i-Portunus

i-Portunus is a project, selected and funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union. It supports short-term mobility of artists and culture professionals.

News

i-Portunus was a short-term pilot project, selected and funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, to trial a mobility scheme in 41 countries directly targeting individual artists and culture professionals (A&CP) active in the Performing or Visual Arts. i-Portunus was managed by a Consortium headed by Goethe-Institut with Institut français, Izolyatsia and Nida Art Colony of Vilnius Academy of Arts.

Between April and September 2019, i-Portunus issued 3 Calls for Applications and received over 2.500 applications from more than 3.000 individuals requesting over 6.000.000 euros of support, hence proving the need for artistic mobility. A team of eight independent experts evaluated the applications. 337 individual A&CP were supported for demand-led opportunities for an amount of 620.933 euros. As a result of the mobility 97% of the selected A&CP acquired new skills/knowledge, 94% developed new audiences/outlets, 94% developed new co-productions/creations, and 49% received a job offer. This is a most impressive impact considering the limited financial support provided by the EU, e.g. only 1.500 to 3,400 euros per individual.

The i-Portunus mobility scheme for artists and culture professionals (A&CP) is at the end of its first piloting phase. During this time, we have tested various aspects of the mobility scheme, both in line with the conclusions of this project’s Analytical Report as well as variations and new ideas, developed in response to needs that became apparent during the pilot. We strongly recommend that the reader refers to this Analytical Report, which contains highly relevant and important information presented with a great wealth of detail, and which also addresses financial and political aspects of the mobility scheme for A&CP, as well as policy recommendations.

The Policy Recommendations are based on the Analytical Report but are supplemented with key findings from the pilot experimentation, as well as consultations with a broad range of stakeholders including a workshop organised in Brussels on 15 and 16 October 2019.

Update on Brexit

The UK participates in i-Portunus as long as it participates in the Creative Europe Programme.

i-Portunus Stories

Not only did I reach my project objectives, I also made contacts with Italian art institutions to be able to apply for Creative Europe program support: Museum of Contemporary Art Palazzo Riso in Palermo, Museum of Contemporary Sculpture and Foundation of Contemporary Art in Matera and Museum of Contemporary Art Pino Pascali in Polignano a Mare.

Oksana Chepelyk

The project went really well, it functioned as a successful tool to discuss the topics of gender, climate change, degrowth, etc. in an international context. I was able to meet a lot of groups and individuals working on related projects during the mobility period, that I hope will lead to collaborations in the future. We are currently beginning a new collaboration that has started due to press coverage from this project.

Alberte Lauridsen

The two weeks spent at Archa were very inspiring to me, as a young artist. I learnt new ways of creation processes, I got in touch with internationally renowned professionals in the performance art field, I acquired theoretical knowledge and practical skills. I managed to create a performative installation together with other 3 participants (1 from Czech Republic, 1 from The Netherlands, 1 from Iran), fact that I am really proud of because my main goal was to learn how to think more conceptually and to create installation work. I am looking forward to applying in my artistic practice what I learnt during this mobility.

Cristina Negucioiu

Some key data from the third i-Portunus call