Social practice is making it big. Ever since I posted Am I a Dancer Who Gave Up? and the follow-up post, I have not been able to keep up with the response. This sector is not new. But we seem to be just now becoming aware of each other, across arts disciplines, definitions, contexts of working, nationalities…
You can read about Social Practice Art as defined on Wikipedia, how social practice arts are changing the world, how social practice art is intended to nurture, how social practice art is gentrifying community arts, how social practice art is something else, and how social practice arts need to be looked at critically. Not nearly enough of this dialogue I’ve found involves dance, cultural diplomacy, cross-cultural or multi-religious work in an international context, work in hospitals, areas of conflict, etc. The definition is often visual arts in an urban American context. One of the best articles I’ve read on the subject is by Andy Horwitz, so I will not attempt to recreate what he eloquently details.
Opportunities are listed nearly daily on SPAN a social practice arts network. On-the-Move, Mladi, and Peace & Collaborative Development Network also list potential programs.
But I started to create a list of opportunities in order to organize my own life. And I thought, it might be great to share this.
Enjoy.
Robert Rauschenberg Foundation: Artist as Activist letters of interest due October 13
FIELD, a new on-line, peer-reviewed journal devoted to socially engaged art practice: call for papers critical essays for its inaugural issue, deadline October 15
Americans for the Arts: 2015 Conference proposals due October 20
Surdna Foundation: Artists Engaging in Social Change request for proposals due November 12
Open Engagement: an international conference and platform to support socially engaged art, 2015 conference submissions due November 17
A Blade of Grass: Fellowship for Socially Engaged Art applications due November 24
Ariane de Rothschild (ADR) Fellowship: Social Entrepreneurship & Cross-Cultural Network applications should be due in February
Kala Art Institute: fellowship including social practice applications should be due in April
Caroline Plummer Fellowship in Community Dance (NZ) applications due June 1
Asian Arts Initiative: Philadelphia social practice lab applications should be due in January
But that’s not all…
Several educational opportunities in dance are opening-up in community dance, dance education, and teaching artistry.
University of Maryland: MFA for Dance Teaching Artists opportunities
University of Roehampton: post-graduate program in Community Dance opportunities
University of Bedfordshire: MA in Community Dance Leadership opportunities
The Foundation for Community Dance in UK opportunities includes educational resources.
Dance and Social Justice at the University of San Francisco opportunities
Many, many more…
The educational opportunities in social practice are mostly fine arts based. We could bust these bubbles just by entering them, and thus create a more vibrant web of possibilities.
California College of the Arts: graduate fine arts concentration in social practices and visiting faculty for their Social Practice Arts Workshop opportunities
University of California – Santa Cruz: Social Practice Arts Research Center opportunities
Portland State University: MFA program in Arts and Social Practice opportunities
New York University: Masters program in Art, Education, and Community Practice opportunities
Arizona State University: Herberger Institute Socially Engaged Practice Certificate program opportunities
Carnegie Mellon University: MFA Contextual Practice opportunities
This is in no way a comprehensive or well-representative list. But if it helps someone out there, it was worth it.
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