Laboratory of Arts

Laboratory of Arts is a programme supporting artists and independent cultural entities in their artistic practices, so that they can thrive in their current working conditions and circumstances. The programme also seeks to promote different types of artistic and creative expression and to support artists’ ability to produce, in hopes of fostering a dynamic dialogue and appreciation for the value of creativity in the environments in which they work. The programme is a protagonist of artistic and literary expression and seeks to promote creative and innovative spaces, making the artistic products of supported artists accessible to Arab and European audiences.

The programme supports projects from all artistic fields, including the five major artistic sectors: cinema and animation; visual arts; creative writing; performing arts and music.
As of this edition, the programme will offer twenty grants every year. Syrian and Palestinian-Syrian beneficiaries will receive grants ranging between $6,000 USD  for visual arts, creative writing, and music, and $10,000 USD for the sole grant in each of the cinema and animation and performing arts categories. 

Laboratory of Arts supports freedoms of artistic and literary expression and welcomes creativity and innovation, particularly with regards to making supported works accessible to audiences in the Arab region and Europe. The programme is open to artists from all age groups based in the Arab Region and Europe, without any age restrictions. This stems from Ettijahat’s commitment to supporting artists who are still in the initial phases of their careers.

Application Selection and Assessment Criteria

Only projects that meet all the specified requirements will be considered. An artistic committee of specialists will select four projects to support in each category. The committee will assess the submitted projects according to the following criteria:

• Feasibility: The committee will consider the proposed project application and its supporting documents, including the budget, timeline, artistic quality and proposed objectives, the applicant’s artistic vision and motives and the overall feasibility of the project.
• Relevance: The committee will examine the applicant’s artistic vision and proposition, the questions raised by the project, their relevance and how closely related they are to the contemporary art scene.
• Novelty and Innovation: This criterion is based on the seriousness and novelty of the artistic vision and proposition; the committee will assess how innovative the proposed project is.