GENERAL CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 8, 2010
Mayworks welcomes submissions for the 2011 festival through its general call for submissions. Download the full guidelines here, and the application form here. Periodically, Mayworks has specific calls for submission which will be posted on this page.
WHO WE ARE + THE SUBMISSION PROCESS
Mayworks Festival of Working People and the Arts is an arts festival that celebrates working class culture. Founded in 1986 by Toronto’s Labour Council, Mayworks is Canada’s largest and oldest labour arts festival. The festival programs artists and events that have a social justice focus and are relevant to all working people.
OUR MANDATE AND ARTISTIC VISION
All workers share a common struggle for decent wages, healthy working conditions and a living culture. Mayworks is committed to showing artists of diverse backgrounds and artistic forms, and to highlighting labour issues that are little talked about.
Mayworks’ artistic vision is specifically guided by our equity policy that recognizes the systemic discrimination and injustices faced by equity-seeking groups, and designates women, First Nations people, people of colour and queer-identified people as being disadvantaged in our society. To that end, our artistic vision actively seeks to allow for representation of these designated groups both as audiences and artists, and in the type of programming we do. We are also guided by a desire to provide programming that will engage new, non-arts audiences, and that will challenge euro-centric notions of art. Furthermore, Mayworks artistic vision is to showcase high caliber art and artists that are politically and socially engaged and that would otherwise not have a venue for their work.
EQUITY POLICY
Mayworks Festival acknowledges that we live in a society rooted in oppression and inequalities; that structural injustice and unconscious prejudice influence our experiences; and the importance of incorporating the knowledge and guidance from oppressed people’s experience within the organization.
The following “designated groups” are identified as being disadvantaged in employment and in society:
Women
Indigenous People
People with Disabilities
People of Colour
Queer-identified people (namely lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, and inter-sexed people)
Mayworks also acknowledges that low-income earners, those living below the poverty line, and other economically marginalized people are also disadvantaged in employment and society.
TIMELINE
All applicants to the festival must be aware that we work with very condensed timelines. Notification of programming committee decisions usually happen by email by mid-December/early January. All logistical details are confirmed by mid-February, and development, outreach and publicity happen in March and April, with the festival starting at the end of April/beginning of May.
All submissions and support material must be received by email and/or mail (no faxes) by november 8, 2010 - no exceptions.
Should you require assistance or clarification PRIOR to the submission deadline you are welcome to consult the Festival Director at 416-599-9096 or by email at coordinator@mayworks.ca.
Thank you for your interest in the festival.
