The British Council today opened applications for Masarat Grants offering support to artists, creatives, artist groups and collectives, cultural practitioners and organisations working with local artists to submit creative proposals that respond to local and global challenges.
The Masarat programme provides grants between 4,000 and 10,000 GBP to support local emerging artists in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen. This grant programme is designed to support creative production and professional development of emerging artists, creatives and cultural practitioners in the region.
Masarat Grant aims to strengthen artistic practice through supporting production, training and/or showcasing activities. Selected grantees will also be given opportunities to build their professional networks and make new connections with the UK and the Arab world. At the British Council we believe in the transformative power of the arts and culture in responding to global challenges. We are positive these connections will allow new art to be made; new skills to be shared; and new networks to be created.
This programme is open to applications from all art forms including but not limited to; Architecture, Crafts, Design, Fashion, Film, Literature, Music, Theatre, Dance and Visual Arts. In total, Masarat will award 20 grants, with a minimum of 3 grants awarded in each of the eligible countries.
Twigg, Stephanie, Director Arts, Middle East and North Africa, British Council, said: “At an incredibly difficult time for artists and the culture sector in the region, The British Council is delighted to be able to offer these grants in support of socially-engaged creative practice. Masarat will support artists and cultural initiatives doing essential work that generates debate and reflection about the world and the communities we live in. We also hope the programme will be a catalyst for the development of new connections and mutual exchange between artists in the UK, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen”.