Image: Untitled from the series Promise by Mandy O'Neill (DCU Visual Artist in Residence)

ANAM Artist Commissions

Open Call for Proposals

DCU, in collaboration with Dublin City Council, will commission three new socially-engaged artistic works as part of ANAM, the University’s Arts and Culture platform. The commissions involve two phases: a development phase to mid December 2020, and a completion phase to end of April 2020. Each commission is worth €8,500.

Background

ANAM is Dublin City University’s Arts and Culture platform, encompassing a wide range of creative and cultural activities on DCU’s campuses and in our communities. Anam is the Irish for soul, and gives an indication of the importance of arts and culture in the University’s identity. 

Since it was established in 2018, ANAM has created a space for the artistic and creative talents within Dublin City University and in its surrounding north Dublin neighbourhoods of Drumcondra, Glasnevin and Ballymun. It originated as an on-campus festival, but has since broadened its remit, to focus on supporting and showcasing a range of artistic work that is inclusive and socially engaged, and that allows for collaboration with, and participation of, community members.

With these commissions, ANAM wants to encourage imaginative collaborations between artists and the diversity of communities connected with DCU e.g. research staff, students, local community members, schools etc. We are interested in impactful artistic interventions that get their inspirations from and speak to our communities, on and off campus. The commissions are supported by funding from the Arts Council.

Community Theme

With these commissions, we would like the artists to explore the idea of ‘community’ in a post-COVID world. The understanding of the word community is up to the artists’ unique interpretation. For example, it may be a community of interest, an age demographic, a local club, a student society, an educational cohort, a migrant community, DCU’s research community, or indeed it may be an all-encompassing notion of community defined by a geographic area e.g. ‘the Ballymun community’.

We hope the commissioned artists would have a meaningful engagement with one or more such groups. Ideally, the work will discover new connections between DCU’s communities (students, staff, researchers) and those of the local neighbourhoods, while also tapping into some of the cutting edge research and ideas being generated in the university community.

In making a proposal the artists might also consider the following related questions:

• Who gets to decide what ‘the community’ is in the context of north Dublin? 
• How can we connect communities through arts and culture? 
• What are the elements that make up a cohesive community?’
• How can we still engage communities while practicing the new normal of social distancing?

Outcomes

The proposals can be in any artform including digital art. We encourage the creation of accessible work, prioritising presentation of outcomes in public or community spaces that help to deepen connections between the DCU community (students and staff) and the wider community in North Dublin. 

The commissions will involve two phases. Phase 1 will allow for research, development and the building of relationships with communities who are participating in the project. This phase will conclude in mid December 2020 when the artist/organisation will host a work-in-progress showing or event. In phase 2, the project will be brought to conclusion with a showing/exhibition/performance of the work to take place by the end of April 2021.

Call for Proposals

Dublin City University is seeking proposals from artists, collectives, cultural organisations who are interested in developing and presenting such socially engaged work. 

We will:

• Provide a venue or space, if required, for showing the work.
• Facilitate connections with DCU’s socially-engaged units e.g. Age-Friendly University, DCU in the Community
• Offer artists access to DCU library facilities for research purposes
• Facilitate connections between artists and DCU research staff where possible
• Endeavour to facilitate temporary access to meeting or office space, providing Government public health regulations allow.

We welcome proposals that:

• Engage with our communities as part of the creative process.
• Create connections between DCU students and staff, and surrounding neighbourhoods.
• Promote greater arts participation in DCU and in our communities.
• Create opportunities for arts engagement in under-served or hard-to-reach groups.
• Explore new ideas emanating from DCU’s diverse research community.

Timeline

Monday 7th September

Online Information Session for interested artists. To register for the session, email anam@dcu.ie.

Friday 18th September

Deadline for initial proposals. See requirements below.

Friday 25th September

Shortlisted are artists invited to submit a more detailed proposal. Artists will receive a small fee for this submission.

Friday 9th October

Deadline for detailed proposals.

Friday 16th October

Commissioned artists announced.

Early-Mid December

Work-in-progress presentations/dissemination by commissioned artists to mark the end of Phase 1.

January-April 2021

Commissioned artists refine and complete their work/process during Phase 2.

Conditions 

• Payment of financial contribution, will be made in two instalments - €4,000 on the signing of the commission agreement and €4,500 following the completion of the development phase. 
• Artists must be based in Ireland.
• Working practices and engagement with community members, DCU staff, students and other stakeholders must comply with Government COVID-19 regulations. 
• The project must have a work-in-progress presentation or event by mid December 2020. A second public event or showing must take place by April 30th 2021. Both events should take place in Dublin City University or surrounding communities, unless the work is exclusively digital. 
• All projects must be completed by April 30th 2021.
• Funding may be used to purchase materials, engage collaborating artists in the project, stage exhibitions and workshops, showcase or perform new work. All artists should be paid equitably for their work, time and preparation.
• Funding may not be used for competitions (entry or travel to), travel, hospitality, capital costs, major equipment purchase, gifts, production of commercial recordings. 
• The support of Dublin City University, Dublin City Council and the Arts Council must be acknowledged in all publicity material associated with the work. Logos are available from tom.swift@dcu.ie.
• Successful applicants will be asked to provide a short written report describing their experiences and the impact of the event/events.
•  Dublin City University reserves the right to publicise the programme. Successful applicants may be asked to be available for promotional material.
• The selection panel reserves the right not to grant an award if the standard of applications does not satisfy the criteria of the award in full.
• Only proposals with completed applications and the required documents will be considered. Proposals and applications will be held onto for a year.
• Presenting artists/organisations must ensure all staff/artists engaged are successfully Garda vetted before taking part in projects working with children and young adults. Organisations will be required to show evidence of an up to date child protection policy.
• Feedback, reporting and evaluation of the project should be informed by participant/audience forms and surveys.

How to Apply 

The application (see checklist below) must be completed and submitted by email to anam@dcu.ie with the subject line:  ANAM Open Call. An online information session for interested parties will take place on Monday September 7th. To register for the session and for general queries email anam@dcu.ie

Application Checklist

You must include the following items in your application:

• Project Description, citing impact of proposed activity (500 word max.)
• Detailed Budget
• Artist or organisation CV
• Examples of previous work (4 online examples max.)

And, if applicable:

• Any documentation that you feel will support your proposal

Closing date for receipt of completed proposals is Friday 18th September 2020