Press Releases

Date: 1 August 2002

Visiting Arts and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation are delighted to announce the launch of a new series of Awards which will support the creation of new work by Portuguese performing artists in the UK. The Portuguese Performing Arts Awards will fund UK performing arts organisations wishing to commission Portuguese artists not resident in the UK to come and work with their UK counterparts.

The residencies and the period of joint exploration that the Awards will provide will nurture and support the development of new artistic commissions, allow for educational and professional development for artists and members of the general public and encourage public UK performance of new work by Portuguese artists. The Awards will involve contemporary commissions in the fields of drama, dance, music, physical theatre and performance art. The Awards will support creative collaborations between arts organisations based in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Portuguese artists(s) working in the performing arts.

Up to four Awards, each of a maximum of £10,000, will be available for projects taking place between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2004.

The Portuguese Performing Arts Awards are part of Visiting Arts' ongoing commitment to developing opportunities for UK and foreign artists to work and develop together projects of mutual interest.

Nelson Fernandez, Head of Performing Arts & Training at Visiting Arts, says:
"The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation was one of the original founders and stakeholders of Visiting Arts in 1977. In this, the 25th year of Visiting Arts' existence, we are immensely grateful to the Foundation for its continued and generous support. This is an exciting opportunity for Visiting Arts to further nurture the growing interest and desire of UK artists and arts organisations in working with artists from Portugal."

Miguel Santos, Programme Director, Anglo-Portuguese Cultural Relations at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, says:
"I am very pleased to be working with Visiting Arts in its 25th anniversary year. The new Portuguese Performing Arts Awards provide an excellent opportunity to further the Foundation's work in encouraging, promoting and supporting a culture usually under-represented in the UK. I hope that these Awards will lead to a greater awareness here of the richness of Portuguese contemporary culture."

For further information please contact:

Nelson Fernandez, Head Performing Arts & Training
Visiting Arts
Telephone (direct) - 020 7389 3017
E-mail nelson.fernandez@britishcouncil.org
or
Miguel Santos, Programme Director, Anglo-Portuguese Cultural Relations
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Telephone (direct) - 020 7908 7622
E-mail miguel.santos@gulbenkian.org.uk

For a copy of the guidelines please contact:

Nansi O'Connor, Arts Projects Manager
Visiting Arts
Telephone (direct) - 020 789 3019
E-mail nansi.oconnor@britishcouncil.org

Notes to Editors

Visiting Arts
Visiting Arts is an independent educational charity, which promotes cultural relations through the arts. It is funded by the British Council, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Arts Councils of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its work covers funding, consultancy, advisory services, publications, training and project development to facilitate the presentation of international arts in the UK. The Chairman of Visiting Arts is Richard Lambert, former Editor of the Financial Times.
www.visitingarts.org.uk

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian was an Armenian born in 1869. He became a British citizen, conducted much of his work in Britain, and finally settled in Portugal. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation was established in Lisbon in 1956, a year after his death. The UK Branch of the Foundation, which is based in London, has a history of initiating or supporting pioneering developments in the fields of Arts, Education, Social Welfare and Anglo-Portuguese Cultural Relations. The Anglo-Portuguese Cultural Relations programme aims to help projects that promote contemporary Portuguese culture in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

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