Auckland Pride Announces Rangatahi Takatāpui Artist Residency Program

In 2022 Auckland Pride delivered its first ever Takatāpui led and focused Festival - Te Tīmatanga. To build on its success, Auckland Pride wants to nurture stronger support for Takatāpui artists and empower them to create more sustainable pathways and careers.

This has led to the creation of Pride’s inaugural Te Tīmatanga Rangatahi Takatāpui Artist Residency, which will be open for emerging Takatāpui artists from all disciplines. This residency will be an opportunity for the artist to develop, create, and present new original work to be presented in the Te Tīmatanga programming for 2023.

“After the delivery of our first ever Takatāpui festival, Te Tīmatanga, I had time to reflect on the incredible contribution of our emerging Takatāpui artists throughout the festival.” says Creative Director, Elyssia Wilson-Heti. “It became really clear that we wanted to create an opportunity to support an emerging Rangatahi Takatāpui artist to incubate and develop their ideas. Auckland Pride is incredibly excited to be able to offer this opportunity to an up and coming Takatāpui artist. With the support from Creative New Zealand we will be able to provide an artist with a three month residency to develop, produce, and present a new work to be premiered in Te Tīmatanga next year.”

The successful applicant will be paid a stipend. The residency also offers a range of support for the successful artist, this includes studio space, material costs, technical support, and pastoral care.

Auckland Pride is looking for a fresh, promising artist whose work offers an exciting perspective, and wanting to mutually exchange knowledge and ideas, to elevate the artistic offering of Te Tīmatanga to serve Auckland Pride’s kaupapa. To ensure that the application process is accessible to the community of emerging Rangatahi Takatāpui artists that they have designed this for. They have removed as many barriers as they can, accepting video submissions or facilitating kōrero with submitters.

The successful applicant will be chosen by Executive Director Max Tweedie, Elyssia Wilson-Heti who is staying on as an advisor for the project, and Kaiwhakahaere Takatāpui Hāmiora Bailey. The applicant will then be notified on the 12th August. The residency will run from September through to November.

Auckland Pride will be using a Tuakana-Teina model to help support the recipient of the residency to feel supported in the development, creation, and presentation of this new work. They believe that by using this framework it creates great intergenerational support and an opportunity for that knowledge exchange to take place for both the mentee and mentor.

The final work produced by the successful applicant will premiere at Te Tīmatanga in 2023 and will give the applicant an opportunity to sell their work - receiving all of the profit.

The expectations Pride has of the successful applicant is that they can commit 20 hours a week for a three month period, in developing and producing a new work of their chosen discipline to present in 2023.

Key dates:

Applications Open – 29th June 2022
Applications Close – 29th July 2022
Applicant notified – 12th August 2022
Residency starts September through to November
Presents new work in Te Tīmatanga 2023 (1-26 February)

© Scoop Media