- Posted on November 24th, 2022
Open Call: International Touring and Environmental Responsibility programme
Arts Council England and the Danish Arts Foundation, in partnership with Julie’s Bicycle and the Danish Embassy, are pleased to announce that applications are now open for a second year of the International Touring and Environmental Responsibility (ITER) programme.
ITER aims to foster relationships between artists and companies based in England and Denmark, supporting them to develop new, environmentally responsible approaches to international touring and collaboration.
Travel and touring are essential to the arts, but they come at a cost. As the urgency of the climate crisis increases, so does the need for our sector to fully understand its touring footprint, and to develop a means of sharing art which supports our transition to a global low carbon future.
As COP27 comes to a close, there is a renewed sense of urgency for climate action and we must harness the power of the arts and culture to innovate, influence and inspire change. Building on the success of last year’s programme developed in partnership with Arts Council England and Danish Art Foundation, we hope to drive forward sector knowledge on sustainable touring and empower organisations to move towards an environmentally responsible creative sector. – Alison Tickell, Founder & Director, Julie’s Bicycle
This fund aims to support performing arts professionals in England and Denmark to tackle the challenges of international touring and explore potential solutions.
Key information
In the first, pilot year (2021/22), 20 artists and companies participated in a three-month online programme looking at the challenges posed by international touring, and finding ways to reduce the carbon and environmental impacts of their tours. In spring 2022, three projects were selected for further funding to test some of these new approaches.
In year two (2022/23) we are expanding the programme, informed by the evaluation of the pilot and including music alongside other performing arts as we widen access to this new initiative.
The programme will broaden participants’ knowledge of environmentally responsible practices, help them to develop, build and strengthen partnerships with other cultural organisations, and support them in developing projects that explore new approaches to international touring and collaboration.
We are looking for applications from professionals organising or working with performing arts activities (including music). Applicants should have creative flair along with the will and capacity to advance their sustainable practice and develop innovative environmental thinking in relation to touring. Applicants will already have some experience of international collaboration and touring and be at the small to medium scale of operation. We welcome applications from both venues and touring companies and a wide range of art forms.
Applications to join the seminar programme for this year’s fund are open until 12pm on 20 January 2023.
