CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

PLEASE NOTE the criteria relaxation for the Arts by Invitation (*NEW*), the Professional Development and  Professionalization & Promotion components are still in effect. Please have a look at the recent update regarding the criteria relaxation of Career Development components here.

The Career Development program at arts nb is designed to recognize and encourage arts professionals who have demonstrated exceptional artistic talent and potential, and who are pursuing a career in the arts. The program is divided in four components:

• The Arts by Invitation component is for assistance to present work by invitation in established arts events.
• The Artist in Residence component is for assistance for participation in residency opportunities of three (3) months and less. The artists in residence are to contribute to the promotion and understanding of the arts by means of the artists’ contact with the clientele of the establishments.
• The Professional Development component is for assistance for professional development scholarships for studies and mentorships.
• The Professionalization and Promotion component is designed to assist artists to produce tools related to the promotion of the artist’s work and career with a view to broadening the dissemination network for their work and diversifying their sources for funding.

UPCOMING DEADLINES

The Animation Festival of Halifax (AFX) takes place in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral
territory of the Mi’kmaq. We are all Treaty People who are responsible for enacting peace and
friendship in this magnificent land.

Are you an aspiring, new, or emerging Black, Indigenous, and/or Person of Colour (BIPOC)
animator based in Mi’kma’ki? AFX will mentor a BIPOC animator through the creation of a very
short animated film (under two minutes) between June 2022 and April 2023, and we will
feature the film and artist at the festival in May of 2023. The deadline for applications is 30 May
2022.

This program aims to nurture the talent and career of a BIPOC animator and spark conversation
about race and ethnicity in the field of animation. The successful applicant will be selected
partly for “fit” with AFX’s key values of inclusiveness, positivity, and sincerity, but you will have
creative freedom (choice of topic, technique, etc.) within the film itself. Although your film
doesn’t need to address issues of race, ethnicity, inequity, and diversity (although it certainly
can), you do need to be willing to talk at the festival about both your artistic vision and your
experiences as a BIPOC artist.

The successful applicant will:

• Receive a $3000 artist’s fee ($1500 at the beginning of the project and $1500 upon
  completion of the film for the festival)
• Have a budget of $2000 for filmmaking costs (e.g., equipment rental, software purchase,
  fees for sound designer)
• Have monthly meetings with mentors to support your project development and career.
  The mentors will include educators and prominent members of the field of animation,
  and we will do our best to match you up with mentors who can address your specific
  questions or goals.
• Give an informal presentation of your work in progress in the winter of 2023 (speaker’s
  fee of $350) and introduce your film and talk about it during a Q&A during the festival
  (speaker’s fee of $350). The festival event will be recorded and posted to our website.
• Receive screening fees for screenings during the festival, and also on the festival’s
  website starting two years after the AFX presentation. You will retain copyright, and we
  will pay rates set by the Canadian Artists’ Representation/Le Front des artistes
  canadiens (CARFAC) for moving images on the internet for 5 years. Between the festival
  and posting the film to our website, you’ll be welcome to submit it to other festivals.

This project is made possible through funding from the Government of Canada.
Applications should be emailed to animationhalifax@gmail.com, and should answer these
questions in whatever format you prefer:

1. Where are you based/where do you live most of the time? You need to be based in
   Mi’kma’ki/the Atlantic Provinces to be eligible for this program.
2. What is your experience/background in animation and/or related fields such as
   illustration, live-action filmmaking, etc.? This can include projects you have done
   professionally, or for a high school class or community course, or on your own. Please
   send us links or files for your past projects.
3. What are your ambitions in animation? For example, do you want to work in a
   commercial studio? Do you want to go to art school and become an independent
   animator (or have you already done so)? Do you want to make animated music videos?
   Become a YouTube influencer as an animator? Something else? Our festival team
   includes people working in both commercial and independent animation, and we
   welcome applicants with a range of interests and ambitions.
4. In about one paragraph, describe the film you’d like to make through the program.
   Please tell us what the story/subject matter would be and describe how it would
   look/feel. If you already know, please tell us how you would accomplish it (animation
   technique, software/equipment, etc.). Feel free to include images by you or examples
   by other people that are similar to what you’d like to do, but this is not required.
5. Are you willing to speak in public about your experiences as an artist who is Black,
   Indigenous, and/or a Person of Colour? You can approach this question any way you
   like, such as discussing barriers you and/or your community have faced or inspirations
   that have informed your work. You are welcome but not required to share thoughts
   about this in this application.

If you are a more experienced animator, because of the program’s emphasis on mentorship, we
encourage you to apply to develop a new skill that you have not had a chance to explore
previously.

For more information about the Animation Festival of Halifax, please visit our website, Facebook page, or the Twitter
account of Carbon Arc Cinema, which presents the festival.

And if you have any questions, just drop us a line at animationhalifax@gmail.com.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada has put in place many initiatives to provide financial support to the culture, heritage, and sport sectors, including, among others, investments through the Reopening Fund which is intended to complement the Budget 2021 Emergency Funds.

The intent of the Music Festival Reopening Fund is to provide assistance to professional music festivals to stimulate their economic recovery by supporting the presentation of their events and encouraging the return of in-person audiences. $7 million has been allocated to the Canada Music Fund (CMF) for this program, consistent with the objective of fostering an environment where a diversity of Canadian music artists connects with audiences everywhere.

Applications are assessed taking into account the quality of the project and its potential to re-engage live audiences, as well as the impact it may have on the artist’s career, the employment of technicians and other cultural workers, and service providers.

Funding is subject to availability of funds and submitting an application does not guarantee funding.

The deadline to apply is May 6, 2022, at 5:00pm ET.

Applications can be submitted at any time from program launch to deadline. Late applications will not be considered.