Creative Art Central 2020 · budgets. Since Creative Art Central offers up to $15,000 per project and might be considered ‘seed funding’ within a larger project budget, artists

Creative Art Central 2020

Wanted: your big creative ideas!

Do you have a bold vision for showcasing artistic excellence locally? Central Coast Council is calling for Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for creative projects to be supported by Creative Art Central. This program seeks submissions from local professional practicing artists and producers for Central Coast based projects. Creative Art Central is an annual Council-led initiative which builds capacity within the creative industries on the Central Coast, offering up to $15,000 per project for five successful applicants. Up to two of these five spaces are reserved for returning Creative Art Central recipients to fund subsequent stages of larger projects. Creative Art Central is open to local professional artists working in any art form, including:

• individual practitioners and those operating within an organization • for-profit and not-for-profit individuals and agencies.

What is a ‘Professional Artist’?

Creative Art Central aligns with the following definition by the Australia Council for the Arts:

“...serious professional artists. The seriousness is judged in terms of self-assessed commitment to artistic work as a major aspect of the artist’s working life, even if creative work is not the main source of income. The term professional is intended to indicate a degree of training, experience or talent and a manner of work that qualify to have their work judged against the professional standards of the relevant occupation” - (p6) ‘Making Art Work: An Economic Study of Professional Artists in Australia’ (Australia Council 2017)

Submissions and Timeframes There are two stages to the EOI application process: 1) Preliminary project discussions:

Commence Monday 15 June to COB Friday 10 July 2020.

All potential proposals MUST first be registered and discussed with Council’s Cultural Development Worker, Liesl Harvey, within this timeframe.

2) Finalise and Submit Proposal:

Registered artists must submit their EOI online by midnight Sunday 19 July 2020.

Successful applicants will be notified in August 2020. The online application form will be live from Mon 15 June until Sun 19 July, however submissions that have not first been registered and discussed within the timelines above will not be considered. Guidelines for EOIs Suitable applicants are invited to submit an online EOI for their proposed project. Applicants funded in the past have included (but are not limited to): • Creative professionals who are

supported by producers, managers, directors, or curators of spaces and

buildings dedicated to showcasing professional works of art

• Creative professionals who engage,

create, lead and produce creative works or projects that are placemaking in intent with the support of local communities, or that support the wellbeing of our communities

Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with partners for their project, including the arts organisations linked with Creative Art Central:

• Gosford Regional Gallery • Laycock Street Community Theatre • Central Coast Conservatorium of

Music • NAISDA • The Art House Wyong.

Aims In alignment with the Central Coast Cultural Plan 2020-2025, Creative Art Central aims to: • promote stronger partnerships

within the creative industries on the Central Coast

• nurture growth of the local arts and cultural scene by commissioning new works, highlighting excellence and value

• enhance regional creative identity through:

- projects that lead, inform, share our stories and inspire the Central Coast community

- productive partnerships with cultural facilities and other locally relevant spaces or sites

- the flow-on economic opportunities provided by increased local engagement with arts and culture.

Selection Criteria Selection is based on EOIs that best address the following criteria: • Delivery to the program aims. • Demonstrated professionalism

within the practice of the artist and/or creative team.

• Collaborative partnerships with other professionals, places and/or communities.

• Best practice standards in project planning and itemised budget.

Eligibility We invite Central Coast based professional practitioners from all art forms and cultural practices to submit an EOI. Submitted projects must be based on the Central Coast and involve local creative practice. Central Coast Council strongly encourages diversity amongst applicants, including local professional artists:

• who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander

• from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

• identifying as LGBTQIA+ • with a disability.

Budget Considerations Regional projects that are broad in vision and bold in aims often require substantial budgets. Since Creative Art Central offers up to $15,000 per project and might be considered ‘seed funding’ within a larger project budget, artists can specify the stage or level for which they are applying. EOIs that address only one stage are eligible and welcomed. Successful applicants are also eligible to apply in future rounds of Creative Art Central to fund subsequent stages of larger projects. The following definition of four stages will serve as a guide:

• Conceptual stage: this stage

consists of research and development. Its output is a compilation of many project ideas gathered by visiting different places/sites and talking to different people.

• Design stage: this stage consists of moving from brainstorming to the honing down of one clear idea and studying the logistics of its

implementation. Its output is a compilation of logistical details of one clearly defined project.

• Implementation stage: this stage consists of implementing the project in a specific site or sites. During this stage a specific work or art is created.

• Public delivery stage: this stage consists of the actual presentation of the work of art to the public. Depending on the art form engaged this stage will result in a show, an exhibition, public art installation, concert, festival, master class workshop, course, demonstration, talk, the launch of a book or a website, and any other form of cultural event open to the public.

Successful projects must be financially reconciled prior to end June 2021. Selection Panel The selection panel for Creative Art Central is formed by representatives of the following agencies:

• Central Coast Council (incorporating Gosford Regional Gallery and Laycock Street Theatre)

• Central Coast Conservatorium of Music

• NAISDA • The Art House Wyong

Further information: To register your project and discuss it further, please contact Liesl Harvey, Cultural Development Worker at Central Coast Council on 0436 930 119 or [email protected]