Call for Submissions: Radiant Rural Halls 2024

this town is small, Prince Edward Island

Walking tour of Glenaladale Sculpture Forest with Making/Home by Sarah Saunders (Photo: Faraaz Hussain)

Call for Submissions: Projects for Radiant Rural Halls in Prince Edward Island

this town is small (TTIS) is seeking proposals for the third edition of Radiant Rural Halls (RRH), a series of contemporary art projects and events presented at rural community halls across Prince Edward Island. The presentations will take place between February and April 2024, with exact dates and venues to be confirmed. Radiance refers to emanating light, warmth, and joy. We see community halls themselves as having a radiant quality and we are seeking works that engage with this idea, as well as with the liveliness and histories of the halls and their surrounding communities.

We encourage proposals in artistic mediums such as installation, media arts, and performance. Proposals focused on community engagement such as workshops, demonstrations, presentations, and storytelling are also highly encouraged. We welcome work that highlights marginalised perspectives, is geared towards youth or senior communities, or has a meaningful connection to a particular area in PEI.

Artist fees that follow CARFAC standard guidelines will be paid for this exhibition and associated public presentations. TTIS will provide production support for technical equipment and other material needs. Support for ground travel and/or shipping will also be available.

Artist Fee: $500 to $1,500 performance/artwork/installation (exact fee to be determined based on scope of project)

Workshop Fee: $500

Artist Talk: $300

Travel Stipend: $100 (PEI-based) or $250 (off-island)

Additional Costs (eg. materials, shipping, rentals, collaborators, etc.): case-by-case basis

We recommend learning more about previous editions of the project at thistownissmall.com/radiantruralhalls.

Soul Soliloquies by The Holy Trinity at the Celebration Station in Cardigan, PE (Photo: Faraaz Hussain)

About Community Halls

Selected works will be paired with the most appropriate community hall. For example, if a hall has a theatre space with a projector and sound system, a project that includes a performance with projections/sound would be prioritized. Community halls typically have limited wall space and capacity for exhibiting two-dimensional works. However, they are excellent gathering spaces and often have large meeting rooms, work tables and seating, theatres and/or stages, audio-visual equipment, and kitchens. Artists are encouraged to propose projects that make use of these unique facilities. To learn more about PEI’s network of community halls, visit the Association of Rural Community Halls (ARCH PEI) at www.archpei.com.

Eligibility

Professional artists residing in Canada are eligible to apply, and artists with connections to rural communities will be prioritized. We consider a professional artist to meet a combination of the following criteria (as defined by the Canada Council of the Arts): have specialized training in their artistic field (not necessarily in academic institutions); be recognized as a professional by their peers (artists working in the same artistic tradition); be committed to devoting more time to artistic activity, if possible financially; and have a history of public presentation or publication.

Submissions will be reviewed by a jury of professional artists and community representatives and scored based on the following criteria: artistic and thematic merit, achievability/feasibility, and impact.

TTIS is committed to equal opportunities and we encourage applicants who are Indigenous, members of visible minorities, LGBTQ2SIA+, and persons with disabilities to apply.

This project is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the PEI Culture Action Plan through Innovation PEI.

Our Neighbourhood printmaking workshop by Nat Cann and Caitlin Wilson in Glenaladale, PE (Photo: Faraaz Hussain)

How to Apply

Call for Submissions Deadline: Sunday, September 17, 2023, at Midnight AST

Submissions must be sent through our application form

this town is small encourages applicants to communicate their proposals in ways that they feel most comfortable. this town is small will accept proposals via phone, video, or audio file. You can contact us at rrh@thistownissmall.com to make arrangements.

Submissions must include:

• Current artist CV (maximum 3 pages)**
• Artist statement (maximum 200 words; tell us about yourself and your artistic practice)**
• Project description (maximum 500 words; describe your proposed project, including some discussion of the significance of presenting the project at a community hall in rural PEI, how the project will be shared with the public, and what your material and/or technical needs will include)**
• Maximum of 10 support materials JPEGs or audio/visual samples (linked via a third party platform such as Vimeo or Youtube) related to the proposal (e.g. works being submitted, works-in-progress being submitted, mock-up drawings, similar past works/presentations, etc.)
• Support material list (a detailed list of the images or other support materials, including title, year, medium, size/duration, and a concise description)**

**Text files (CV, artist statement, project description, and support material list) are to be attached as a single PDF

For more information, please email RRH Project Coordinator, Cameron Cassidy at rrh@thistownissmall.com

About this town is small

this town is small is Prince Edward Island’s artist-run centre, established in 2010. TTIS is a spaceless organization that is committed to supporting contemporary art through diverse and supportive community partnerships, providing opportunities for artists and making connections with the public. It operates from an office space in The Vessel in Charlottetown, PEI and it presents exhibitions, residencies, workshops, artist talks, and other programming with partnering venues across Prince Edward Island.

More information can be found at thistownissmall.com or by following us on Instagram or Facebook.