Homotopia has championed LGBTQIA artists based in/from Liverpool and the North West for 17 years. QueerCore is Homotopia’s formal artist development programme for early-career artists. The programme runs for 12 months and offers a selection of exciting and tailored support for LGBTQIA artists in the Liverpool City Region to grow, build connections and develop new ideas.

Starting in late March 2021, they are offering a 12-month programme of support including;

• A £2000 grant to spend on developing a new project, idea or strand of work.
• A mentor appropriate to your needs as an artist/artist collective.
• Access to specialist workshops on fundraising, marketing/PR and financial management for artists.
• Monthly mixers with other local queer artists, creatives and producers.
• A residential learning and development weekend in…Blackpool!
• A chance to present some form of work/work-in-process at Homotopia Festival 2021
• Over the course of this programme, you will have access to the Homotopia team, mentors and other LGBTQIA artists and producers. Rather than generic support, we like to focus your QueerCore programme around a specific project or idea, so that we can guide you through something practical and hit the ground running when you join the programme.

QueerCore is also about creating a community, meeting members of QueerCore old and new, and the vast variety of artists, producers, and venues we work with in Liverpool and beyond.

This programme is for artists who are all of the following criteria:

• Define as LGBTQIA;
• Are based in the Liverpool City Region (Liverpool, Halton, Knowsley, St Helen, Wirral);
• Would say they are at an early stage in their career;
• Are not due to take part in any other formal artist development programmes in 2021 – 2022.
• This opportunity is NOT just for under 25s; all early-career artists are welcome whatever your career journey to date. They would especially love to hear from applicants who belong to groups underrepresented in the arts, including QTIBPoC, queer D/deaf and disabled people, and Trans* folks.

They are looking to recruit 4 artists/collectives for the 2021 – 2022 programme.

Deadline

23:59 on Monday 15 March 2021.

Decisions: w/c 22 March 2021

Start: w/c 5 April 2021

First Mentor Meetings: April 2021

First specialist workshop: May 2021

Idea for festival confirmed: mid-June 2021

Residential training weekend: Late June 2021

Homotopia Festival: October – November 2021

Planning next steps: December – March 2022

https://www.homotopia.net/about/artist-development/