CLOSED CALL Cultural and Artistic Responses to Environmental Change

Please note this Call has now closed and we are no longer accepting applications. 

The Prince Claus Fund and the Goethe-Institut are issuing a new Call for Proposals to support cultural and artistic initiatives tackling pressing environmental issues around the world. The Call for Proposals: Cultural and Artistic Responses to Environmental Change is the third of this cycle and builds on the 2018 & 2019 editions, through which 35 exceptional projects were supported. This 2020 edition will be the last in this format, though the Prince Claus Fund and the Goethe-Institut remain committed to supporting people who are finding creative ways to address environmental issues and the climate crisis.  

Alarming changes in nature and our environment are all around us: forests and wildlife are disappearing; air and oceans are increasingly polluted; sea levels are rising; and the frequency of extreme weather phenomena is increasing; additionally, the outbreak of a world-wide pandemic is a wake-up call. While causes and consequences of environmental change are being debated by politicians, scientists and the broader public, the most affected people are often those with least power to stop the process. 

Cultural practitioners, artists, architects and designers in many parts of the world are initiating projects, exchanging ideas and rethinking responses to environmental change, while actively engaging their communities. Now, more than ever, we need the arts and culture to help us respond; to inspire and motivate us by offering new ideas that challenge our perceptions and change our habits by introducing radical and trans-disciplinary perspectives and envisioning models of climate justice in the world. 

This call for proposals is aimed at Africa, Latin America, Asia, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe (please refer to the list of eligible countries below). We encourage innovative multi-disciplinary cultural initiatives by individual artists, creative professionals as well as cultural organisations; especially initiatives that express how the arts and new media can propose solutions to environmental issues and create alternatives that support sustainability and climate justice, foster cooperation and an exchange of new ideas globally. In this challenging period, we also encourage people to come up with new formats and modes of engaging with both local and global audiences.  

We are specifically looking to support initiatives that: 

• Employ new media to re-imagine a more sustainable world, and provide space for different perspectives within the sustainability discussion
• Promote the inclusion of women, indigenous communities and other marginalised groups
• Support innovative & contemporary artistic and cultural interventions that enable local impact while encouraging a global exchange on culture of sustainability and climate justice as well as challenges to democracy the climate crisis poses
• Encourage out of the box initiatives by artists and cultural practitioners looking to re-imagine conventional approaches to environmental sustainability and climate justice
• Support the development of artistic initiatives that reinforce and rethink traditional knowledge and methods as a means to promote sustainability and climate justice

With this call for proposals we invite artists and cultural practitioners to envision a better future for our planet.

The Prince Claus Fund and the Goethe-Institut will support initiatives within the financial range of €15,000 – €20,000. 

The deadline for the submission of project applications is 31 July 2020 at 17:00h Amsterdam Time. 

Please send project applications with supporting materials to [email protected]. Only applications filled out in the application form, sent to the email address above and received before the deadline will be considered. 

About the Prince Claus Fund: The Prince Claus Fund has a track record of 20+ years of excellence in supporting cultural and artistic initiatives in the most challenging spaces. We have been a successful actor and liaison in the arts and culture sectors globally, generating possibilities for critical discussion and boosting creative expression. Because of our track record and autonomy, the Fund is seen as a global leader in supporting independent cultural initiatives of the highest quality with a broad social impact. Additionally, our geographical spread has allowed us to accrue an invaluable, extensive network of local contacts – artists, cultural practitioners, institutions and experts. 

About the Goethe-Institut: The Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a global reach. With our network of 159 institutes around the world we promote knowledge of the German language abroad and foster international cultural cooperation. We convey a comprehensive image of Germany by providing information about cultural, social and political life in our nation. Our cultural and educational programmes encourage intercultural dialogue and enable cultural involvement. They strengthen the development of structures in civil society and foster worldwide mobility. 

Image: (c) Misha Vallejo. Jose Miguel Santi leads a night hunt along the Rotuno River before the Pachamama celebration. This river is believed to be sacred and hunting is only permitted before important celebrations. It is known for being relatively shallow and during the dry season, nocturnal animals use it as a source of water, making it a good location for night hunting. From the project Secret Sarayaku by Misha Vallejo