2023 PROPELLER X NOCTURNE CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

In 2023, Nocturne will take place from Thursday, October 12 to Sunday, October 15. Various programming will be available throughout the festival, including artist talks, performances, and our signature night-time art experience on Saturday October 14. A detailed program schedule will be made available closer to the festival dates.

• Artists must be 19 years of age or older (including everyone involved in the application)

• This application is open to artists or collectives in all stages in their career(s), and we encourage artists in all mediums to apply.

• Nocturne is committed to providing equal opportunities within our organization to those who come from under-represented and equity-seeking communities. We recognize our participation and complicity with the historic barriers to accessing opportunities in the arts. Applicants are welcomed to self-identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ2SIA+, disabled, femme, or any other community that is important to their identity.

• We are committed to organizing a barrier-free festival and do our best to ensure the venues and projects at Nocturne reflect those commitments.

• Artists may only submit one application to this open call.

We encourage proposals that:

• Reflect Nocturne's core values as an independent, non-commercial, and contemporary art festival;

• are exploratory, challenging, and critical in nature; and

• that are interactive and engaging.

Artists are welcome to propose new work as well as projects that have been started or completed elsewhere.

Artists should consider both the temporary artwork and the label design in their proposal.

Temporary Public Artwork Specifications:

Propeller Brewing has several spaces that can be used for the project, including the tasting room and outdoor patio space. Projects in front of the Brewery or roaming may also be considered.

Please see the Propeller Tap Room Specifications (PDF) for additional information.

Events/Performances There must be at least one taking place on Saturday, October 14; however, additional performances may be considered for other times during the festival schedule.

Label Design:

This label design opportunity hinges on the idea that the label itself is a canvas for the selected artist. The art can be related to or inspired by what's inside the bottle, but ultimately the concept is yours to define. The artist should consider and articulate the relationship between the temporary public artwork and the label.

The specs for the label are available for download here. 5,000 cans will be produced.

Workshops/Demonstrations/Artist talks will be scheduled on Friday. Artists can include in their application if they want to offer an artist talk about their work.

Nocturne will take place from October 12-15, 2023, and will include various performances, workshops, artist talks/panels and opportunities for artists to connect.

Our signature night-time art experience will take place from 6 PM-midnight on Saturday, October 14, showcasing installations, static projects, performances, and community projects, including this Call for Submissions.

Compensation:

• Nocturne is proud to pay successful applicants an equitable CARFAC 2023 Fee Schedule and for material/production, accessibility, and artist care. A $1,000 fee for the can design is also included.

• Artists are encouraged to consider various costs in their budget and should use the budget template provided.

• The Nocturne Selection Committee reserves the right to ask questions about the submitted budget, provide additional funding, or suggest a different contribution amount.

Accessibility:

• We invite applicants to consider accessibility in their project budget. Examples of eligible costs in this category include: sign language interpretation, personal care attendant or support worker, a transcriber or specialized editor, personal project coordinator or assistant, a guide or visual describer, converting material into accessible formats, rental of specialized equipment needed for personal access or support, additional signage to make public engagement more accessible/inclusive.

Artist Support Network:

• To better assist early career artists during the creation and presentation of their public projects, Nocturne will support consultations, mentorships, and collaborations with Nocturne alumni and public art/production adjacent professionals.

Calls for Submission: We have various calls for submission for 2023, including our main Call for Submissions and Community Group and Galleries Projects and our call for Expressions of Interest for our 2024 Curator. Each call for proposal has its specific requirements and timelines. Artists are permitted to submit to multiple calls that they are eligible for.

Partnerships: Nocturne has broad relationships with various members of the community–artists, community partners, and sponsors–who come from a broad spectrum of sectors and perspectives, but the one thing that they have in common is their support for the arts and the Nocturne Festival to help sustain community, support artists, and create a vibrant HRM. If you are interested in partnering with Nocturne, we would love to hear from you at [email protected].

Volunteer: Nocturne is run primarily by volunteers and would not be possible without your dedication. One of the best ways to support the festival is to come out and lend a hand! Our call for volunteers for 2023 will be made available closer to the festival dates.

Venues: Nocturne is always seeking new and unique venues for projects. If you have a space and would like to host a project, please get in touch with us at [email protected].

No. Nocturne doesn't have a set budget for projects. However, the below graph provides information about the range of budgets (inclusive of all project costs) for successful projects that took place in 2021 and 2022.

All selected projects will be insured under our Commercial General Liability policy ($5,000,000) and therefore subject to review for safety and liability concerns. Nocturne will work with artists to mitigate risks and provide any formal documentation required. This may include (but is not limited to) adding additionally insured companies/venues to our policy.

We understand that as an artist you have many ideas for projects you might want to pursue for Nocturne. In order to support more artists through our festival we will only be selecting one application per artist. This means you should consider focusing on one application to this call for projects rather than putting in multiple ideas with multiple collaborators. You may provide support to multiple applications within your capacity beyond your own project, however it is our intention to only have one project per artist at the festival moving forward.

Staff will do an initial review of all proposals and flag anything that does not align with our festival priorities or our initial safety review or does not follow our application criteria. This list of applications will then be sent to the Nocturne Selection Committee which is composed of local artists, arts and culture workers, and community members. The Selection Committee members are paid an honorarium for their time and expertise.

The Nocturne Selection Committee reviews the applications and makes recommendations based on the following criteria:

1. Alignment to Nocturne’s core values

2. Artistic Merit

3. Impact

4. Feasibility - We will look at your budget, timeline, and previous experience.

5. Relevance to place/community

March 1: Call for submissions opens

March 15: Info session REGISTER HERE

April 15: Call for submissions close

May 15: Successful applicants contacted

Applicants will be informed of any adjustments to the timeline.

• Take a look at examples of previous Nocturne projects from our archive.

• Work offline first and then move all your information to the Google form.

• Attend the info session. REGISTER HERE

Application assistance is available for anyone who faces barriers to completing an online application or any part of our application process. We are happy to answer any questions you may have.

Melany Nugent-Noble

Executive Director

[email protected]

Morgan Bath

Director of Artist Care & Support

[email protected]