Deadline: 8-Sep-22
The City of Melbourne is now inviting applications for its Test Sites Program to give artists funding and development opportunities to explore and test their public art idea in the city.
The program focusses on creative development and capacity building for those artists new to exploring public realm and spatial practice and has been designed so research, creative development and professional development happen in tandem over the duration of the program.
Program Outline
- The program has been designed so research, creative development and professional development happen in tandem over a three-month period.
- Artists will participate in a series of face-to-face workshops with industry experts and join group discussions where they can interrogate their project idea.
- Each workshop will consist of peer-to-peer sharing where artists can ask questions, share insights and form a community.
- There will be an online portal of readings, templates and worksheets that guide professional development.
- Self-guided creative development is the major focus of the program. Artists will develop their idea through material tests, video and photographic documentation, drawing, design, model making, experimenting with technologies, 3D renders, site-analysis, consultation, critical research and mapping.
- Artists will test their projects in the public realm.
- Artists will practice putting together a public art proposal using a pitch-ready template, which will include using some of the creative visual support material they have developed. This document will be submitted during the acquittal process for City of Melbourne and Testing Grounds to consider for further development.
- There will be an opportunity for artists to discuss their projects directly with the City of Melbourne’s Creative Urban Places team.
- Artists will practice communicating their project’s intentions publicly, and a profile of their work-indevelopment will be included on the Test Sites archive on the City of Melbourne website.
What kinds of ideas are suitable?
- Artwork ideas will need to be realised in the City of Melbourne municipality.
- Projects for locations other than common sites of public realm activation like Kings Domain Park, Federation Square and Birrarung Marr are strongly encouraged.
- Artwork ideas do not have to be fully developed as the program is designed to help you develop your artistic ideas with a focus on the process of iteratively developing ideas rather than the presentation of finished work.
- Test Sites can assist with the research and development phase of new work for the public realm, and the development and adaptation of works not originally developed for public space.
- Experimental, site-responsive and process-based projects that have a strong research methodology and interrogate ideas of public space with clear ideas about how to communicate the project.
- Projects in a diverse range of art forms including film and sound works, performance, sculpture, collaborative and interactive work, installation, architecture and other hybrid forms or emerging practices are welcomed.
- The program does not commission street art.
Funding Information
- Program participants will receive funding of $5000 towards costs associated with participating in the program and testing their idea in the public realm.
- Project proposals produced as part of the program will be considered for further development by the City of Melbourne.
Eligibility Criteria
- Test Sites Online is open to artists and creatives who are residents of Victoria.
- Applications are open to artists and creatives working across all disciplines who want to try out their ideas in the public realm.
- The program supports artists with a studio-based practice who wish to work in the public domain.
- The program is best suited to emerging and early- to mid-career artists. Established artists may already exceed the professional development learning that this program is able to provide.
- Artists who participated in previous iterations of Test Sites before 2020.
For more information, visit https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/arts-and-culture/art-outdoors/public-art-melbourne/test-sites/pages/test-sites-2022.aspx