Arts Council opens £40,000 Individual Artists Digital Evolution Awards programme
30th August, 2022
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland today (Tuesday 30 August) opened applications to a funding programme which aims to provide artists in Northern Ireland with skills in the use of digital technology to create digital art. Online applications are open from Tuesday 30 August 2022 and will close on Friday 30 September 2022, with decisions expected by Friday 18 November 2022.
The Individual Artists Digital Evolution Awards, worth £40,000, from The National Lottery, offers individuals the opportunity to apply for grants of up to £10,000 and is open to artists across all art forms.
The Individual Artists Digital Evolution Awards aims to support those artists who are making digital art for the first time or are working with digital or immersive technology which they have not used previously. Collaborative applications from individual artists working together in cross-discipline projects and activities are also encouraged. Examples of the types of project that this scheme will support includes:
- Creation of a virtual environment or augmented reality environment; such as augmented reality visual arts or sound overlay on venues or geographical spaces
- Using technology, such as 3D rendering and printing, to create artwork digitally which can either exist digitally or be manufactured into 3D physical objects
- Using technology to translate data into artistic content; for example algorithms that create music or visual content from data input
- App development for the delivery of artistic content; this could include gamification or making an artistic experience for consumption on digital devices (note: this does not include streaming of filmed/recorded performances).
Karly Greene, Director of Strategic Development & Partnerships, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented,
“Today’s announcement is welcome news. The programme will support artists in the creation of art using digital and immersive technologies, and will also help artists develop skills in the use of these new technologies. This programme reflects the Arts Council’s commitment to encouraging innovative practices that cross art form boundaries and build digital capabilities within the Northern Ireland arts sector.”
Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the Arts Council’s Creative Industries Officer Matthew Malcolm at mmalcolm@artscouncil-ni.org if they wish to discuss eligibility of their project concepts.
The Individual Artists Digital Evolution Awards scheme is open for online applications from Tuesday 30 August 2022 and will close on Friday 30 September 2022, for grants up to a maximum of £10,000. Decisions are expected by Friday 18 November 2022. For further information on eligibility, guidance notes and to apply visit http://www.artscouncil-ni.org/funding/scheme/individual-artists-digital-evolution-awards. Please note guidance notes are also available on request in large print format and disk.