Call to Artists/Artist Teams
Request for Qualifications | New Horizons - Neighborhood Residencies
Deadline to Submit Materials: 5:00 PM (EST) Friday, January 31, 2020
New Horizons Initiative
Launched in 2019 by Erie Arts & Culture, with preliminary funding from the Erie Community Foundation, New Horizons empowers residents, merchants, community organizers, artists, and culture-bearers to actively be involved in shaping the social character and built environment in their neighborhoods. The initiative, in the first three years, invests in the City of Erie’s urban core. This includes neighborhoods located within the zip codes of 16501, 16502, 16503, and 16507.
As part of New Horizons, Erie Arts & Culture is accepting qualifications from artists that are interested in conducting placemaking residencies within the geographic area stated above during the 2020 calendar year. Residencies are funded in part by Erie Insurance through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP). Through this initiative, artists will work collaboratively with neighborhood organizations and residents of the community to either directly raise awareness of community needs or develop creative solutions to ongoing community issues.
Project Description
Erie Arts & Culture seeks artists who are dedicated to exploring the intersectionality between the arts and social, environmental, racial, and economic justice. Artists interested in being considered for a neighborhood residency should respond to this RFQ by emailing a Letter of Intent (LOI) and portfolio to [email protected]. A Selection Committee, comprised of staff from Erie Arts & Culture and members of the Erie Neighborhood Growth Partnership will review all submissions.
Examples of Neighborhood Residencies
People's Paper Co-Op
The People's Paper Co-Op is an art, advocacy, and social entrepreneurship initiative that seeks to transform the narrative of reentry - with, for, and as neighbors to those most affected by the criminal justice system.
Red Sage Stories
Melissa Nussbaum Freeman trained interested Dorchester/Roxbury artists in Playback Theatre and other performance skills in order to dramatize stories told by community residents. A devised play called "The Bus" combined true stories gathered at unlikely sites in Dorchester and Roxbury and was performed at those same places, as well as for 600 neighbors at the Dudley St. Neighborhood Initiative's annual meeting. Beyond the project, Red Sage Stories found that Playback Theatre helped many local groups integrate live art into their social engagement. Since its beginning, Red Sage Stories has performed 62 times at 31 different venues.
