Applications Open for Mophradat’s Self-Organizations Program

Deadline: 15-Mar-21

Applications are now open for Mophradat’s Self-Organizations Program to incite productive conversations, encourage the development of bespoke protocols for collaboration, and push for new art experiences to take place.

The program offers support to projects where different arts practitioners take the initiative and join forces to define a mutual resource or interest that’s important for their work, and propose how to share or develop it.

The program will support projects by informal groups or collectives across four different categories as follows:

1. Informal Co-ops: Rather than replicating the same individual remedy for needs that are common, this program supports imaginative practical solutions for a mutual concern of a group. A minimum of four practitioners need to take the initiative to come together and identify a resource that they can share for a period of six months to one year, that can help them develop their own work. Examples include but are not limited to: a shared work studio, a music PA system, a video editing suite, a 3D printer, or hiring an assistant for the group. It is necessary that all the collaborators are involved from the start, and articulate their need of this specific resource for their own practice.
2. Private Audiences: As the use of public spaces and access to institutional venues becomes increasingly difficult, this program wants to make sure that practitioners can continue presenting and engaging with audiences. The program is designed for those interested in organizing art events in domestic and workplaces or other temporary private locations, where people can come together in small groups of peers, neighbors, friends, family, etc. The organization of the event must involve at least three people working collaboratively as curators or presenters, and can be a one-time event or a series that presents for example, but not limited to: a small exhibition, a performance, a dance piece, a concert, etc.
3. Topical Assemblies: This program supports access to specialized intellectual or vocational knowledge where formal structures or public platforms for such learning are lacking. This category is for a group that wishes to come together and organize a collective discussion such as a seminar or workshop, on a specialized topic of their interest. Depending on the needs, this can be online or in-person, with or without invited guest speaker/s; however it must have a committed group of at least four people to develop it together. The assembly can be public or limited to the group.
4. Your Ideas: They are also open to ideas that they have not considered and fall under the notion of self-organization. They are keeping this category open to hear from potential participants on what they want to initiate as part of this program.

Funding Information

• Informal Co-ops: A maximum budget of US$6,000 will be available to cover the cost of this shared resource for approximately two selected proposals for no more than one year.
• Private Audiences: A maximum budget of US$1,000 will be available to realize the event/s for approximately three selected proposals
• Topical Assemblies: A maximum budget of US$1,500 will be available for approximately two selected proposals
• Your Ideas: The proposal must be made by at least three collaborators, and the budgets will be determined by the specificity of the proposal but should not exceed US$4,000.

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for any of our open calls, your application must meet the following criteria

• Be complete (all documents requested are submitted);
• Be related to a field of contemporary arts (all disciplines are welcome);
• Be for a contemporary arts activity or project by artists or other arts practitioners from or living in the Arab world, or be relevant to the region
• Be realized by professional artists and/or other arts practitioners (such as curators, critics, writers, etc.) who have been active in their field for a number of years;
• Be ambitious and demonstrate an awareness of artistic concerns;
  Involve no commercial activity or organization
• Be devoid of any intention to promote intolerance, violence, patriarchal worldviews, or any form of discrimination based on ability, age, gender, nationality, origin, race, religion, or sexuality
• Not work against Mophradat’s mission and values, which you can read here;
• Meet the specific criteria related to the specific open call.

For more information, visit https://mophradat.org/open-calls/self-organizations/