The Library Presents Open Call – for Autumn 2020
Open Call for Artists & Performers
About The Library Presents
The Library Presents programme has a two-phase selection process:
- An open call, where we welcome Expression of Interest (EOIs) from artists, suggesting material for The Library Presents menu.
- The selected EOI’s are compiled onto a Menu that is shared with the public. The public then help choose what arts activities they would like to see in their respective libraries.
This is an open call for artists to suggest material for The Library Presents menu for Autumn 2020.
The Library Presents is currently planning for our Autumn Season (Oct-Dec 2020) which will include a mixture of performances, digital work and participatory workshops.
Cambridgeshire County Council has been awarded National Portfolio Organisation funding from Arts Council England to run The Library Presents in partnership with Babylon ARTS until 2022. The Library Presents programme will bring quality arts activities into Libraries in market towns and villages across Cambridgeshire.
The programme aims to inspire and deliver a vibrant inclusive programme of high-quality arts activities in accessible and welcoming venues.
We need to create a menu that contains a balance of art forms and which is not overwhelming for those choosing from it. There will be a selection process and artists will be notified by 13th March 2020 about whether they have been shortlisted and included on the menu. The Menu will then be shared with Library volunteers and local community groups who will help select the arts activities. In May artists will be notified whether they have been selected for the Autumn 2020 programme.
For more information visit: www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/arts
Creating a vibrant, exciting, diverse and inclusive programme of high-quality arts activities with Libraries across Cambridgeshire.
Deadline for Expressions of Interest: 7th February 2020.
If you are interested in The Library Presents programme, wish to submit an Expression of Interest to our Autumn 2020 season or have any questions surrounding the programme, please sign up to one of the available ‘advice surgeries’ with Florence Rose, Babylon ARTS. Babylon ARTS is the arts partner on The Library Presents project, managed by Cambridgeshire County Council.
The doodle poll of available advice surgeries can be found here: https://doodle.com/poll/rkqpdwe3yyssz3m8 Please sign up to a surgery with your name, then please email florence.rose@babylonarts.org.uk, with the phone number you wish to be called on, and a brief overview on what you would like to discuss during your surgery. Please provide a website/link to show if relevant.
What we are looking for:
- High-quality arts activity.
- Activity drawn from a broad range of art forms (music, dance, theatre, visual arts, digital arts, spoken word, puppetry, circus, magic, comedy etc.). This is not a definitive list, if in doubt please contact us for guidance.
- Performances / events less than 45 minutes should consider a double bill (of different shows) or an additional workshop / talk with the performance suitable for the whole audience.
- 2 hour workshops (Proposals for a series of 3 or 4 sessions are welcome).
- An inclusive and diverse programme of activities that includes work representing different backgrounds, cultures and abilities.
- Artists and companies who are able to adapt or develop their activity so that it can be accommodated in library spaces.
- Non-offensive content, we will not programme an arts activity that contains swearing.It is our wish that the menu offers an inspiring range of choices with content for different ages and tastes. We are developing new audiences and would be interested to see arts activity / events that would appeal to younger adult audiences (20-45yrs approx) and young people (12-25yrs approx).
- It is our wish that the menu offers a wide breadth of choice for the workshops, therefore we would be interested to see a wide range of applications from visual arts/creative workshops.
- If you are an agent representing multiple performers, please only apply with the one arts activity that you deem most suitable.
- There are a number of significant anniversaires or themes coming up in Autumn ’20 including: Black History Month (Oct), National Poetry Day (3 Oct), World Mental Health Day (10 Oct), Inktober (Oct), World Kindness Day (13 Nov), Diwali (Nov). If your work covers any of these themes please tell us in your application.
Pricing Model:
We anticipate the cost per event to be approximately the following amounts:
Performances / Exhibitions / Happenings / Event based activity / Digital £500-£900 (excl. VAT). Your fee should include costs for all travel, accomodation etc.
Workshops / Participatory activity for at least 15 people costing up to £250 (excl. VAT) per 2-hour session. Your fee should include costs for all materials, travel, and delivery.
Please give us your usual rate and/or a range of pricing options, for example, a mix of performance and workshop or multiple performances.
About our Venues:
Our venues are Library spaces with capacities of between 40 and 80 people for performances and between 15 and 30 people for workshops (depending on the artist & type of activity).
Our activity programme fits around normal library opening times. Therefore your get-in time must be no more than 3 hours and the less time required the more options there will be for dates and start times. We can provide and operate basic PA, static lighting and backdrops but please note that our venues have no in-house technicians to support the setting up and running of additional equipment artists bring with them.
The space available at venues varies. Our smaller venues (approx 6 libraries) can offer a maximum performance area of 4m x 2m and 2m height. Our largest venues can accomodate most performance sizes (approx 6 libraries with a 2.8m height restiction). If your performance requires a much larger space please specify this as we have occasionally programmed in non-library venues. Flooring is variable with the majority of spaces being carpeted. There is currently limited raised staging available and seats are not raked. Please let us know of any issues this might cause with visibility of your arts activity, and ideas on how this might be addressed.
In this, our third year, we will be working with approximately 23 libraries, located in market towns and villages. This map shows the Cambridgeshire libraries.
How To Apply
‘Please click here to view the open call for artists & performers and submit an online application suggesting material for The Library Presents menu for Autumn 2020 (Oct-Dec 2020).’
