RISING : CALL TO ARTISTS
RISING's Call to Artists is seeking expressions of interest (EOIs) for work presented in the 2024 festival and beyond.
RISING takes place each June in Naarm, Melbourne. It is a contemporary cultural event that brings together site specific performance, large scale public art, music and ceremony for a diverse community.
This Call to Artists invites artists from around the country to submit their ideas for bold and ambitious new work.
We're seeking art and performance designed specifically for outdoor settings, ideas that will prompt powerful social experiences, and create transformative moments, from the epic to the intimate.
The Call: We're after big ideas for outdoor projects only to be presented from RISING 2024 onwards. Ultimately one to three projects will be commissioned. The selection process will be conducted by a group of peers, representing a spectrum of artists and industry.
RISING : CALL TO ARTISTS
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
To be selected, applicants are required to be:
- An Australian artist OR
- An artist who is based in Australia
We are looking for:
- Strength of the creative vision
- An idea for an outdoor project of any scale
- The idea proposed is a new idea
APPLY NOW
Applications close Fri 8 July, 5PM
If you need support or are unable to meet the closing date you can email askus@rising.melbourne.
What’s required
To prepare your EOI, we ask that you review the FAQs below, before compiling the following components:
- a 300-word description of the idea
- a 200-word artist bio
- 200 word on your practice. This might take the form of:
- Describing works that you are most proud of
- How your practice has evolved to make the work you make, and how your proposed idea fits into that evolution
- Who you collaborate with
- How will your experience help you deliver on the idea you are proposing
Timeline
- Wed 15 June — RISING’s Call to Artists submissions open
- Fri 8 July — RISING’s Call to Artists submissions close
- Early September — successful and unsuccessful applicants notified. You'll have about a month to prepare interview materials
- October — interviews
- Early November — interview applicants notified of outcome
What we're looking for
Here are some commissions and other works we've presented that are good examples of what we're looking for:
Frequently Asked Questions
Ask a question
Q. I am an artist with a disability or a neurodivergent artist, what support can you give me with my application and how will it be reviewed?
A. If you need assistance with your application and to understand the application options available to you, please contact askus@rising.melbourne or the RISING office on (03) 9662 4242 and you will be directed to someone who can assist you.
Q. I've missed the closing date for applications because I was unwell with COVID. What do I do?
A. Email us at askus@rising.melbourne. Late applications will be considered on a case by case basis.
Q. I meet the eligibility criteria but now live overseas, can I apply?
A. Yes, you can apply. But please consider your availability to be in Melbourne to deliver the project and that travel restrictions may still be a factor in the future. It might be worth considering how or if your work could be developed or presented in Victoria without requiring you to travel.
Q. Do you allow applications from international artists based in Australia?
A. Yes! If you have a strong connection to Australia—you are based here, your practice is rooted here, or are from here originally—we are happy to receive an application from you.
Q. We are a collaboration/ collective/ company. How do we apply?
A. If you are applying as a collaboration, collective or artist-led company, please appoint one lead contact to submit your application on behalf of the group.
Q. We are applying as a collaboration/ collective/ company, but not all our group meet the Australian eligibility requirements. Can we still apply?
A. Yes, you can apply if one of your group meets the eligibility criteria.
Q. I am collaborating with an international artist, is that ok?
A. Yep!
Q. What scale of ideas/ artwork are you looking for?
A. We're after applications for outdoor works of all scales and work that is scalable to a variety of settings. If your idea is commissioned, you will be given a payment to develop the idea to meet the scope of the idea proposed. Go as small or as big as fits your idea.
Q. How much money will I receive if I am successful?
A. If you are successful in this initial stage, you will receive $2000 to prepare for your interview with us. If you are successful after the interview, how much you get to make your work depends on the scale of the project. A commissioning fee and project budget for presentation will be determined in negotiation with RISING staff.
Q. Can I submit multiple ideas?
A. No, applicants are limited to a single submission.
Q. I am a Curator, can I submit a curatorial project?
A. No, we are not looking for curatorial ideas.
Q. I am an event maker or part of a tech company, can I submit a proposal?
A. We are not looking for commercial events or tech-only projects.
Q. If I successfully move through the stages of this process and my work is commissioned, when will I need to present the work?
A. Commissioned works may be presented in RISING 2024. However, the presentation outcomes of this creative development program will depend on many variables, including the nature of the proposed project and our plans for RISING 2024 and future festivals.
Q. Will I receive confirmation of receipt of my submission?
A. Once you’ve hit ‘submit’, you should receive an automated email confirmation, including a copy of the filled form for your records.
Q. What happens if I am unsuccessful in my application?
A. Unsuccessful applicants will receive notification via email. RISING is unable to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants in the first round of submissions, but we would encourage you to keep your eyes peeled for further opportunities to participate in the festival.
Q. What happens if I am successful in my application?
A. Successful applicants will receive notification via email. Successful applicants will be allocated $2000 funding and given a roughly one-month time frame to develop their interview materials. The information required for the interview will be provided to successful applicants at a later stage.
Q. Do I have to supply supporting material?
A. No, supporting material is not required at this stage of the application, but you may provide a website URL or Instagram handle if you feel it will help the assessment panel get a better sense of your practice.
Q. Can I resubmit my application from the last Call to Artists?
A. No, we can’t accept the same application you have submitted to us before. However, you may submit a new idea, or an idea based on your previous one that you have developed or changed.
Q. How do applications get chosen?
A. A group of artists and industry peers will review every eligible application to the same criteria. There will be a shortlisting process with the Call to Artists panel and 10 ideas will be selected for an interview with RISING’s curators. From these interviews, RISING will commission between one and three projects, depending on the scope and scale of the ideas proposed.
Q. Who is deciding on my application?
A. Your application will be reviewed and discussed with a broad spectrum of artists and industry nationally. Our panel includes a diverse team of curators, artists and programmers, from inside and outside of RISING. We’ll let you know who they are soon.
Q. What if I have questions about my application?
A. You can askus@rising.melbourne and someone in the team will get back to you as soon as they can. Please note the RISING office will be closed 11-15 July and you won’t receive a response to any queries in this time.
Q. Can I apply as a musician?
A. Definitely! If you have an idea for an outdoor context that meets our eligibility criteria, we are open to applications of all kinds.
Q. What do you mean by ‘new ideas’?
A. We’re looking for ideas that have not had a public outcome before. It’s fine if you’ve done some development on the idea already, but if your application is based on an idea that has been out in the world before, you may want to think about how it could be adapted to have ‘new’ elements or to be a significant progression of your practice this time.
Q. Is specific information about location, collaborators and logistics required?
A. We are asking for top-level thinking about your idea at this stage. We expect that all the concepts submitted will need to be developed further to answer specific questions about location, collaborators and how the work can happen. If you know some of these details now or if they are integral to the idea, please include them, but otherwise feel free to keep your application about you and your idea.
Q. My idea is small in scale, can I still apply?
A. Yes, we are looking for works for varying scales—not necessarily large—and our shortlist will likely represent a balance of different projects.