The Ida-Virumaa Artists’ Club is an excellent opportunity to improve one’s professional knowledge and skills in the field of art, as well as to receive feedback from professionals in cultural production, contemporary art, museum work, and curating.
Regular meetings of artists at the Narva Art Residency, held until November 2024, function as a creative incubator. Here, Ida-Virumaa artists not only participate in interactive lectures and assignments but also discuss their ideas with mentors who provide feedback and practical advice. The project is supported by the British Council and conducted in collaboration with the Narva Art Residency.
Project leader is an artist, teacher, PhD student at the Estonian Academy of Arts, and native of Sillamäe, Darja Popolitova.
The club’s goal is to develop the professional creative practice of Ida-Virumaa artists and increase the competitiveness of club members among capital city contemporary artists. It also aims to familiarize participants with topics such as the author’s position; philosophical understanding of creative practice; exhibition spaces; curators, museums, and galleries; writing and submitting funding applications; selling artworks; entrepreneurship; and organizing exhibitions.
During the three-month meeting in Tallinn, a joint exhibition will be created, which will open at the end of November. The club invites established and emerging artists with high creative potential, regardless of medium or age. To join the club, please send the necessary materials to d.popolitova@gmail.com.
1. CV
2. Portfolio (PDF, 10-20 MB)
Submission deadline for CV and Portfolio: July 20, 2024.
An independent jury, consisting of professional mentors, will select who will have the opportunity to participate in the club.
Selected candidates are required to pay a membership fee of 25 euros.
As a result of attending the club, participants will achieve:
- A new level of knowledge and skills in contemporary art, creative process management, curating, and funding.
- The ability to apply and test new skills in their creative practice through group work with other participants and club mentors.
- Support and confidence in their professional role as an artist.
- The ability to systematically develop their creative management skills through analysis, reflection, and practical knowledge.
The project concludes with a joint exhibition in Tallinn at the end of November, showcasing what the club participants have learned over the three-month meetings.
Training days typically last from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturdays, from August 24 to November 30, 8 sessions of approximately 5-6 hours each, which include:
- An introductory lecture/meeting
- Eight training days
- Practical independent assignments
- Personal mentorship if needed
Meetings are conducted in Russian.
| Themes | Dates | Mentors |
| First meeting with selected participants: approval of goals, project content, introduction, and an a lecture on creative practice through the prism of Aristotle’s philosophy. | Saturday 24.08.2024 10:00-12:00 | Darja Popolitova |
| Communication, marketing: CV, personal webpage, digital and traditional media as a reflection and extension of creative practice. | Saturday 24.08.2024 13:00-18:00 | Anastassia Dratšova |
| Artistic position and documentation: artistic statement, biography, portfolio, photographing artworks, organizing virtual documents, studio inventory. | Saturday 14.09.2024 10:00-17:00 | Anna Škodenko |
| Exhibition spaces: curators, museums, and galleries: roles, expectations, negotiations, selection, fees, artwork purchase, and collection access. | Saturday 28.09.2024 10:00-17:00 | Julia Polujanenkova |
| Funding: funding opportunities and scholarships for Estonian art, attracting supporters and sponsors, preparing applications and reports. | Saturday 05.10.2024 10:00-17:00 | Anita Kodanik |
| Selling artworks: platforms for selling art in Estonia, pricing, document preparation, borrowing artworks from museums and buyers, preparing installation instructions for artworks. | Saturday 26.10.2024 10:00-17:00 | Olesja Katšanovskaja-Münd |
| Entrepreneurship: freelancing, working with galleries, payment methods, document preparation and formatting for sales, exhibition planning and preparation. | Saturday 02.11.2024 10:00-17:00 | Aleksei Gordin |
| Trip to Tallinn: visiting exhibition spaces, getting acquainted with institutions and studios of Tallinn artists. | Saturday 08.11.2024 10:00-17:00 | Darja Popolitova |
| Group work: organisation and installation of the exhibition. Opening of the exhibition in Tallinn Accommodation in Tallinn is at your own expense; however, transportation there and support in creating the exhibition are provided by NART | Friday, Saturday 29.—30.11.2024 | Darja Popolitova |
All meetings are mandatory, and the candidate must consider that on the specified dates they will be able to travel to Narva or Tallinn. NART enters into an agreement with club participants which includes a penalty for missing the program if the participant voluntarily opts out of attending three or more meetings, except in cases where there are valid reasons (such as the participant falling seriously ill for an extended period or other unforeseen circumstances preventing participation in the program).
The club is supported by the British Council P2P programme.
Information:
Darja Popolitova
d.popolitova@gmail.com