One to One 2003/2004 guidelines

One To One Individual Artists’ Bursaries in Live Art

Deadline for applications: 6pm on Monday 6 October 2003

The guidelines are available in Braille, large print or on tape on request.

Introduction 
One To One individual artists’ bursaries aim to provide artistic and professional development opportunities for individual practitioners based in London who work in Live Art. The bursaries were instigated by London Arts in 1999 and are managed by the Live Art Development Agency with funding from Arts Council England (London office).

One To One bursaries of £8,100 will be awarded to artists to undertake self determined artistic and professional development strategies that will stimulate new processes, support different ways of working and ultimately enhance their artistic practice. We aim to award seven bursaries.

One To One bursaries are for the support of individual artists’ development and are not project or production grants.

The One To One bursaries are not prizes or awards for achievements in the field and all applicants are requested to read the assessment criteria carefully.

Context 
Evolving from Performance Art, Live Art is an umbrella term encompassing a range of innovative performance, performative and time based practices that are often high risk; that address the specificities of spaces, places and audiences; that are more process than product driven; and are firmly rooted in ideas of presence.

Live Art is now widely recognised as a vibrant and challenging area of practice that has played a key part in shaping critical frameworks, cultural infrastructures, and the politics of artistic production and consumption.

With no fixed paths or signposts to follow however, the exploratory processes and broad based disciplines of Live Art demand different approaches to ideas of art and artists’ development. Conventional ideas of training, research and career development are often unable to effectively address how artists are supported in their artistic and professional development, particularly in a field where process is not only critical but also inherent.

Under pressure to produce new work and simply survive, many artists engaging with Live Art are denied opportunities to fully formulate their ideas or their practices or self-determine their role and representation. Artists are increasingly demanding time and space to develop their complex ideas. There is no doubt that when they are able to access safe spaces, creative and flexible support and effective resources, artists are demonstrably fulfilling their artistic potential, achieving more rigorous standards, effecting more appropriate means of representation and are generally more empowered and grounded. This could, of course, be said of any art form, but with Live Art ideas of what spaces, support and resources actually mean are almost unlimited. For example, space can mean space to think, to make, to read, to discuss, and to undertake academic or practical research to try out ideas without pressure and to have the right to fail. Existing structures and approaches cannot always respond to such plurality of need.

Moreover, how ideas come into being is a complex process in itself. Given that Live Art is grounded in ideas and imagining different ways of approaching art and audiences, supporting the development of new ideas is not only intrinsic to, but is also the driving force of the Live Art sector.

The One To One bursaries provide an opportunity to actively contribute to artists’ development by introducing new ways of responding to individual artists and their diverse needs and unpicking and influencing the forces that impact on their practice.

The Bursaries 2003/04
The guidelines and framework for the One To One bursaries have been devised in response to the findings of the four years of the scheme and an artists’ focus group which was jointly organised by the Live Art Development Agency and Artsadmin in June 2003.

The allocation of £56,700 for 2003/04 will be awarded as seven individual bursaries of £8,100 each to artists to undertake self determined artistic and professional development strategies.

Culturally diverse artists and artists who identify themselves as disabled are particularly encouraged to apply. We also encourage applications from artists engaging with unusual or challenging forms and concepts in their practice, and artists exploring different ways to address complexity and/or engage with ‘an audience’.

The programme of work should be completed within 12 months of receipt of the bursary, apart from in exceptional circumstances.

The nature of the One To One bursaries is open and will be tailored around the aspirations and needs of each participating artist. Some artists, for example, may wish to ‘buy’ space, expertise or access to training and resources to hone and/or develop particular skills and interests. Others may wish to undertake specialised research or take time to think, write or imagine different ways of working. Some artists may wish to find mentors, engage in critical discourses around their practice or undertake attachments. Others may choose to revisit projects and ideas prematurely abandoned for any number of reasons. Small capital purchases will be considered in exceptional circumstances as part of the use of the bursary.

Please note that the One To One bursaries are not production, project or specific research grants. Whilst the bursary scheme is about supporting artists rather than ‘art’, it is recognised that it is not always possible to separate professional development programmes from specific projects. Research undertaken through the bursary can inform projects but bursary grants cannot be used for direct project costs.

For information about funding for projects please contact Arts Council England, the national development agency for the arts, about Grants for the Arts on www.artscouncil.org.uk or 0845 300 6100.

