The funding, which is one of a number of incentives to support creative talent in Jersey, is provided at regular meetings of the trustees. Deadlines for the remainder of 2021 are 15 August and 1 November with support of between £250 and £3,000 available, depending on the extent and scope of successful projects.
Director Tom Dingle said they would consider a range of different kinds of application which helped develop projects or artistic practice demonstrating a clear benefit to audiences and the wider community.
‘We embrace the entire spectrum of arts, from visual to performance art,’ he said. ‘It could be a well-thought-through project that needs an extra boost such as covering production costs for a documentary on local culture and the Jèrriais language; or editing costs for a locally-shot video to support release of a debut album; or an artist at a crucial development stage of their career where our support helps to grow their skills and portfolio, such as glassblowing, digital manipulation or traditional printing techniques.’
Although the focus of recent grants has been on music, Mr Dingle stressed that this was simply a response to the specific applications they had received.
‘So far in 2021 we have received a number of funding applications from musicians who are looking to develop new products and grow their audience base. This has included a grant to David Keenan to support the production of a music video to accompany his latest album release, and another to Georgi Mottram to produce a charity single incorporating the voices of young Island singers. In both instances, it was clear what aspect of the project we would be supporting, who the target audience was and the plan in place to reach them,’ he explained.
ArtHouse Jersey’s grant scheme is a key element in the organisation’s strategy to nurture and support artists and products that can, in the future, form part of their programme. However, Mr Dingle pointed out that funding, though important, was only one element involved in helping artists.
‘For those who have an idea but don’t know how to convert it into a plan, we can support them through our “Meet the Producers” sessions where a member of our team can provide some mentoring and coaching completely free of charge,’ he said.
Although the organisation works with artists from all over the world, its grants scheme is exclusively available to Jersey artists who do not have access to similar schemes elsewhere, such as the ones offered by UK arts councils.
Mr Dingle said: ‘It is the source of Jersey funding where artists can try something new and be supported in their own development, which might include the acquisition of new skills, creating new work, seeking new audiences or growing their professional networks.
‘We are open to supporting people at various stages of their career and in all artistic disciplines. What we require is for people to have a clear idea of what they are trying to achieve and an identified route to achieving it.’
