Site Festival Programme Proposals
Site Festival Programme Proposals
The Site Festival presents a programme of artist-led projects and is open to proposals from artists. The Site Festival often acts as a conduit between artists and vacant properties, redundant sites, venues and festival partners.
Much of the feedback from last year concerned the printed programme and the difficulties of navigating through the large number of events. The overwhelming number of proposals for events and exhibitions have an impact on demand for space within the festival programme. We have looked at the design and layout of the main festival programme and come up with some ideas about how the programme can be better presented and navigated.
This year SVA will reduce the number of events within the main programme but will offer additional space within a fringe programme of artist led projects which will be able to encompass the wide range of proposals that we are receiving every year. We think this format will give a greater profile for a wider range of projects.
The Site Festival main programme will be selected and delivered by SVA in partnership with artists, artist-led groups, curators and sponsors. These projects often take many months of planning, sourcing funding and developing partnerships.
The Site Festival fringe programme will allow an open and more flexible approach for individual artists and artist collectives to take part in the Site Festival. Event proposals can be considered for site-specific based works, screenings, talks, workshops, exhibitions, performance events etc. You will need to tell us if your proposal is reliant on finding a venue, funding or has any other particular requirements.
Ways to get your exhibition or event into the Site Festival
The Site Festival offers artists the opportunity to publicise their events in the Site Festival printed publicity and press packs. If you have a really good press pack we can promote your event much more really easily. The Site Festival publicity has a print run of 20,000 and will be distributed around the region and be available as a PDF downloadable file from the Site Festival website.
You can self promote your own project, i.e. book your own venue, invigilate your own show, take the door money, produce your own posters/flyers etc. This is the best way of making sure you get to be in the Site Festival but does not guarantee a successful event. There are some venues for which are available for hire, village halls, pubs or cafes. We may have some empty shops which will be available but these tend to be very last minute. Although Stroud is a small town there are lots of less conventional sites you could choose like your garden shed, a garage, the high street, an allotment or up on Minchinhampton common. All these sites have been used before very successfully in the past. Site Festival visitors love seeking out art projects in unusual places. You can work in partnership with an existing venue, gallery, museum, heritage site, arts organisation which might support your event and also want additional exposure as a listed Site Festival venue.
We do welcome a wide range of proposals from artists wishing to organise and promote their own events but it is important to be aware that the success of the event can be variable. You ideally need a local following already, develop your own audience or have a national reputation. Your event needs to stand out as something different and you need to spend lots of time and some money on your own publicity and marketing, which isn’t always possible.
Please submit your proposal by January 18th 2013 and we will look at it and if necessary talk it through with you.
If you wish to get some extra promotion for your project/event then you can take out a full colour advert in the main programme.
