Call for Artists and Performers
(Un)Common Threads Creativity and Innovation Conference
Fall 2024
Business and Arts NL is hosting a creativity and innovation summit at the Sheraton Hotel on November 7, 2024, that will bring together 250 participants from across the business and arts communities to explore creativity: what it is, how to harness it, and how to apply it to fuel innovation.
We are seeking artists to create work to be presented as part of this event, including works that can be performed live, or works that are created in advance and displayed at the event. We welcome submissions from artists at all career stages.
Our mission to facilitate meaningful dialogue and purposeful partnerships between the arts and business communities is front and center in the planning of this event. It follows that the involvement and work of artists is an essential element. It is deeply important that artist involvement is not "icing" or merely surface level. By integrating art and performance throughout the summit, we will demonstrate the vital role of art and creativity to inspire, challenge, and connect people, and how businesses can work with artists to create exceptional experiences. For this reason, submissions of works with an interactive component are encouraged.
Theme:
We’re looking for creative works that explore the theme, “(Un)Common Threads”. We use this title for our event series in the creative/innovation space because of the variety of images and connotations it engenders, and the interplay between:
Common, as in what the business and arts have in common - a desire for impact, for evolution and innovation, teams, problems and solutions etc. etc., and a desire to seek uncommon, surprising, unexpected synergies
Common, as in plain, widely available, mundane, everyday, etc. When creativity is applied to these common ideas, items, and problems, innovative solutions and viewpoints arise.
Threads in figurative and literal forms - narrative threads, connective tissues, the “ties that bind” etc.
Artists should feel free to interpret this theme in any way that feels appropriate.
Compensation:
$3,500 - $10,000 per artist, including materials, delivery, installation and takedown, performance fees, licensing fees for photographs of your performance/work, and promotional materials including a short written statement about your work/process, short process videos and photos for social media. Each selected artist will be required to attend the summit on Nov 7, 2024, and to be featured in a Spotlight on Partnerships story about your work and how it ties to this theme. For selected artists from within the province who do not live on the Avalon Peninsula, travel expenses will be provided.
Timelines:
Information session: Friday, May 10, 2024 10 AM (NL Time)
Deadline to submit an expression of interest: Friday, May 31, 2024
Potential participants will be contacted by June 7. If necessary, shortlisted applicants may be asked to create a second, more detailed application, and will be paid $500 for this work.
Final selections will be made no later than June 28.
Performances/presentations will take place on Nov 7, 2024.
Delivery and installation of artworks, props, equipment etc. will take place on the morning of Nov 7, 2024, and be taken down at the end of the same day.
All selected artists will take part in the summit on Nov 7, 2024.
Submission requirements:
Please submit the following information in a single pdf by email to: info@businessandartsnl.com
A description (max 500 words) of your proposed performance, exhibition, or contribution to the summit, including how you envision participants interacting with it (i.e. watching a performance, stopping by during coffee and lunch breaks to check it out in detail, displaying on screens throughout the space etc. participating in small groups throughout the day, etc.).
A project budget, including artist fees for yourself and any collaborators, travel costs from outside the Avalon Peninsula (according to the federal government’s travel directive), materials, delivery, installation/takedown, a licensing fee for images/short videos of your artwork to be used by Business and Arts NL’s marketing and social media, and a fee for providing marketing materials such as short process videos and photos for social media.
Technical requirements (see FAQ for limitations)
A 200-word bio
A link to your website or portfolio
Up to five examples (images, recordings, etc.) of your work, including similar works, examples that demonstrate your ability to execute the proposed artwork, concept sketches, etc.
FAQS:
What sort of interactivity and/or audience engagement do you have in mind?
Our vision for participants’ interaction with art at this event is that it will spark conversations, compel people to circulate throughout the event spaces, help them engage thoughtfully with the themes, and be surprised. We do not want artworks and performances to be in the background during networking opportunities, but will rather serve as examples of creativity and innovation themselves, and provide experiences that participants feel a part of.
Interactivity is not a requirement, but would be very welcome. Examples of interactivity might include:
Opportunities to interact in a passive/gentle way (for instance, using your phone)
Reactive or co-creative opportunities (for instance, using ideas or contributions submitted by participants in advance or in the moment)
Works that interact with data provided by a participant or participants
Works that react to, or are impacted by the audience
Works that use interactive media
Facilitated interactivity, including works or experiences that are co-created by participants throughout the course of the day (within time constraints)
Is there a limit on the number of concepts I can submit?
Please submit only one concept per application. If you would like to submit more than one idea, you may do so in a separate package.
What format should I be submitting in?
Please submit your application as a single pdf, with links to video/audio files.
Eligibility
This call is open to artists from anywhere, but only artists living within Newfoundland and Labrador and outside of the Avalon Peninsula will have their travel costs to participate in the event covered.
What will happen to works created specifically for this event?
Artists will maintain ownership of their artworks.
Can I submit a previously created work, or only propose to make something new specifically for this event?
Existing work is welcome.
What media are you looking for?
We’re open to any forms of artistic expression, including, but not limited to musical, dance, and theatrical performances, visual artworks including digital media, sculpture, paintings, textiles, etc.
How will works be displayed?
We won’t have permission to mount works onto the walls at the Sheraton, so 2D artworks will be displayed on easels. There are two 7x13 screens and a 8000 Lumen projector, as well as 75" LED HD monitors on rolling stands available that could be used to display digital artworks. There will be a small stage, and a modest A/V setup to support performances. Please see attached images of the event spaces.
As we only get access to the Sheraton on the day of the event, works must be easily transported and able to be set-up early on the morning of the event.
Selection process
The conference team (including Business and Arts staff, board, and advisory committee members) will evaluate/assess the submissions based on the proposed project’s relevance, feasibility, and connection to the stated theme.
What other programming will be included on that day?
Three main speakers have been selected so far, discussing their own creative processes, and how creativity is applied to their business in the film, marketing, and theatre worlds.
Ballroom
Court Garden
Pre-Function Area