The management, monitoring and evaluation of each bursary award will be devised in collaboration with participating artists and facilitated and managed by the Live Art Development Agency. The facilitation process and tracking strategies employed will respond directly to the aspirations and objectives identified by each artist. All recipients of bursaries will be expected to produce a report (including final income and expenditure breakdown) with supporting material.

Eligibility
The 2003/04 One To One bursaries are aimed at individual artists who are based in London and who have realised a body of work. It is unlikely that an artist who has not completed at least four professional pieces of work will be supported through the initiative.

The One To One bursaries are available for individual artists only, however, this does not exclude artists who work collaboratively and/or in a company applying for their individual professional development.

Full-time undergraduate students may not apply.

Artists who have been in receipt of a bursary or similar ‘open’ award (including an AHRB Fellowship) within the last six months will not be eligible in this year’s scheme.

Previous One To One bursary recipients may not apply.

If you are unsure about your eligibility please call to discuss it with us in advance.

Artists who are at an earlier stage in their development should consider applying to the Artsadmin Artists Bursary Scheme. For more information contact Manick Govinda, Artists Advisor or Mark Godber, Assistant Artists Advisor at Artsadmin, on 020 7247 5102 or [email protected]/ [email protected].

Application procedures
You must discuss your proposal in advance with the Live Art Development Agency either in person, by phone or by email. In addition we are running One To One surgeries on Tuesday 16, Thursday 18, Tuesday 23 and Thursday 25 September 2003. Surgeries will be offered on an individual basis and you should call to book a place. Attendance at the surgeries is not compulsory or part of the application/assessment procedure.

After discussing your proposal eligible artists are invited to apply for an individual bursary award by submitting, in the first instance, a written application of up to 4 sides of A4.

Your application should include the following information:

1. Up to date correspondence and contact details.

2. Brief background information including:
i. succinct details of recent and current projects and activities;
ii. a brief description of the nature of your practice and in
particular its relationship to Live Art and time based work.

3. A full description of the programme of artistic and professional
development strategies you plan to undertake.

4. A clear statement of the artistic impetus, aspirations and
desired outcomes of the proposal including a summary of
practical and conceptual needs. You should specify how the
proposed work relates to your recent practice and ongoing
development and demonstrate the ways in which the bursary
will contribute to your personal and professional development.

You should also submit supporting material that is appropriate and representative including a full CV, videos, slides, publications, press and letters of recommendation (if available). If you have recently received a bursary, grant or award for your practice please list this including relevant start and finish dates. Please include a list of the supporting material you submit.

If you plan to submit a video as supporting material please ensure that, if it is longer than 10 minutes, you clearly identify an appropriate short extract. If submitting slides, please supply no more than 10 standard 35mm slides. CD Roms and details of web sites are also welcomed as supporting material.

Please ensure that all supporting material is clearly marked with your name and address. Please note that any material you submit is done so at your own risk and we will only return supporting materials if requested to and if a SAE (stamped address envelope) is enclosed.

You must complete a monitoring questionnaire (following at the end of these guidelines) and return it with your application, which will not be eligible without it.

Assessment Criteria and Selection 
The applications will be assessed by a selection panel consisting of staff of the Live Art Development Agency and a small group of independent advisers. The advisers on the selection panel may include artists (including past recipients of One To One bursaries), producers, promoters or critics. An observer from Arts Council England (London office) will be present at the assessment meeting.

The selection panel will first develop a shortlist of applications that best meet the selection criteria. The panel will then identify any further information that it may need to help in the assessment of the shortlisted applications. This information will be requested from the applicant who can choose to respond in writing or verbally (e.g. by email, on the phone or in an interview). The selection panel may decide not to seek further information and applicants should therefore not assume that if they have not been asked for further information that their application is not shortlisted.

At the final stage of the selection process, artists will be required to indicate how they will spend the bursary. We aim to award seven bursaries of £8,100 each, however, in exceptional circumstances the selection panel may award less than the amount requested.

The selection of artists for 2003/04’s One To One bursary awards will be based on:

– the relevance of the proposal to the overall aims of the scheme

– the uniqueness of the proposal and imaginative approaches to
notions of process

– the extent to which the proposed process shows clear artistic
direction and vision

– a commitment to innovation in form and content

– the significance of the proposal to the artistic development of
the applicant

– the viability of the proposal and the ability of the applicant to
realise their aspirations within the time and resources available

– demonstrable need for financial assistance.

