Learning Labs: Virtual games development for early-career women artists
This is an open call to invite women artists or agencies and collectives led by women entrepreneurs working in the spectrum of video and virtual games to collaborate with Meta Arts to devise a training programme for women artists, illustrators, coders and tech workers interested in pursuing a career in the virtual games development sector across South Asia.
This call is for citizens currently living and working in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Afghanistan (Afghan arts workers displaced after 2021 can apply as well).
Presented by artlink and Meta Arts, the project ‘Learning Labs’ aims to see a new learning environment developed for early-career women artists and practitioners keen to develop alternate vocational skills in culture that could not only help them further their existing practices but also open opportunities for alternate career / employment options in the arts.
Context
Over the past two decades, there has been a significant increase in the training and development of women in the workforce concerning creative ICT (Information and Communication Technology) practices across South Asia. Learning centers and institutions offering courses in web development, coding, digital design, et al have consistently shown enrolments by girl / women learners. However, despite the positive change in gender-based learning in creative ICT, there are only a handful of women game developers or an ensemble of women artists with varied skill working together in the virtual games industry. This throws in multiple questions around the learning sustainability; are women trained with ICT skills prefer jobs in the IT sector? Are women primarily working in other creative economy zones such as graphic design, web development? working for postproduction for cinema? The virtual game development scene in South Asia is predominantly led by male artists / developers except for few women and women-based collectives and therefore enables this callout to address the gender gap as an opportunity.
Through this call we would be keen to explore a hands-on learning programme that will enable young and early-career women artists and ICT-trained personnels to devise new skills in game development that will lead them to create more opportunities for themselves in the virtual games scene. The purpose of this call and the project is to intervene and address the fact about the abject dearth of narratives which should see women arts workers and ICT-trained personnel collaborating frequently. The outcome of this project also aims to hope that the virtual games sector employs more women developers into their folds in future and we also devise a baseline of women from this sector for game agencies / festivals and other institutions to contact and commission new works thereby creating a circular trajectory in income development and growth.
Eligibility Criteria
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Experience in developing virtual and video games with over 10+ years of experience as a practitioner yourself
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Thorough working knowledge of the various components as a game developer and aware of the eco-system of working on virtual games
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Hands-on experience and skills of running training and dissemination programmes / workshops for younger arts workers within one’s communities with credible outcomes
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This call is for citizens currently living and working in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Afghanistan (Afghan arts workers displaced after 2021 can apply as well)
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This call is meant for women artists / collectives
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You can apply as an independent artist, a collective or an agency
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Good network of young, creative practitioners.
Terms of reference
The successful applicant will:
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Design a new learning programme and its ancillary course structure/s (content / sessions / activities / documentation, et al)
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Design the monitoring and evaluation metrics for the learning programme complete with the outputs / immediate outcomes / some long-term outcomes and long-term impact
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Work closely with Meta Arts and artlink on the project’s implementation
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Invite and organize participants for the course from across South Asia
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Act as the lead tutor of the course
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Implement the course / learning programme virtually via zoom whilst using allied digital platforms for additional course reference / classroom work
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Design a showcasing structure where the participants can demonstrate examples of their learning
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Work closely with Meta Arts on the design and implementation of the creative roundtable series which will happen online, featuring the participants and sector experts gathering to discuss and share the efficacy of the programme
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Design and implement a closed call targeting participants of the training programme, where together with Meta Arts you select one of the course participants to apply their new knowledge and produce a creative output.
Submission Requirements
Please submit your proposal and CV/resume. A PDF of your proposal with file name based on the open call title has to include:
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An expression of interest that states your project proposal. Outline your motivation for applying to this Open Call, how you meet the criteria, what connects you to the project’s vision and how do see yourself (tangibly) acting as a catalyst in furthering the development of new skills
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An implementation methodology of the training based on the Terms of reference, a clear plan of how you’re going to facilitate the skills building process, your plans for assessing progress and how you wish to close the project
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Budget breakdown. We want to understand how your project is interlinked with your project planning. Budget considerations for your grant will comprise
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Costs for developing and implementation of training
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Costs of Professional Fees
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Costs of the Creative Roundtable Series
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Updated portfolio of your recent work with proven examples and experiences of working on archiving that also involves some elements of having designed and implemented training programmes and workshops within your communities in your country / region
Updated resume of the applicant applying for this call should include the name, contact details and context of two references who could validate your work and your experience as a practitioner
Please note that the submissions must be completed in English. The training and dissemination will also be implemented in the English language.
Funding
Grant amount: CHF 5925.50
Use of grant funding:
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Professional Fees allied with the project,
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production support for covering the training programme
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devising the monitoring and evaluation purposes associated with the project.
Project timeframe
March to July 2025
Delivery of the project; including the planning, design and implementation of the training programme comprising the online sessions, field study/s, mediations, et al.
August 2025
Creative Roundtable Series
This will be a digital immersion event co-produced with Meta Arts featuring industry experts and speakers along with the grantees and the participants mediating about the project and devising roadmaps around the sustainability of these interventions from the perspective of employability, income generation and much more.
Application Process
Step 1: Create an account by clicking on the register-button on this page and start a new submission for the call - Learning Labs: designing training on digital skills in art management.
Step 2: Fill in all required fields and upload the required attachments. You can save the application and complete it later until the deadline.
Step 3: Once you have successfully submitted your application, you will receive an automatic email confirmation.
About Meta Arts
Meta Arts is a culture production company based in Calcutta, India. Set-up in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, primarily to address the limited number of independent culture producers in India, Meta Arts works primarily with independent artists and arts organizations from India and across the world. We tour, co-produce and design special projects cutting across music, performing arts and literature. Meta Arts' core focus is based on gender and equity in the arts, primarily through in the global south; a third of our projects feature women artists and artist practitioners of indigenous heritage. Over the past three years, Meta Arts has worked on international commissions for festivals and culture agencies from across the world including the British Council, Goethe Institut, NRW Kultursecretariat, Theater Digital, Accion Cultural Espanola, the Embassy of Spain, Next Level and Favoriten Festival, artlink, Wales Arts International amongst others.&nbs
Contact
For any questions, please contact Malaya Del Rosario malaya.delrosario@artlink.ch
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