Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program: Denver

LOCATION: PlatteForum - 3575 Ringsby Ct

CATEGORIES: Call For Artists | Art

PAST DATE AND TIME:

• Wed, Dec 16, 2020 - Tue, Jan 19, 2021  

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Compensation (Budget, Stipend, etc):
Free program including materials for all selected applicants

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PlatteForum is pleased to announce the Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program: Denver, in partnership with the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), through the support of the Arts in Society, SCFD Denver County, Rose Community Foundation, SCFD Adams County and the Imagine 2020 Fund.

The program’s goal is to foster a local community of artists sharing the immigrant experience and provide resources through entrepreneurial training, access to other artists, arts professionals, and organizations. Conducted in a supportive environment with a goal that all voices are heard, the program offers immigrant artists the opportunity to focus on their creative practice, gain support and exposure for their work, while upholding their distinct cultural identities.

Since 2017, NYFA has worked in partnership with established arts and cultural organizations in partner cities to implement its Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program and tailor it to the needs of each individual community in Oakland, Detroit, Newark, and San Antonio. The network continues to connect via virtual roundtables, supported by NYFA and organized by Oakland artists and alum Jason Wyman and Rupy C. Tut. The program provides access to artist mentors, art professionals via panels and workshops, and the fundamental principles of sustainability in the arts. Featured topics will include strategic planning, finance, law, marketing, and fundraising.

In collaboration with Denver-based partners, the program will have two weekend entrepreneurial training sessions, access to one-on-one mentoring, with an informal gathering between weekends.

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Details and criteria
This is a competitive program open to artists from all disciplines (performing, literary, visual, multidisciplinary, video/film, folk and traditional arts) based in Denver, CO and provided free of charge to accepted participants. Program will run from February 2021 to June 2021, and will bring together Denver artists to nurture a productive environment for collaboration.

The program includes a final exhibition with presenting opportunities for all selected applicants, organized by PlatteForum.

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Eligibility

• Live within the seven county, Denver metro area. (Within commuting distance of Denver)**
• Either you and your parents were born outside of the United States. (This includes the United States territories i.e. Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands)
• Refugees are welcome to apply
• Are NOT currently enrolled in a graduate or undergraduate degree program***

**Priority will be given to artists living and working in Denver; however the program is open to artists within commuting distance of Denver.
*** The applicants need to be 18 or older; Students who will graduate college before the program starts are welcome to apply.

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Selection Process: The selection has several phases. First, with the support of local partners, Platteforum will identify established professional artists from a variety of disciplines—whose backgrounds reflect the applicant pool—to serve as mentors. Once selected, mentors will review the applications mainly focusing on the applicants' artistic vision, resources they are looking for, and career goals. The mentors ability to offer the necessary resources and information that the applicant is seeking is taken into consideration. Then both NYFA and PlatteForum will work together to identify the pool of mentees, with the awareness of the cohort makeup as a whole while aligning advantageous pairings of mentor and mentee.

Notification: Wednesday, February 3, 2021.

Mandatory Sessions*:

First Weekend Intensive:
Saturday, February 27, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday, February 28, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Mid-program Check in: Wednesday, April 7, 6:00 - 8:30 PM

Second Weekend Intensive:
Saturday, June 26, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday, June 27, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Topics to be featured include strategic planning, finance, law, marketing, and fundraising. Additional material will be drawn from NYFA’s popular textbook The Profitable Artist, Second Edition (Allworth Press, 2018). Content is provided with the cohort’s needs in mind.

* Attendance is mandatory to all sessions, so please check your calendar before applying.
* Denver-based partners will host meetings.
* All the meetings are planned to take place in person, which may convert to online, according to local and state health guidelines at the time of the program.

Application Deadline Extended to: January 19, 2021 11:59pm MST

Fees: None

Application Materials:
For the application we ask you to provide:

• Your long terms goals and why you are interested in applying to this program
• A narrative bio of your professional career
• A link to your website or online presence
• Work samples

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APPLY NOW

For more information or questions, please email our Program Facilitator: Eriko Tsogo etsogo@platteforum.org or Creative Programming Manager, Esther Hernandez: ehernandez@platteforum.org

(Photo credit: Immigrant Artist Program Alumni Mentor Volker Goetze & Mentee Tidtaya Sinutoke, photo by Mara Vlatkovic)