2025 Call for Emerging Artist Ambassadors

Organization:

BC Culture Days

Deadline:

Mar. 3, 2025 11:59pm pt

Website:

http://culturedays.ca/en/bc/2025-call-for-ambassadors

Call for Artists Description:

BC Culture Days is now accepting applications to the 2025 Ambassador Program. Emerging artists of all disciplines (from visual and media artists to dancers, musicians, poets, writers, actors, and more) are invited to apply to the 2025 program. This annual professional development program is for emerging artists in B.C. who desire an equitable opportunity to advance their artistic career by developing event planning, facilitation and community engagement skills, participating in a mentorship, and growing their professional network. It is a predominantly self-directed program with support from BC Culture Days staff and requires both in-person (in your local area) and online participation through the months of May to October 2025.

Six emerging artists will be selected as 2025 Ambassadors. Each artist will develop, coordinate, and present a free community-based arts event in their local area, featured as part of the BC Culture Days CARE (Community Arts Reimagining Equity & Wellness) Series for Culture Days. These events will explore how creativity contributes to individual and community wellbeing with a focus on equitable access to arts and culture programming. The proposed event must be low-barrier in nature and encourage public participation in a creative process.

As part of the Ambassador Program, six emerging artists from across the province will:

1. Receive an event budget and artist fee totalling $2,000 to present a free community-based arts event in their local area, featured as part of the BC Culture Days CARE (Community Arts Reimagining Equity & Wellness) Series for Culture Days (between September 19 - October 12, 2025).

2. Participate in a paid 3-month mentorship ($1,500 total for approx. 8 hrs/month) with an established artist of their choice.

3. Participate in professional development workshops in Trauma-informed Art Practices, Event Planning and Accessibility, and Indigenous Relations and Allyship.

4. Receive media training and act as a Culture Days media spokesperson for their community from August-October.

Given the importance of regional representation for this program, priority will be given to applicants from outside Metro Vancouver or rural and remote communities. Artists who self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), Black, a Person of Colour, disabled, Deaf, hard of hearing, chronically ill, mad, trauma-impacted, neurodivergent, gender diverse, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ are strongly encouraged to apply. Please note, this is not an exhaustive list of racialized, disability, and equity-deserving identities.

How to Apply:

Please read the full call for artists for more information about the program, application process, and eligibility: https://culturedays.ca/en/bc/2025-call-for-ambassadors.

To apply, please complete the form linked here: https://forms.fillout.com/t/hGNjxWX1ikus.

If submitting an application via Word document, video, audio recording, or another alternative method is more suitable for you and your needs, please feel free to contact us before Monday February 24, 2025 to make arrangements.

Join BC Culture Days staff on Tuesday February 18 at 12:00PM PT via Zoom for our Ambassador Program info session. ASL Interpretation will be available as well as Zoom closed captioning.

Register for the info session here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvduysqDkiH9C2w64zAvIQ-4l1022j9Fe_#/registration.

Fees/Compensation:

There are no fees to apply for this program. Selected artists will receive an event budget and artist fee totalling $2,000 as well as $1,500 to participate in the mentorship.

Contact Name: Nazanin Shoja
Contact Email: nazanin.shoja@culturedays.ca