CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: MENTORSHIP AWARD CULTURAL & ARTISTIC RESPONSES TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

By the Goethe-Institut & Prince Claus Fund



The world is currently facing a critical situation: alarming changes in nature and our environment are all around us; biodiversity is disappearing; air and water sources are increasingly polluted; sea levels are rising; and extreme weather phenomena are escalating. Now, more than ever, we need the arts and culture to help us respond; to inspire and motivate us by challenging our perceptions, encouraging communal action by introducing intersectional and trans-disciplinary perspectives, and centring non-hegemonic forms of knowledge to envision alternative models of climate justice in the world. 



Cultural & Artistic Responses to Environmental Change is a year-long interdisciplinary programme by the Goethe-Institut & Prince Claus Fund aims at accelerating engaged community-based cultural practices at the intersection of arts and the environment, initiating an international network of creatives, and fostering leadership. Through this programme they create a platform to explore critical artistic practices, connect engaged practitioners across the world, stimulate cross-disciplinary exchange and amplify new perspectives on environmental change.



The mentorship brings together 12 emerging artists and cultural practitioners (± 8-15 years of relevant professional experience) with four mentors, all working across a range of disciplines and environmental issues. In order to foster conversation and collaboration within the cohort, and to support each artist in their own individual practice, this programme (designed considering the needs of the selected participants) includes different types of interaction such as workshops, guest-talks and peer-to-peer sessions. Most of the activities are online as the participants are coming from different locales, but twice they come together in person for the two Lab Weeks (week-long mentoring intensives). Additionally, there is a collective project in the form of a publication that they will co-create. 



The programme activities average on a time-commitment of 10 hours per month, though this varies throughout the year. Moreover, the participants should be comfortable sharing ideas in spoken English to promote a space of mutual learning where people with different life experiences and knowledges come together. 

Each artist receives an award of €10.000 to work on the concept for a body of work that they outline in their application. 



Through this mentorship programme they aim to:

• support critical and unconventional work by emerging artists working on a range of issues related to the global commons, environmentalism, the climate crisis, and climate justice;
• stimulate leadership of individuals whose artistic work fosters awareness, social cohesion and empathy;
• accelerate the artistic practices of artists and cultural practitioners who show a commitment to their communities and to creating lasting change through environmental activism; 
• strengthen and amplify new perspectives on environmentalism, the climate crisis and climate justice. 

With this initiative they invite artists and cultural practitioners both from and based in their working countries to envision a better future for our planet through artistic practices.

How to apply? Please check the Eligibility Criteria & Guidelines before applying. Applications can be completed via the Prince Claus Awards Platform.

Timeline: The deadline for the submission of project applications is 30 April 2023 at 23:59 CEST.

Only complete submissions received in the platform before the deadline can be considered.

Meet the 2022 cohort here.

About the Goethe-Institut

The Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a global reach. With 157 institutes in 98 countries, it promotes knowledge of German abroad, encourages international cultural exchange, and conveys an image of contemporary Germany. The Goethe-Institut’s ties with partner institutions in many other places give it about 1,000 points of contact around the world.

About the Prince Claus Fund

Their mission is to support, honour, and connect artists and cultural practitioners in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe, especially where cultural expression is under pressure. They stand firm with those who create, who believe in the transformative power of culture, who advance new ideas, and develop new perspectives.