CALL FOR APPLICATIONS – 2022 ARTS WRITING MENTORSHIP

Call for Applications

Centre A 2022 Arts Writing Mentorship

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Deadline to submit: April 11, 2022, 11:59 PM PDT

Email to [email protected] (scroll down for “HOW TO APPLY”).

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ABOUT THE MENTORSHIP

Centre A is excited to launch our 2022 Arts Writing Mentorship Program that we hope will build an inclusive community for self-identifying Asian youth while fostering a greater understanding of evolving cultural experiences and ideals. As Canada’s only public gallery devoted to contemporary Asian and Asian-diasporic art, we are committed to creating mentorship opportunities for emerging artists and cultural workers, while facilitating collaborations across local, national, and international contexts. 

This 12-week program is designed to give 6-10 (maximum) young and emerging Asian Canadian writers the practice, feedback, and exposure they need to launch or grow their professional writing practice. As part of the Arts Writing Mentorship, you will receive support, guidance, and training on topics surrounding critical and creative arts writing, and how to better develop and refine your craft. 

Participants will learn from established writers, editors, artists, and curators in a professional setting, while receiving exclusive networking opportunities, mentorship, supervision, and feedback on their writing. The mentorship will consist of weekly programming such as guest talks by local and international writers and curators, field trips and site visits to local artist studios and galleries, guided workshops with your main mentor(s), and peer-to-peer reviews. 

As a result of this mentorship, chosen participants will produce two pieces of critical writing and get to publish their works online and in-print, compensated with industry-standard writer’s fees.

PARTICIPANT ELIGIBILITY

– Self-identifying Asian youth or young adults residing in the Greater Vancouver Regional District between the ages of 18-30; 10 (max.) participants will be chosen for the program

– Should have strong English writing and reading comprehension, with the ability to provide at least ONE writing sample (published or unpublished), i.e., Essay, article, review, blog post, or other pieces of creative or critical writing

– Must be able to commit to the entirety of the program’s duration (12 weeks)

– May be a high-school graduate, post-secondary student, or early/emerging arts professional

– Interested in contemporary art, critical writing, creative arts writing, and/or curation

– Passionate about Vancouver’s arts and cultural scenes and willing to learn, listen, and work alongside a community of Asian Canadian and BIPOC writers, artists, and curators

BENEFITS

– Hands-on experience working with established writers, editors, and curators in a professional setting, while receiving exclusive mentorship and supervision on their writing practice, and one-on-one consultations by request

– Producing two high-quality, peer-reviewed pieces of critical writing to be published ONLINE and in PRINT, compensated with industry-standard writer’s fees

– Networking and collaborative opportunities with local and international publishers, publications, art writers and curators

– Exclusive access to live in-person and virtual talks; including guest speakers such as Monika Gagnon, David Garneau, Su-Ying Lee, Yaniya Lee, Cecily Nicholson, John Tain, and Rita Wong.

MAIN PROGRAM MENTORS

Bopha Chhay is a writer and curator who lives and works on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, also known as Vancouver. She is the Director/Curator at Artspeak, an artist-run centre with a specific mandate to encourage dialogue between visual arts and text/writing practices. She has held positions at Enjoy Public Art Gallery (New Zealand), Afterall (Contemporary arts research and publishing), Central Saint Martins College of Arts & Design (UK), and 221A Artist Run Centre Society (Vancouver). Her curatorial practice is frequently guided by a thematic query that shapes programming over the course of a year; guided by the research areas of transnationalism and diaspora, collective practices, alternative formats, art and labour, sound, independent publishing, and study groups. 

Allan Cho is an academic librarian, literary editor, and community organizer, whose writings are about libraries, publishing, critical race theory, and Asian Canadian culture. Allan completed his BA and Master’s in Modern Chinese History, Master’s of Library and Information Studies (MLIS), and Master’s of Educational Technology (M.E.T.) at the University of British Columbia. As Community Engagement Librarian at UBC, Allan works closely with historically underrepresented and marginalized communities in British Columbia on cultural and heritage preservation and outreach. He is currently the Executive Editor of Ricepaper Magazine, festival director of LiterASIAN Writers Festival, and the Executive Director of the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop (ACWW). Having discovered through genealogical research that his great-great-grandfather had arrived in Vancouver in 1899 and great-grandfather in Vancouver in 1912, Allan is currently working on a book project on the transnational journey of his family within the context of global migration in the 19th and 20th centuries. 

PROGRAM DETAILS 

Location: Centre A, 205-268 Keefer Street., Vancouver, BC. 

– The mentorship is a hybrid program that will be conducted both ONLINE and IN-PERSON

Duration: 12 weeks, April 28 to July 14, 2022

Commitment: The program will run once a week, 4 hours per week

Remuneration: $100 for transportation subsidies. Writer’s fee at a rate of $0.20/word for two pieces of writing (approximately 1000 words for each piece).

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HOW TO APPLY

Deadline to submit: April 11, 2022, 11:59 PM PDT

Please submit the documents below in a single PDF file by email to: [email protected] with “Mentorship Application” in the subject line.

Your application should include: 

1. A letter of intent (1000 words maximum) outlining your background and interest in contemporary art, art writing, art criticism or curation,  as well as your goals for participating in the program;

2. A CV (3 pages maximum), indicating your past and current education, employment, projects, and publications;

3. One Reference (name and contact information);

4. Your contact information (name, address, email, phone number);

5. Writing Sample(s) (5 pages maximum).

Centre A values diversity because it allows us to better understand and meet the needs of the communities we serve. We encourage applications from members of underrepresented and marginalized groups, including but not limited to religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, or disability. Due to the objective of this program, priority will go to applicants of Asian descent and racialized communities.

 

We acknowledge the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts and The BC Arts Council.

     

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Accessibility: Please contact [email protected] with any questions regarding the Mentorship program or if you require any assistance.

Centre A is situated on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. We honour, respect, and give thanks to our hosts.