Emerging and Experimental Arts frequently asked questions
Artists working in experimental practice take new approaches to nurturing, creating and presenting art. These projects explore challenging new concepts in the creation and experience of art and culture.
Emerging and experimental arts may sometimes be difficult for audiences to engage with and understand. Its processes often resemble those of research and development, experimentation and creative development. Artists funded by Emerging and Experimental Arts develop projects that generally have some of the following characteristics:
- Highly conceptual, contextual, relative and relational – they address the question “what is experimental now?”
- Play with or invent new forms, methodologies, technologies or non-material ideas
- Investigating problems and asking questions without necessarily focusing on the answer. The process of exploration is more important than a fully resolved artistic product as the project outcome.
- Innovative partnerships and collaborative / cross-disciplinary processes
- Cross-over with broader cultural issues.
Applicants to this category must be able to demonstrate what is experimental about their own practice and project, and explain why this is experimental in their own context and the broader arts sector.
Your project does not need to be interdisciplinary.
Emerging and experimental arts activity is innovative in its methodology and often takes risks with processes and outcomes of the work. This can happen both within and across artforms and disciplines.
We find the most competitive applications often involve innovative creative collaborations and partnerships – between artists, or artists collaborating with non-artists. New and experimental processes often emerge from an interdisciplinary collaboration or partnership.
Other art form sections of the Australia Council support applications for experimental projects within a single art form practice.
No, your project does not need to involve technology to be eligible or competitive for grants and initiatives from Emerging and Experimental Arts.
Projects may include Indigenous and intercultural collaborations, art and science, social engagement, community participation, artistic interventions into public spaces, artists working with urban renewal and ecology projects, and much more.
If technology forms a core part of your project, it is important to clearly articulate how and why it will be used. In all cases, the most competitive applications clearly communicate the innovative ideas and processes driving the experimental arts activity.
Community Arts and Cultural Development frequently asked questions
Community arts and cultural development is a community-based arts practice and can engage any art form. There are many variations of how community arts and cultural development works are made, developed and shared – there is no one model.
However, what is at the core of this practice is the collaboration between professional artists and communities to create art.
The Australia Council focuses its support for community arts and cultural development practice through a number of community priority areas. These include regional Australia, disability, young people, cultural diversity, emerging communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and remote communities, as well as specific critical social and cultural issues requiring focused attention.
The guiding principles that inform and drive our funding decisions, priorities, projects, policies and programs include:
Activities are of artistic excellence and the communities are directly involved in their purpose, design, and evaluation.
This involves working within each community in ways that are meaningful and relevant. The collaborations that underpin the activity are inclusive, respectful and able to demonstrate that they are based on the needs and aspirations of all stakeholders.
The management of a project should demonstrate a blend of effective leadership and decision-making that engages the community at all stages of the process.
The proposal should be able to clearly set out how the activities will increase the capacity and skills of the communities and how this will lead to the communities being able to continue their artistic and cultural development after the completion of the project.
Artists, arts workers and producers should be able to demonstrate their excellence in artistic and cultural development practice. The arts workers need to be able to clearly explain the collaboration processes that will achieve excellence in the artistic expression of the communities’ vision.
Project leaders should be actively engaged in partner-building and be able to effectively manage, sustain and leverage partners for strategic and mutual advantage.
Proposals which capture the unique dynamic and energy of a community will be able to reflect a freshness of vision and design.
Activities ought to embrace the strong emotional and aesthetic elements of each community, and strive to assert the role of activities of artistic excellence in contributing to its vibrancy and well being.