Call for applications: Artistic projects on diversity in Belgium

The call is open to artists and arts professionals in Flanders, Belgium, or elsewhere in the world, who want to come together to develop and test ideas around international working that can have an impact on the arts field in Flanders, Brussels and beyond. 

Flanders Arts Institute sees diversity as a precondition for sustainable cohesion, a driver of innovation, and necessary for broad social support for the arts.

“The Strategic Vision Statement for the Arts calls freedom of expression the foundation of the arts,” the institution says. “Diversity is becoming an essential touchstone for future policy, something to be welcomed in times when identity and exclusion are the subjects of a heated but necessary debate. Art must be free, even when it causes discomfort.”

During a first application round, seven short pitches will receive €400 ($470) to submit a detailed proposal. The jury then has a budget of €12 000 available to allocate to one winning proposal or divide among multiple strong proposals (max 3).

Eligibility

Flanders Arts Institute is explicitly looking for ideas that can offer the arts field in Flanders and Brussels a foothold for greater diversity.

Such ideas may include:

• Tools
• Resources
• Checklists
• Forms of knowledge sharing
• Knowledge networks
• Small pilot projects

Some of the ideal topics include:

• Diverse artistic content..
• Well-thought-out inclusive public outreach and/or personnel policy
• Safe spaces.
• Insights, opinions or taste preferences that are not discussed enough.

Note: The call does not support purely artistic projects. The aim is to strengthen the arts field in its pursuit of diversity.

How to apply

To access the application form, interested applicants need first sign up here before logging in here. 

Applicants will have to briefly introduce themselves and explain why they are eligible for support.

They need to answer the following questions;

• What is diversity for them, and which aspect(s) of it are they most concerned with?
• What is the idea, proposal or initiative they wish to propose?

Deadlines

• First round – 10 September.
• Second round – 22 October.

For more information, send an email to afni@kunsten.be. 

View the original call here.