities to engage with communities in the presentation of work.
Those interested can apply for any of the following Artists’ Residency Programme strands:
__**Artists’ Residency in collaboration with the Valletta Cultural Agency (VCA)**__
Residency Duration: 3 – 4 weeks
Residency Location: Valletta Design Cluster, Malta
Number of Residencies: 3 (maximum)
Spazju Kreattiv in collaboration with the Valletta Cultural Agency (VCA), is seeking proposals for residencies at the Valletta Design Cluster, a community space for cultural and creative practice situated in the renovated Old Abattoir building (Il-Biċċerija) in Valletta. The residencies are mainly but not exclusively targeted towards artists and creatives from the Global South/Euromed/MENA Countries. Preference will be given to applications dealing with design, innovation in crafts, bridging cultural gaps, cultural entrepreneurship, food design and technology, social wellbeing, placemaking and urban planning.
These residencies will seek to provide selected artists-in-residence opportunities to collaborate with specific local communities having a shared interest in long-standing traditions, social trends and contemporary creative practices, including engagement with material culture (‘making’ and ‘food design’), urban space, and placemaking practices. Artists/creatives will have the opportunity to use the Valletta Design Cluster facilities, including digital fabrication equipment at its makerspace, co-working facilities, meeting/workshop rooms, foodspace, and public areas including its roof garden (subject to availability of space).
Each residency can accommodate up to two (2) collaborating artists/practitioners, and has to be centred around a clearly identified core project/theme. Where the applicant is more than a single artist/practitioner, a justification needs to be provided showing how the identified theme will be addressed in a multidisciplinary multi-perspectival manner. In the case of 2 individuals coming from the same organisation/collective, the respective roles within the proposed project need to be clarified at application stage.
__**Artists’ Residency in Gozo in collaboration with the Ministry for Gozo**__
Residency Duration: 3 – 4 weeks
Residency Location: Gozo
Number of Residencies: 2
Those residency projects situated in Gozo, rural sister island of Malta, are to be developed within a close-knit community, and are meant to maximise cultural immersion within the island and its communities. Selected projects should take in due account the island’s traditions and social fora, and in the process explore opportunities for cultural and creative discoveries.
Each residency can accommodate up to two (2) collaborating artists/practitioners, centred around a clearly identified core project/theme. In cases wherein the proposal includes more than a single artist/practitioner, a justification needs to be provided showing how the identified theme will be addressed in a multidisciplinary multi-perspectival manner.
__**Artists’ Residency Programme Priorities**__
Applications will be considered in relation to the overarching strategic vision of Spazju Kreattiv centred around Artistic Excellence, Community Outreach and Internationalisation and the Valletta Cultural Agency’s mission to sustain and strengthen the capital city’s vibrant cultural life through the creation of of creative events developed in collaboration with artists, communities and other Public Cultural Organisations. Priority will be given to those applicants who seek to;
i) collaborate directly and actively with local communities and cultures;
ii) willing to interact/network productively with Maltese creatives and/or organisations;
iii) work within a context that relates directly to the listed programme/s of Spazju Kreattiv or the VCA;
iv) present creative forms that are currently emerging or underrepresented in Malta and Gozo.
The applications will be evaluated against various criteria, such as artistic excellence, creative portfolio, and project`s relevance to the current socio-political contexts; community outreach and audience engagement, with special attention on underrepresented audiences, and involvement of the local creatives; internationalisation and cross-collaboration with international counterparts; and overall clarity on the proposal (such as but not limited to, project aims, themes, action plan, case for support, budget breakdown, and means of funding).
__**Conditions**__
Spazju Kreattiv, in collaboration with the VCA and the Ministry for Gozo will provide those selected with:
Accommodation (exact location for the Gozo residency to be determined at a later stage);
Airport transfers;
Daily subsistence;
Project allowance;
Professional assistance in the coordination, development and dissemination of the initiative;
Promotion of the residency project on online platforms;
Flight expenses are the responsibility of the selected applicants and need to be booked following consultation with Spazju Kreattiv. Anything not mentioned above will have to be covered by the selected artists.
__**Timeframes**__
Call opens on Wednesday 13th April, 2022
Call closes on Wednesday 18th May, 2022
Decisions communicated by Wednesday 15th June 2022
Follow this link to apply: https://www.kreattivita.org/en/artists-residency/air-2020-application/
More information:
Spazju Kreattiv strategic vision: https://www.kreattivita.org/en/call/#strategic-vision
Spazju Kreattiv Artists’ Residency Programme Framework and past residencies: http://www.kreattivita.org/en/artists-residency/
Valletta Design Cluster: https://www.vca.gov.mt/en/valletta-design-cluster
Arts Council Malta: https://www.artscouncilmalta.org/
