Opportunities in the Arts

Over the next months Abilities Arts Festival will be expanding the opportunities available through its website to connect artists with artists, and the broader disability arts and culture community, as well as examining other ways we can help facilitate communication. If you are aware of other Disability Arts events, opportunities or organizations, please fill in our Submission Form and we will place the information within our Networking webpages to help spread the word.

To read the Calls for Submissions and Entries listed, simply click on the title and scroll through the available information. Clicking on the title again will collapse the text back to title only. Check back with us weekly for updates. New listings have a yellow arrow.

Call for Submissions and Entries:

VSA arts – Call for Teaching Artists with Disabilities (deadline May 07, 2008)

Backforward Collective – Call for Emerging Community-Conscious Artists (deadline May 15, 2008)

Backforward Collective – Call for Emerging Community-Conscious Artists

Application deadline: May 15, 2008

Backforward Collective (Diane Roberts & Heather Hermant) is seeking applicants for a Personal Legacy Training Intensive in Toronto in Summer, 2008. We will guide eight artists in embodied exploration of their own histories of (dis)place(ment). Participants will discover & work with a Personal Legacy voice, an ancestor at least three generations removed. Our methodology, comprised of a combination of exercises influenced by 'Afrisporic' performance traditions, opens gateways for historic truths to emerge from a critically anchored, personal place.

Who Can Apply:
Aspiring/emerging Ontario artists from Aboriginal and Diverse cultural & artistic backgrounds, 18-32, who have shown a commitment to art as a transformational tool in their communities, and who show a promising level of artistic skill. Any art background goes, but we'll be doing body-based, vocal & performance work. No "official" training is necessary. The intensive is aimed at those who feel distanced from their cultural histories & communities, who have a desire to (re)search and (re)connect with their ancestries & communities. We encourage Aboriginal artists, artists of colour, LGBTTTI artists, and differently-abled artists to apply.

How Much, What & When:
FREE. You'll receive an honorarium. Twenty hours of studio work, solo research, group meetings, one-on-one mentoring, July-Aug. Studio intensives in August.

How To Apply:
Email us a two-page statement (.doc/.rtf/.pdf) about:

Why you want to participate
What life experience you bring
Art training if any

Also email us a small .jpg photo of yourself, and don't forget to include your name, phone number, mailing address and/or email address.

Backforward Collective is Diane Roberts & Heather Hermant. Together we have several decades of experience in community-based artistic production in theatre, spoken word, sound, video, installation, curating, advocacy and instruction. Our mandate is to support arts production by artists and communities whose stories are not broadly represented in cultural production in Canada. We do so by supporting, facilitating and engaging in artistic creation, and through creation and development of innovative equity-based artistic strategies and pedagogies that support our core mandate.

For more on Diane Roberts, visit www.urbanink.ca
For more on Heather Hermant, visit www.heatherhermant.com

This training intensive has been generously funded by the Ontario Arts Council.

For more information, email us at backforward.collective@gmail.com

Visions From the Heart – An Exhibition of Artists with Disabilities – Call for Submissions (deadline May 15, 2008)

Visions From the Heart – An Exhibition of Artists with Disabilities

Deadline for Entry and Submissions: May 15th, 2008

The Kennedy Center is partnering with the Barnum Festival to sponsor our second annual juried art show, "Visions from the Heart – An Exhibition of Artists with Disabilities" to be held in June/July 2008 at City Lights Gallery in Bridgeport, CT. Our goals are to showcase the creativity and talent of artists with disabilities and to enable the general public to have opportunities to have more access to and appreciation of this wonderful art. Additionally, there is no fee for entry and the artists will receive prizes, press recognition and an invitation to the Opening Reception on June 18th 2008.

Exhibition Guidelines

Open to all artists with disabilities over the age of 18.
Maximum of 3 Entries per Artists.
Slides and photographs (to include digital photos) are to be for works that will be included in the show and are AVAILABLE to exhibit. Each slide or photograph must be numbered. Numbering should correspond with a written list which clearly states the title, medium and dimensions of the work.
Open to all two and three dimensional work.
Artwork must have been completed between 2005/2008.
No works larger than 36 by 48 inches will be accepted.
All artwork images will be used for publicity, promotion and education. No fees will be paid the artist for use of images in this manner.
Shipping: All costs associated with delivery and return of art work are borne by the artist. Works delivered after the specified delivery date will not be included in the show.
All work must arrive at the City Lights Gallery framed and equipped with wires or otherwise ready for exhibit.
Notification of Acceptance is May 21, 2008.
Deadline for delivery of art works is June 13, 2008.
All materials MUST be labeled with a completed entry form.
Visions from the Heart receives a 40% commission for handling the sales of the art works.

