10-11-2023
Anda&Fala launches new prize for visual artists from the Azores or living in the archipelago
Anda&Fala - Cultural Association is launching the 1st edition of the nova vaga Award to support new creative values in the Azores archipelago in the expanded field of visual arts. At the same time, there is an open call for PARES - Support Program for Artistic Activity in the Azores 2024 (6th edition) for projects developed in the region. Applications for both open calls are open until December 8th at www.andafala.org.
The two calls for artists/projects are part of the activity plan and cultural advocacy strategy of Anda&Fala - Cultural Association. Together, they total around €20,000 of direct investment in the artistic ecosystem of the Azores region, stimulating emerging dynamics and their autonomy and deepening artistic practices and dialogue between artists and cultural agents.
The nova vaga Award is a biennial open call to people/collectives born and/or living in the Azores, between the ages of 18 and 35, who aspire to develop their practice in the expanded field of visual arts. For 2024, the first edition will award three creative grants worth €4,000 each to create a new research/creation project with curatorial support from guest curator Marta Espiridião and support from the Anda&Fala team, and presenting the final results in a group exhibition at vaga - space for art and knowledge, the association's headquarters and cultural space in Ponta Delgada, in the last quarter of 2024.
The nova vaga Award succeeds the Walk&Talk Young Creators Award, which, between 2014 and 2022, rewarded 14 artists with a creative grant, integrated into the Walk&Talk - Arts Festival Residency Program, and a final presentation in its various editions.
PARES - Program to Support Artistic Activity in the Azores, now in its 6th edition, allocates a total of €7,500 each year to support artists/collectives/agents developing their work in the region by awarding micro-grants of €250, €500, or €750.
The program is open to applications in all areas of contemporary artistic expression as long as they involve activities in creation and/or presentation, circulation of artists/projects (inside or outside the Azores region), and training. PARES supports artists/collectives/agents born and/or based in the Azores and is also open to people from other countries who choose the archipelago to develop their projects, with no age limit. By sharing resources, PARES aims to boost the work of actors and agents and establish new artists/activities whose work is fundamental to promoting artistic activity and ensuring the sustainability of the Azorean cultural ecosystem.
Both open calls will have an appraisal phase, with applications submitted between November 10 and December 8, 2023, and the results announced on December 21.
The Appreciation Committee for the two open calls is made up of four people each - including members of the association and external members from the regional/national cultural sector. The judging panel for the 1st edition of the New Wave Prize includes Jesse James (Artistic Director of Anda&Fala), Marta Espiridião (guest curator), Filipa da Rocha Nunes (writer and curator) and Fátima Mota (gallery owner). The Evaluation Committee for the 6th edition of PARES is made up of Jesse James (Anda&Fala Artistic Director), Rubén Monfort (Anda&Fala Production Director), Inês Linhares Dias (journalist) and Sophie BARBARA (cultural producer).