Emerge Festival 2011 – Open call for emerging street artists!

Emerge Street Arts Festival is organised by the University of Winchester in collaboration with The Winchester Hat Fair, The Point, Eastleigh and street arts company Wet Picnic. Emerge 2011 is now seeking applications from emerging street arts companies or solo street performers who wish to be considered for inclusion in our festival programme scheduled for the weekend of May 21st 2011.

Emerge 2011 wants to hear from aspiring, enthusiastic young companies and individual performers (or duos) that are looking for an opportunity to showcase their work and bring it to the attention of festival directors and independent producers. Whether you are just graduating from university or a company who has just not quite hit the street arts radar then this is a brilliant opportunity for you. We have invited a selection of UK and European outdoor arts programmers, creative producers and artistic directors to participate in the festival as mentors who, during the festival, will provide the constructive and critical feedback you might be looking for. There are potential opportunities for selected artists to be programmed into Winchester Hat Fair this summer (July 1st – 3rd). There are also potential residency opportunities available for selected artists at The Point, Eastleigh and the Southhill Park Arts Centre, Bracknell following the festival.

Three emerging companies who participated in Emerge 2010 – The Weirdy Beardies, Beautiful Creatures and Dizzy O’Dare - are performing this year at the Winchester Hat Fair and the Big Day Out festival as a direct result of their participation in Emerge 2010.

The package for selected artists includes:

• Travel costs

• Accommodation

• A professional development programme of discussions, networking and workshops lead by outdoor arts professionals

• Opportunities to showcase your work to a public audience and a panel of street arts professionals.

• Detailed feedback to each participating company/artist from the panel of street arts professionals who have observed the work.

• A number of mentoring bursaries (£250) are available for companies or artists to fund individual recommendations made by outdoor arts professionals involved in the initiative - for example, to facilitate consultancy from an established artistic director.

• Professional networking opportunities.

Applications can be made by submitting the online form and successful applicants will be given the opportunity to be part of the festival programme.

Deadline for submissions: Friday 8th April 2011.

For more information please email faye.pain@winchester.ac.uk