For more information, and to download the complete exhibition guidelines plase visit Visions From The Heart at visions-from-the-heart.com

Moscow International Disability Film Festival Breaking Down Barriers IV – Call for Submissions (deadline June 1, 2008)

Momentum’09 – International Disability Arts Symposium – Call for Expressions of Interest (deadline June 1, 2008)

Momentum’09 – International Disability Arts Symposium

Expressions of Interest close 1 June 2008

Momentum 09 is an International Disability Art Symposium being held in Auckland, New Zealand from the 4th till the 7th of March 2009. We are seeking Expressions of Interest from artists, performers, speakers, and delegates. Momentum’09 is a project of Diversityworks Trust with support from ASB Community Trust, Arts Regional Trust, AUT University, Jubilee Trust, Community Organisation Grants Scheme (COGS) and the International Guild of Disabled Artists and Performers (IGODAP).

Introduction
Momentum’09 will bring pace, perspective and prominence to disability arts and provide the next step towards a viable and global understanding of and respect for disability arts and culture. It will be a melting pot of innovation, inspiration, aspiration and the very best in performance and visual arts by disabled artists and performers from around the world.

The symposium will exist in the physical at AUT University and "virtually" via the Momentum’09 website. We will be using technology as much as possible to broaden the involvement of participants, artists, speakers and delegates. Opportunity exists to for involvement in both the physical symposium in Auckland and or in the virtual symposium online.

The aim is to create a highly participative programme, bringing together disabled artists and arts workers, representatives from funding bodies and mainstream arts organisations and venues. There is a strong commitment to attracting a representative and culturally diverse delegation, specifically addressing indigenous or culturally diverse disabled artists and arts enthusiasts; the inclusion of Deaf arts and Survivors of the mental health system. The organisers of Momentum'09 will strive for a 'global village' feel to the event, where all delegates, performers and participants come together to celebrate the achievements of disabled people in the arts to date and build upon the 'momentum' for a thriving and vibrant future.

Key Components
The key components of Momentum'09 are:

Keynote Speakers
Artistic Programme
Over The Edge - pushing the boundaries of disability arts
Market Place and Learning Fair
Policy Mini-Summit
Networking and social opportunities

More information about these components is provided later in this document.

A series of community workshops and satellite productions or events is envisioned if we receive interest from outside parties to organise them. If you are interested in organising such an event, please let us know when you register your interest.

We are seeking expressions of interest from the following:

Speakers & Thought Leaders
- Keynote Speakers for the general sympsium
- Provocative speakers for the 'Over the Edge' evening programme
- Participants for the policy mini-summit
- Contributors to other discussions and debate
Artists
- Performers for day performances
- Performers for evening performances
- Artists wanting to exhibit either physically at the venue or virtually online – this includes visual artists, writers, performers with video footage, etc.
- Artists in residence
Participants, Providers, Suppliers
- For the Learning Fair - people wishing to gain and/or share skills and knowledge
- For the Market Place - people & organisations wishing to promote their services or business
- For workshops - people wishing to facilitate or participate professional development workshops
Delegates interested in attending
- Pre-professional and professional artists and performers
- Disabled people of all ages
- Family and friends
- Arts administrators, policymakers and produces
- Those working in the Deaf, mental health and disability sectors
- Anyone interested in diversity and creativity

For more information on Momentum’09 – International Disability Arts Symposium, to register your interest online or download the Call for Expressions of Interest Word document, please visit the Momentum'09 website at : www.momentum09.com

Who will give up their distinctions? – Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society – Call for Submissions (deadline June 16, 2008)

Who will give up their distinctions?

Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society

Deadline for Submission June 16, 2008

Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society would like to invite Canadian independent media artists to submit proposals for an exhibition on the theme “Who will give up their distinctions?” Expanded cinema, new-media and experimental works will be given preference and Cineworks will fully support the exhibition of the chosen work[s] in our studio space for showing during the first part of September 2008.

The popular mind has become fixated once again on the politics surrounding identity. The focus is not just on how we embody our oneness, but more-so on how others reflect it back at us and/or the world. How can art undermine or challenge stereotypes while at the same time acknowledging that these stereotypes still have power? Does an emphasis on difference avoid or foster real solutions? I am black, white, yellow, red, brown. I am man, woman; young, old. But we are human, simply. How are common distinctions around identity a fruitful creative medium? Is it even ever possible to transcend difference and, if so, why bother? Think about imperatives to declare yourself and the ensuing confusion, but don’t forget how your declarations are received. Is this an age where hybrid identities are usurped by privileged aesthetics? How do hybridity and authenticity intersect? Explore the possibility to simultaneously embrace and transcend our distinctions by asking how much is enough.

Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society was established in 1980 by independent filmmakers and artists working in film. The organization has evolved to embrace a broad spectrum of media arts practices while maintaining a commitment to support artists interested in utilizing film and the cinematic experience.

The aim is to create a highly participative programme, bringing together disabled artists and arts workers, representatives from funding bodies and mainstream arts organisations and venues. There is a strong commitment to attracting a representative and culturally diverse delegation, specifically addressing indigenous or culturally diverse disabled artists and arts enthusiasts; the inclusion of Deaf arts and Survivors of the mental health system. The organisers of Momentum'09 will strive for a 'global village' feel to the event, where all delegates, performers and participants come together to celebrate the achievements of disabled people in the arts to date and build upon the 'momentum' for a thriving and vibrant future.

Artist fees will be paid.

Submissions should include the following information :

Contact person's name, address, telephone, email and, if applicable, website.
Artist's CV
Project title + description. Please detail how the work relates to the theme.
Project overview (ie: running time, format, technical specifications)
Support material (include a SASE if you would like this material returned)

Submissions can be sent by post only to the following address :

Who Will Give Up Their Distinctions?
c/o Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society
#300-1131 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7

Questions can be directed to Programs Manager,
Cheyanne Turions at cheyanne@cineworks.ca

Focus Film Festival – First Annual Filmmakers Competition – Open Call for Entries (deadline July 15, 2008)

Focus Film Festival – First Annual Filmmakers Competition:

Deadline for entries July 15, 2008

Short films, 30 minutes or under, will be accepted for competition in the 2008 FOCUS Film Festival's "First Annual Filmmakers Competition: FOCUS on Living with a Disability." We are accepting submissions in the following categories: drama, comedy, documentary, animation, or experimental.

FOCUS Film Festival explores documentary and feature films which "focus" on and examine the complexity of the human experience: relationships, aging, disability, culture, lifestyle, and more. Our objective is to enlighten and inspire our community by featuring quality films which offer insight into the lives of people from all walks of life. By showing a broad range of human experience, we believe we are closing the gap in perception, proving we are more alike than we are different.

Now entering its fourth season, FOCUS Film Festival is launching the "First Annual Filmmakers Competition: FOCUS on Living with a Disability." The Festival features productions from a wide range of sources bringing North State audiences an opportunity to experience innovation, creativity, and diverse perspectives through the medium of film. The Festival offers Academic Credit and Professional License Credit through the California State University, Chico. The Festival is a project of Far Northern Regional Center, a non-profit organization that provides services and supports to people with developmental disabilities and their families.

General Rules:

Selection Criteria – All competing entries will:
- adhere to the competition’s theme and the spirit of the festival
- include an entry form, a summary of the film’s content (up to 50 words), still images of the work, and a bio for the producer, director, and cast
- All entries should be clearly labeled with the title, running time, and contact information (name, phone number, email, mailing address)
- be submitted by the July 15, 2008 deadline
- have been finished within 24 months prior to the October 2008 festival (produced since September 2006 for entry in the 2008 FOCUS Film Festival)
- include English subtitles if presented in another language
- be 30 minutes or under in length
- be submitted in NTSC DVD (Region 1) or NTSC VHS Video format
Theme: Successful entrants will create a project which highlights the experience of living with a disability. In addition to the entertainment value of the work, we are looking for short films that promote understanding and inclusion of people with disabilities living in our community.
Jury Selection and Awards
- Awards are determined by an independent, professional jury comprised of filmmakers, critics, educators, and interested others. The festival also employs a jury of self-advocates from the disability community, who meet separately from the professional jury, and award their own prize
- FOCUS Film Festival reserves the right NOT to issue an award if there is no suitable entry in a category

For more information and a complete list of Rules and Guidelines, and to download the Entry Form, please visit Fous Film Festival website at www.farnorthernrc.org/focusfilmfestival

Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival – Student Film Competition– Call for Submissions (deadline September 5, 2008)

If you have ideas and suggestions, please send us an email by clicking HERE

Networking

Contact Us:

Opportunities in the Arts

Call for Submissions and Entries:

VSA arts Call for Teaching Artists with Disabilities:

Backforward Collective – Call for Emerging Community-Conscious Artists

Visions From the Heart – An Exhibition of Artists with Disabilities

Moscow International Disability Film Festival Breaking Down Barriers IV:

Momentum’09 – International Disability Arts Symposium

Who will give up their distinctions?

Focus Film Festival – First Annual Filmmakers Competition:

Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival - Student Film Competition:

Featured Artist:

Sophie Ouellet

Come as you are! Bring your own body. You are cordiallly invited to attend the celebration of your life!