Oct 22, 2006

CfA: The Roma Cultural Participation Project

Participation Project, as a component of the Open Society Institute's Arts and Culture Network Program, seeks to conduct research and to explore Roma culture and social identity. The project emphasizes the cultural inclusiveness and empowerment of Roma as well as changes in the majority societies` attitudes.

Roma Talent Casting Initiative

The Talent Casting Initiative is launched by the Roma Cultural Participation Project of Open Society Institute Budapest`s Arts and Culture Network Program. The main aim of the Roma Talent Casting Initiative is to find untapped talent, to identify generally unknown but creative Roma artists and artistic phenomenon and to promote and increase the involvement of Roma art and creativity in the majority cultures. The cultural map of Roma culture is entirely different from those of majority cultures. As a result of the past decades` funding patterns and the poverty of the Roma inhabitants residing in the rural areas, Roma artists are virtually unknown in the European capital cities. With mobile units visiting the villages, towns, and city
communities in the regions, searching for painters, carpet makers, woodcarvers, metalworkers, poets, writers, filmmakers, dancers, musicians, etc. and their productions, we aim to develop a database of the contemporary Roma art-scene. Participation RCPP welcomes applications from individuals or organizations - from contemporary artists/critics/ actors/dancers/ trainers/ anthropologists/ sociologists and other explorers - who are specialized in the different fields of arts and culture such as video (shooting & editing), creative writing, music, street theater and acrobatics, dancing, graffiti, website and poster designing, curatorial work and popular education. The selected experts shall visit Roma residencies and communities where they shall search for local talents and artists. The findings of the casting projects shall be recorded by voice recorder, film, photo or by other
creative means invented by the explorers. Applicants will also be asked to provide information of their findings in a uniform way defined by RCPP. All reports and results of the talent casting project should be sent to OSI after the follow up work is done, and the documentary material is produced from the collected data.

Eligibility

The competition is open to individuals as well as to organizations. The regional scope of the talent casting project shall be the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey and the Ukraine.

All talent casting projects should be implemented between the 15th of November, 2006 and the 31st of May, 2007.

To Apply

Submitted applications should be written in English. They should indicate the name of the initiative: TALENT CASTING and they should be structured in accordance with the following outline: Project summary (1page):

Applicants Name:
Address:
Phone and fax numbers:
E-mail:

Regional or geographic scope of the activity (Please indicate whether the initiative is going to take place in multiple locations or in a single geographic area.):

What artistic phenomena or who are you expecting to find?
How do you know about the phenomenon you are aiming to further explore?
Please, provide a detailed schedule of the talent casting project with exact dates.

* Budget (1 page) The budget should be submitted in U.S. dollars. Please provide a detailed budget of the whole project indicating clearly the items for which funding is requested.
* CV of the participant( s) (max. 2 page / participant)
* Documentation and sample of the applicants` previous projects, productions
(this can be extra volume, but the whole application package should fit in
an A4-size envelope.)

Please, send the applications to Timea Junghaus at the Roma Cultural Participation Project of OSI Budapest`s Arts and Culture Network Program by the 31st of October, 2006 to the following addresses: via mail:

Timea Junghaus, Program Officer, Roma Culture Participation Project,
Arts and Culture Network Program, Open Society Institute Budapest,
Budapest, 1051 Október 6. u.12., HUNGARY
or via email: tjunghaus@osi. hu

The deadline for submitting applications is the 31st of October, 2006.

Financial Support
The maximum amount of requested funding is limited to $4000. The financial support provided by OSI shall cover the travel, accommodation, and meals, of the participant( s), the technical equipment maintenance, relevant materials, the follow-up work after returning to the expert`s original location, and a modest honorarium during the talent casting project.

Selection Process

Applications will be reviewed and evaluated by the Arts and Culture
Sub-Board of OSI. All applicants will be notified individually by the Roma
Cultural Participation Project. The Talent Casting Initiative does not support

* The purchase of permanent technical equipment such as cameras, video cameras, voice recorders etc.
* Institutional expenses
* Individual education

Contact information:

Timea Junghaus
Program Officer
Roma Cultural Participation Project
Arts and Culture Network Program
Tel.: +36 1 327 3100, extension 2239
E-mail: tjunghaus@osi. hu

[sursa cntm]