Call for Artists - Dreams for the Future

 To mark the 25th anniversary of the Armenian Institute, we are launching a special artist feature initiative that celebrates a quarter-century of preserving Armenian culture, heritage, and stories, while looking forward to the future we hope to imagine and create together. 

The theme of this milestone year—DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE—invites UK Armenian artists to envision what lies ahead for Armenian culture, identity, and creativity. Having spent 25 years safeguarding our memories, oral histories, and the richness of the Armenian past, we want the Institute’s next chapter to turn toward aspirations, visions, and creative possibilities for our future. 

This initiative is both a celebration and an invitation to imagine boldly, to create expansively, and to dream together as we shape the Armenian Institute’s future.

You are welcome to submit proposals to the opportunity detailed below from now until 1 March 2026.

25 Artists for 25 Years–Digital Showcase

From June 2026 to March 2027, the Armenian Institute will provide a stage for 25 UK Armenian artists and creatives: each of the creatives will get an individual profile page on the Institute's website and promotion across our digital platforms. All your works, stories, and creative processes will form a collective expression of how Armenian artists dream our way forward. We are not asking you to create new work specifically for this, but offering to highlight your existing practice, recent projects, and your own selection of your signature works. 

Who can apply? 

Any UK-based Armenian creative, or group, working in any artistic media or craft, including theatre, music, dance, visual arts, crafts, ceramic, embroidery, jewelry, fashion design, creative writing, graphic design, video game design, new media arts, filmmaking…

How to submit? 

Please email erica@armenianinstitute.org.uk with the subject line “25 Artists Feature Submission” and include: 

  • CV, including a short bio and/or artist statement

  • headshot

  • a portfolio of the work you would like to showcase (we will only be able to include 5 images per feature), alongside a paragraph about the illustrated work(s). 

  • If your work is best rendered in video or audio rather than photos, please include one short clip for our review (max duration = 3 min). 

Deadline to submit: 1 March 2026

Decision by: end of March

All final material to be received by: May 2026, for a project launch in June 2026.

Our criteria for selection include: 

  • You must be a UK-based artist of Armenian descent.

  • Proposed work aligns with the project’s theme “Dreams for the Future”, and is not uniquely based on nostalgia, memory or history. 

  • We may show preference to work that has a relation with Armenia, Armenian identity, culture, folklore, geography, etc., but this is not an obligation. 

  • NB:

    • literary submissions: does not include non-fiction or academic works only fictional novels, short stories and poetry will be considered.

    • film submission: fictional or experimental works will be favoured, but documentary filmmakers may apply and will be considered too. 

Please note that we are looking to organise an evening event of performances in the Autumn season (between October and December 2026), and that if your work lends itself to a short performance (e.g. poetry reading, short dance or theatre piece, musical performance, fashion design showcase, contemporary art performance, etc.), then let us know if you would be interested in taking part in that opportunity. Production costs will be covered. 

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