Beursschouwburg is launching an open call for its Associated Artists program for four Belgium-based artists and/or art practitioners. The program offers flexible and sustainable support, fostering a collaborative environment for knowledge sharing and mutual learning. The open call is aimed at emerging practices that find their place in a framework of community, experimentation and/or cross-disciplinarity. 

Associated Artists are invited to undertake a long-term trajectory of 2,5 years (September 2024 - end of 2026), focusing on the process to develop a project, a (research) question or a set of ideas that inform their work. In addition to an ongoing dialogue with the Beursschouwburg programmers, the associated artists are supported by the Constellation - a network that brings together Beursschouwburg, Zinnema, Hiros, Bâtard, argos, Volta and Level Five.  

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR

• - you are an artist, an artist collective, a researcher or an art worker
• - you live and work in Belgium
• - you are seeking to further develop your artistic practice and/or research but are not structurally supported by another organisation at the time of your application (meaning you are not formally engaged as a resident artist at another organisation.)
• - your work relates to the arts field (performing arts, visual, audiovisual and media arts, music, transdisciplinary work, art in relation with other domains, writing, publishing, graphic design, dramaturgy, creative producing) 
• - you are interested in engaging in a conversation with peers, the other associated artists and the Beursschouwburg team
• - your practice and/or research responds to the values of Beursschouwburg

WHAT CAN WE OFFER

Four artists will join the Associated Artists program for a duration of 2,5 years.
 

1. EXCHANGE

• - Ongoing dialogue, accompaniment and support by one Beursschouwburg programmer throughout the period of association. 
• - Regular feedback and sharing sessions with Beursschouwburg programmers and the partner organisations of the Constellation.

2. DEEP-DIVE RESIDENCIES

• - Two deep-dive paid residencies over the course of 2,5 years: each residency is 1 month long from mid-August to mid-September. During that period, the artists are provided with technical support, a space and a program consisting of workshops, meetings and lectures tailored to their needs, interests and research questions in collaboration with the partners of the Constellation

3. BUDGET

• - For the two deep-dive residencies, the associated artists will receive a total amount of € 10.000 brutto per artist (either converted to a brut/net calculation on Beursschouwburg’s payroll or paid as an independent) 
• - An additional production budget of € 8750 in total is foreseen (to buy books, material, invite guests…)

4. PRESENTATION 

• - We invite each artist to share a work, a talk, a workshop or a program publicly once a year in the Beursschouwburg program

TIMELINE

• - Deadline application: 7 April 2024
• - 2nd selection round: meeting with potential candidates in June 2024
• - Final selection: End of June 2024
• - First meeting at Beursschouwburg: October 2024
• - Deep dive 1: Mid August-Mid September 2025
• - Deep dive 2: Mid August-Mid September 2026

WHAT DO WE ASK FROM YOU

• - a written statement of max. 1 page, or a video, voice note or whatever medium works for you, of max. 5 minutes presenting your research interests and what you plan to work on in the course of the association; indicate any technical, logistic and/or research assistance you will need. Your ideas can be at an early stage.
• - a written CV of maximum 2 pages
• - documentation of minimum 1, maximum 3 artworks you were involved in.
• - you can apply in English, French or Dutch

HOW TO APPLY

Please send your application before April 7th 2024 by email to opencall@beursschouwburg.be. Bigger files can be sent through Wetransfer. Or leave your printed CV, USB-stick, CD, zine… at our front desk. Address: Auguste Ortsstraat 20-28, 1000 Brussels. 

The jury is composed of the artistic team of Beursschouwburg (Elisa Liepsch, Gilke Vanuytsel, Sofia Dati, Melat Gebeyaw Nigussie) and three external jury members (Chantal Peeters, Samah Hijawi en Sorana Munsya).

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via: opencall@beursschouwburg.be or call us at 02 550 03 50. 

We strongly encourage applications from underrepresented backgrounds as well as new and emerging artists to apply.