Request for Proposals: Arts Practice

We turn to the arts when we are joyful; we turn to the arts when we grieve. And in times of uncertainty and despair, we turn to arts again for sustaining our hopes. The arts enable us to forge solidarities, make sense of the present, and come together to imagine collective futures. This is especially true of now when the Coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt and alter our lives. More here, than ever anywhere else, the arts must remind us of the human capacity to endure, re-imagine and create. We at IFA thus continue to support projects across our programmes. We realise that during these times projects will need fresh modes of thinking, creating and presenting the arts, as well as new imaginations of engagement with audiences and communities. We encourage and welcome such enquiries and explorations, within the mandate of our programmes. We hope that we will emerge more resilient and compassionate from this global crisis.

The Arts Practice programme supports critical practice in the arts. It encourages practitioners working across artistic disciplines to question and critique existing norms through their practice. The programme seeks to foreground a culture where arts practice is constantly being shaped and articulated through experimentation and critical dialogue.

Proposals are invited from practitioners, for projects that could
  • Challenge prevalent idioms and conventions of practice
  • Counter market norms and standardisations
  • Push new frontiers in terms of content, form and medium
  • Explore new modes of engagement with audiences

The programme is also open to multiple readings of the 'critical' and encourages practitioners to articulate this in their own context.

Proposals will be accepted under the following grant categories:

  • Grants for arts projects that lead to a performative, aural, visual or literary work. Grant funds would be available up to a maximum of Rs 5,00,000. In case these projects need to be preceded by a separate period of research or exploratory work, grants up to a maximum of Rs 2,00,000 can be applied for
  • Grants to conceptualize and organize public platforms like conferences and seminars that facilitate critical dialogue, debate, sharing and discussion among diverse stakeholders of arts practice. Grant funds will be available up to a maximum of Rs 6,00,000
  • Grants for innovatively modelled artist residencies and workshops that nurture artists, encourage collaboration and facilitate experimentation. Grant funds will be available up to a maximum of Rs 6,00,000

Grants may be available for dissemination of work created with IFA support. These dissemination projects can be developed through interactions with the programme officer. Grant amount will be decided on a case by case basis.

We especially encourage proposals that reflect upon and/ or respond to the changes that we are encountering in our social, cultural, political and ecological spaces and relationships, due to the current pandemic. Towards this end, we invite proposals for engagements that endeavour to create supportive environments for the arts and for artists to sustain and grow their practice. Such engagements could include artistic / curatorial initiatives involving a larger group of artists within the framework of the proposed project.

Who can apply?
The programme invites proposals both from practitioners working within as well as across disciplines.

  • Performing artists working in music, sound, text, dance, movement, theatre, puppetry, storytelling, magic, circus and other performance arts
  • Visual artists working across all forms including painting, sculpture, installation, photography, film, graphic art and new media
  • Curators, especially those working outside of the gallery context
  • Poets, novelists, playwrights working with literary arts
  • Practitioners engaged in interdisciplinary work

How to apply?
Proposals can be sent at any time of the year. You are welcome to discuss your ideas and develop your proposal through interaction with IFA staff. 

To apply, please send us a short note describing

  • Your existing arts practice, concerns and interests as a practitioner
  • The nature of the project and why you wish to work on it
  • How the project addresses the programme

Draft proposals in audio/video format are welcome too.

Proposals can be sent in any Indian language including English. IFA specifically encourages projects in Indian languages other than English, so as to contribute to discourse in particular language contexts.

Please ensure that you approach us at least three months prior to your need for funds. You can expect a response to the draft proposal within two weeks of receiving the proposal.

Eligibility
You are eligible to apply if you are an Indian national, a registered non-profit Indian organisation, or have been residing in India for the last five years. Your collaborators, if any, should also fall into one of the afore mentioned categories.
(For more on the eligibility criteria, please click here.)

Please write to Sumana Chandrashekar at sumana@indiaifa.org or John Xaviers at john@indiaifa.org for any questions or enquiries.

You can also write to:
Programme Officer, Arts Practice
India Foundation for the Arts,
'Apurva' Ground Floor, No 259, 4th Cross,
Raj Mahal Vilas 2nd Stage, 2nd Block,
Bangalore-560 094
Phone: 080-2341 4681 / 82