Utsha Foundation announces INR 2,00,000 grant for artists creating for an environmental cause

Utsha Foundation for Contemporary Arts is inviting proposals for ‘The METIS Initiative on Plastics and the Indo-Pacific Ocean 2021.’ The initiative is aimed at identifying emerging artists who are passionate about environmental causes. The candidate/s is expected to undertake an artistic project that discusses water pollution due to plastic.

Candidates above 18 years of age, as individuals or groups, are eligible to apply. The 1000-word project proposal should clearly address the approach proposed by the artist to create and express their personal views in response to plastic pollution in coastal ecosystems and urban water bodies.

The participants should also elaborate on their plans for proposed engagement with Bhubaneswar city and the Smart City programme. The ways in which the candidate plans to execute engagement with the youth of Bhubaneswar and other areas, especially in terms of awareness of the plastic pollution crisis in the water bodies, will also need to be clearly outlined in the proposal.

A detailed budget plan for the project is required. The applicant/s should be an Indian citizen/s, currently residing in India. The selected artist will receive an amount of INR 2,00,000 to complete this project by November 30, 2021. The deadline for submission of proposals is 25th August, 2021. For details, please visit utsha.org.

Utsha is a charitable trust and an artist-led initiative based in Bhubaneswar that was setup by renowned Odia artist Jagannath Panda in 2012 to provide an alternative space for artists to create and experiment in Odisha. The word ‘Utsha’ in Odia implies the penultimate source of creativity, imagination and action. Utsha has been involved in numerous projects since its inception and has a vision of making ‘Odisha an acknowledged centre of excellence and innovation in contemporary art.’