Open Call 2021 Applications - The Shed

APPLY APR 13 – MAY 31

The second edition of Open Call will support NYC-based early-career artists and collectives as they make and present urgent new work  https://theshed.submittable.com/submit

ABOUT OPEN CALL 2021

Born out of The Shed’s commitment to supporting early-career artists and a diverse range of voices and experiences, our Open Call program selects, fosters, and presents new work across all forms and media from NYC-based artists who have not yet received major support. Participants for Open Call’s second edition will be selected in summer 2020 by leaders in their fields, including other artists, cultural programmers, academics, and members of The Shed’s staff. The Shed will support these projects with a commissioning fee of up to $15,000 per artist or collective, paid in installments based on milestones.

In 2021, Open Call will occupy various spaces at The Shed, including one of our galleries, The Griffin Theater, and our outdoor Plaza, allowing for the presentation of a diversity of artistic experiences and perspectives in these newly commissioned works. We will accept applications for Open Call via the Submittable website between April 13 and May 31, 2020. There is no processing fee for The Shed’s Open Call application.

Organized by Emma Enderby, Chief Curator; Tamara McCaw, Chief Civic Program Officer; and Solana Chehtman, Director of Civic Programs, with Madeline Aleman, Open Call Assistant. The program was conceived by The Shed’s Artistic Director and CEO Alex Poots, Tamara McCaw, Emma Enderby, and Senior Program Advisor Hans Ulrich Obrist.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE APPLICATION PROCESS

#What kinds of proposals are you looking for?

In line with The Shed’s mission, the Open Call program values inventive and bold proposals that explore and question the urgent issues of our time. We look for submissions that are both idea-driven and poetic, and that can be feasibly realized. We encourage artists to be inclusive and equitable as they engage their ideas and communities with intellectual and aesthetic rigor. We aim to support NYC’s diversity of emerging talent in its many forms—including artistic medium, race, ethnicity, age, identity, physical ability, and other experiences.

All eligible applications are reviewed by Open Call’s panelists. Applications with the highest scores will then be reviewed during a panel discussion, resulting in the selection of finalists. Through this review process, Open Call offers artists the opportunity to have their work and ideas discussed by a range of experts across different artistic fields as well as The Shed’s staff.

#Who can apply?

Open Call accepts applications from artists who are:

Early-career* artists and art collectives (18+ and no education requirement)

Currently living or working in New York City

Working in a range of artistic disciplines, including the visual arts, theater, dance, music, performance, spoken word, literary arts, film, fashion, art and technology, social practice, and new media, as well as across multiple and new disciplines

*We consider early-career artists to be those who have not yet received major support to create new work.

#Do I have to live in New York City to apply? What if I work in New York City but live somewhere else?

If you do not live in one of the five boroughs of New York City, but you work predominantly in NYC, your application will be considered.

#What can I use the awarded commissioning fee for?

The Shed will support Open Call projects with a commissioning fee of up to $15,000 per artist or collective, paid in quarterly installments. This commissioning fee covers artist fees, collaborator fees, rehearsal and studio space, administration costs, costumes and other production materials, and any extra equipment. An itemized budget template is provided as part of the application.

#When will work be selected, developed, and presented?

Application: Closes May 31, 2020

Panel Review by The Shed’s Staff and External Guests: July 2020

Notification of Acceptance: September 2020

Presentation of Work: 2021 (dates to be announced)

https://theshed.org/program/150-open-call-2021-applications