Open Call Mentorship Building Beyond #3
The Creative Industries Fund NL and The Prince Claus Fund jointly organize the programme Building Beyond for the third time. We invite mid-career artists, designers and creatives from the African continent to define the future of public space and community on the growing African continent by activating the imagined possibilities of their local context.
11 mei 2023
Our cities are more than just spaces for living and working; they hold communities, expressions, knowledge systems, economies, beliefs, and they are crucial spaces for identity formation that shapes our lives. Globally, the pressure on cities is growing exponentially, particularly on the African continent.
There is a need to engage in critical questioning; to consider how we live, and what the future could hold. What are the processes that define our shared spaces, what the forms through which they should be pursued and who will participate in shaping them?
open call
Are you a mid-career artist, designer, or creative with 5-10 years of experience in architecture, design, or spatial practice, whose work is dedicated to (re)imaging the future of your African city? The Creative Industries Fund NL and The Prince Claus Fund invite you to apply to the Building Beyond Mentorship Programme and define the future of public space and community in your city by activating the imagined possibilities of your localised context.
Building Beyond brings together 12 experienced designers, creatives, and artists over the course of a year to foster conversation, collaboration, and exchange within the cohort; to support each participant in their own individual practice; and to facilitate exchanges between the cohort and relevant external practitioners. We support practices that engage with challenges related to your city’s public space and communities to propose alternative ideas and methods that align the physical city with the realities and imaginations of the lived city. We seek to foster locally-rooted, critical design practices, and cultural productions that challenge our ideas of space and citizenship, reaffirm agency, and restate ownership. Building Beyond is an alternative educational structure where you come together with your peers to reflect on your practice, activate your practice within your local context, and gather ideas and universalities from different urban contexts - aimed at reimagining the future of your contexts and continent.
programme
The programme consists of peer group sessions, guest speaker sessions, and two in-person intensives in the form of Lab Weeks – one in the African continent, and one in the Netherlands – where there will be further opportunities for exchange and to build your network. In addition to this, each participant receives an award of €10.000 and guidance from mentors to work on the concept for a body of work that is outlined in their application.
how to apply?
Please check the Eligibility Criteria & Guidelines before applying. Applications can be completed via the Prince Claus Awards Platform.
The deadline for the submission of applications is 15 June 2023 at 23.59 CEST. Only complete submissions received in the platform before the deadline can be considered.
about the Prince Claus Fund
The Prince Claus Fund has more than 25 years of experience in supporting cultural and artistic initiatives in challenging circumstances. The Fund's mission is to support, connect and celebrate cultural practitioners where culture is under pressure through a sequence of the Prince Claus Awards: Seed, Mentorship & Impact Awards. The Fund has been a successful actor and liaison in the arts and culture sectors globally, generating possibilities for critical discussion and boosting creative expression. Because of its track record and autonomy, the Fund is seen as a global leader in supporting independent cultural initiatives of the highest quality with a broad social impact.
about the Creative Industries Fund NL
The Creative Industries Fund NL is the Dutch cultural fund for design, architecture, digital culture and every imaginable crossover. The Fund supports remarkable and innovative projects, research and activities by designers, makers and cultural organisations in the creative industry. Through various schemes and open calls, the Fund’s Internationalisation programme aims to promote international exchange and collaboration with the Dutch creative industry. One specific component is the international programme Inclusive Cities and Societies through Design, through which the Fund stimulates the contribution of design to the Sustainable Development Goals (11 and 16). For this programme component, the Fund focuses on (knowledge) exchange between the Dutch creative industry and African creative industries. The Building Beyond Mentorship and partnership with the Prins Claus Fonds are part of this programme.
