Links Hall: Opportunities

LINKS HALL’s mission is to encourage artistic innovation and public engagement by maintaining a facility and providing flexible programming for the research, development and presentation of new work in the performing arts.

Performing artists/groups utilizing movement as a core element in their work, are invited to apply to Links Hall for our LinkUp program. LinkUp is a program of mutual support and investment between independent Chicago artists/groups and Links Hall, recognizing the interdependence of artists and art spaces for the survival and growth of the arts.

Links Hall will select four artists/groups that are interested in making their creative home at Links Hall. It is our hope that LinkUp artists will remain active and vital members of the Links Hall community beyond their time in residence.

The selection of artists/groups for LinkUp will be made by Links Hall’s Programming Committee, which is comprised of Links Hall staff and board members; artists and arts administrators in the local community; and past LinkUp artists.

Selected artists/groups will receive:

Up to 10hrs of rehearsal space per week during weekday mornings and afternoons: October 2008 to March 2009 OR April 2009 to September 2009 (two artists/groups will be scheduled in each period).
Support of a paid mentor during their residency. The aim of the mentorship is to provide LinkUp artists with access to insight and dialogue with seasoned professionals in their area of interest, deepening the resident’s exploration by providing a base of structural support into areas less known by the resident artist and infusing their studio practice with new energy and perspectives. Mentors could represent a distinct artistic field/discipline, or a field related to the artist’s creative inquiry, such as neuroscience, history, environmental issues, etc. (Please see below for details about how the mentor is identified.)
Free access to performances and discussions at Links Hall.
One work-in-progress showing at the three-month point, where peers are invited to view the work and engage in discussion; to take place January 17, 2009 3-5pm or July 25, 2009 3-5pm
A fully produced weekend of performances in the Links Hall Performance Series. Performance dates will be April 3-5, 2009 and September 25-27, 2009.
One professional development workshop in marketing and finance for artists.
A stipend of $750, payable in two installments at the start and mid-point of the residency.

In exchange, LinkUp artists are expected to work at least 8 hours per month at Links Hall, with responsibility to:

Maintain the attractiveness, function and cleanliness of the studio and dressing room.
Assist with tasks such as marketing distribution, Box Office, and front-of-house duties.
Other jobs may be determined given the skills of the artists, e.g. production, administration, promotional design, data entry, special research projects, etc.

Eligibility:

Applicants should be engaged with movement as a core element in their creative work and have a specific vein of research within their creative practice which they wish to investigate during their residency.
Applicants should not currently be enrolled in a degree program; or should be graduating Spring/Summer 2008.
Applications are welcome from individual artists or collaborative groups. If you are applying with a group, please demonstrate in your application that your group is committed to utilizing the space and time offered through the LinkUp program – scheduling a group in weekday hours for a six-month residency will represent a challenge for some.

Please address the following in writing – please do not exceed two pages in total:

Your name, mailing address, telephone number, email address, and website address if applicable.
Please describe where your creative work aligns with Links Hall’s mission (shown above). For example:
- Describe your current areas of interest as an artist, and your goals for this residency.
- Identify and describe the specific creative research you would like to undertake during your residency. What shape and form will your creative inquiry take? What subject matter do you feel you need to understand better to grow as an artist in this inquiry?
- Is your work interdisciplinary, and if so, what forms do you intersect? What sort of collaborations interest you and why?
Residencies will be supported by a paid mentor, to provide artists with access to insight and dialogue with seasoned professionals in their area of interest.
- Please define what you understand a “mentor relationship” to be.
- Address your mentorship needs. For example, why do you require a mentorship? How do you envision a mentorship assisting your creative process and development?
- Either: (1) identify an individual who has agreed to be your mentor; who are they and why do you want to work with them? (2) identify an individual or individuals who have the potential to be your mentor, but have not yet been approached by you; who are they and why do you want to work with them? OR (3) if you are not yet able to identify a potential mentor, please articulate what your mentorship needs are, and how you might benefit from such a relationship; if you are selected, Links Hall will help facilitate the locating of a suitable mentor.
Which work-exchange category(ies) are you interested in? Please list any special skills you possess (ie. marketing, video documentation, sound design, etc.) which may be incorporated into your work exchange.

In addition, please submit:

Documentation of your work on DVD. Work sample should be five minutes in length and reflect your movement work (indicate cue points if necessary). Please include written information about the documented project (eg date, location, collaborators, funders, presenters, and any background information to help us understand the documentation). VHS/video tapes and still images should not be submitted and will not be reviewed.
A one page résumé of your arts-related experience.

Criteria for selection:

Proposals will be reviewed in the context of Links Hall’s mission (included above).
We will assess the applicant’s creative research and development interests and needs, in alignment with their past artistic experience.
We are requesting applications for creative process support through mentorship, and your application should address how you will benefit from being mentored, and why you feel you will function as an effective mentee.

LinkUp Residencies - Click here for more information