Create: A Project to Empower Art in Exile
About the Project
Create is a partnership between Ettijahat- Independent Culture, the British Council and International Alert to enhance the expertise of artists and cultural activists. The project aims to create environments and initiatives which will enable artists, cultural activists, and civil society organisations to play increasingly active roles in improving the lives of Artists and different communities, primarily by supporting creative endeavours which develop long-term cooperation and mutual resilience between communities.
In light of the political, economic, and cultural changes, the project seeks to create a long-term support network for artistic production which will strengthen contemporary art practices and target refugees and communities in crisis. The project will also address local audiences in the host communities into which artists and new cultural initiatives have moved.
Components of the projects
Between 2015 and 2016 the project will focus on artists and initiatives in Lebanon, and will be based on four core components:
The first component addresses the need to develop actors’ skills in artistic project design and management during times of crisis. It will use training schemes and events to demonstrate techniques which use art to challenge stereotypes and alleviate tensions and frustrations.
The second component denotes a support network for ten artistic cultural projects which will be implemented over a six-month period, all over Lebanon. Create seeks to support projects which are innovative and think outside of traditional frameworks.
The third component entails the establishment of a platform on which artists and cultural activists can promote their work and artistic projects at international festivals. It also aims to encourage opportunities for collaboration and cooperation between artists and their international peers.
The fourth component comprises of an interactive dialogue targeting audiences in their new environments and linking them with artists, civil society organisations, and decision-makers, with the aim of developing independent cultural production abroad and enhancing collaboration between displaced persons and host communities.
Create Syria Project Objectives
The objectives specific to this project are:
· To build the capacity of up to 15 artists and CSOs in artistic cultural project management as well as their networking skills. This project targets emerging and established artists in addition to CSOs at cultural organisations.
· To support the implementation of 10 new artistic projects from cultural managers and artists, including emerging artists, and to aid them in reaching international art platforms through dialogue. This would benefit citizens in areas with notable refugee populations as well as the artists themselves.
· To engage citizens who live in refugee camps and host communities in a series of dialogues about issues affecting their lives. These dialogues will be made through a series of artistic methods and collective artistic expression.
· To raise awareness of the value of art and culture in times of crisis, in the region.
The Frequently Asked Questions and Concept note and Guidelines, can be downloaded through the links below:
