Culture Lab: Artist as Healer is a multi-year initiative by Indian Summer Arts Society moving into its third and final year! This project invites and resources South Asian artists in Greater Vancouver to work collaboratively with other artists, mentors and members of the medical and wellness communities to develop healing methodologies through art. The project creates the space and resources for artists to come up with remedies against despair and potions for joy.

Working in local and specific South Asian contexts, in acknowledgement of systemic racism in the arts and health and wellness industries, this is a space for an artist or collective to propose work toward societal healing. Based on their learnings, the artist will produce a work (which could be an event/showing/workshop/process/interactive project) that engages community and inspires other artists and healthcare professionals to bridge the gap between art and healing.

ELIGIBILITY

• Applications are open to artists of all South Asian backgrounds in Greater Vancouver

• Applicants must be eligible to work in Canada.

• Applicants must identify as artists as their primary vocation.

• We encourage diversity and welcome applications from artists of all cultural, national, religious, and geo-political backgrounds, including those with mixed ancestries.

• We are committed to all forms of diversity and welcome applications from candidates with disabilities as well as all genders and sexualities.

• Whether you're an individual artist, part of a collective, or a collaboration, your innovative ideas are essential. This is an opportunity to receive substantial support and resources for your visionary project.

• We are considering applications from all artistic practices and disciplinary backgrounds.

MENTORSHIP & BURSARY

• At the heart of the Artist as Healer project lies mentorship and financial support.

• An integral part of Artist as Healer is working collaboratively with other artists, healers, historians, and community members who can help deepen, advance, inform, caution, scale, or embed your project in systemic ways.

• A $25,000 bursary is available for the five-month lab period, along with additional development resources valued at up to $15,000 and another $5000 for the production and delivery of the final showing. The budget is flexible, allowing you to allocate resources according to your project's needs.

• Your vision, craft, creativity, and innovative spirit can reshape the landscape of art, healing, and societal change. Apply today and be part of a transformative journey. Let’s create a healing world together.

Interested in applying for this project? Join us for a virtual info session where we will go through the RFP in detail and answer any questions about the proposals and application process that you might have!

If you have accessibility needs related to attending this zoom-based info session please email culturelab@indiansummerfest.ca. We will do our best to respond to access requests to make the info session as accessible as possible.

This project is supported by the Vancouver Foundation and the Canada Council for the Arts

Community Partners: Canada India Network Society (CINS)