Further information 
If you require further information please contact Lois Keidan or Daniel Brine at the address below.

Please note that you must discuss your application prior to submission to avoid you spending valuable time and energy on a potentially ineligible proposal.

Application deadline
Completed applications must be received by 6pm on Monday 6 October 2003.

Applications, clearly marked One To One , should be sent to the Live Art Development Agency at the address below. Please note we cannot accept faxed or emailed applications. We will only consider applications received by the deadline.

Announcement of bursary awards will be made by mid November 2003.

Notification of results 
We will write to applicants giving the result of their application.

If your application is successful, you will receive an offer letter from the Live Art Development Agency that you will need to sign and return. We will publish a list of all the bursaries, which will be available on request.

Successful applicants will be required to acknowledge the financial assistance of the Live Art Development Agency’s One To One Bursary Scheme in publicity for events and/or projects which have benefited from the bursary.

If your application is unsuccessful, we will give you a reason for this.

Complaints procedure
Complaints and appeals in relation to the One To One bursaries are undertaken under the Complaints and Appeals Procedure of the Live Art Development Agency. Information about the procedure is available on request from the Live Art Development Agency.

Who we are 
The Live Art Development Agency is an independent organisation launched in January 1999. The Live Art Development Agency offers a range of services and resources for artists and organisations in London working in, or planning to work in, Live Art including practical information and advice and opportunities for dialogue, debate, research and training, often in partnership with artists and institutions. The Live Art Development Agency is a fixed-term funded organisation of Arts Council England (London office).

The One To One bursaries are financially assisted by Arts Council England (London office).

Recipients of One To One bursaries in 2001/02 
Information about recipients of One to One bursaries in 2001/2002 and One to One Bursaries in 2002/2003 can be found on this site.

Equality of Opportunity
The Live Art Development Agency is committed to equality of opportunity. Following is the Live Art Development Agency Equality of Opportunity statement.

The Live Art Development Agency supports issues of diversity in the practice and politics of Live Art and is positioned and structured to be able to work effectively with, and within, a range of cultural frameworks, artistic practices and social issues.

The Live Art Development Agency ensures that all artists it works with embrace notions of equity in both their practices and working methods.

The Live Art Development Agency is committed to responding to the complex needs of a diverse city and, in its schemes and initiatives, aims to enhance the involvement of artists and the public regardless of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation or education.

The Live Art Development Agency is a small organisation with two staff, Lois Keidan and Daniel Brine. All other personnel are employed on a freelance or project basis and the Live Art Development Agency aspires to be an equal opportunities employer in all recruitment and selection procedures.

Monitoring
Both the Live Art Development Agency and Arts Council England place a strong emphasis on equality of opportunity and access. In order to help us monitor this commitment, please complete this monitoring questionnaire. You must return this questionnaire with your application, which will not be eligible without it.

The questionnaire asks for statistical information only. We will not use the information you provide here in assessment and will detach it from your application.

We have designed the questions on this form to help us analyse applications to the One To One bursary initiative and to be compatible with the information collected by Arts Council England. We will share the data collected through this form with Arts Council England for monitoring purposes. You should choose the answers which best describe you.

Cultural diversity
Please state what you consider to be or how you chose to define your ethnic origin (for example, Asian, British Asian, White European, Black Caribbean, British Chinese etc).

___________________

Disability
The Disability Discrimination Act defines disability as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on a person¹s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

Do you consider yourself to be a disabled person?

Yes  ___      No  ___

Age
To which age group do you belong?

Below 20  ___         20 ­ 29  ___         30 ­ 39  ___
40 ­ 49  ___         50 ­ 59  ___         Above 60  ___

Gender
How do you describe your gender?

___________________

One To One bursary visibility
How did you find out about this scheme?

Live Art Development Agency mail  ___
Advertisement:
AN   ___
Art Monthly  ___
Live Art Magazine online ___
DAIL  ___
Creative Capital information   ___
An email posting  ___
Word of Mouth  ___
Other  ___
please specify:   ______________________

You must return this monitoring questionnaire with your application. Your application will not be eligible without it.