Two days after the conclusion of Imaginarius – Festival of Performing Arts in Public Space, the Santa Maria da Feira City Council is launching two calls for proposals for the 2027 edition, one aimed at supporting creation and the other directed at emerging and consolidating artists. Through these financial and logistical support mechanisms, the Municipality reinforces its commitment to the artistic quality of the programming and the improvement of the conditions for welcoming and enabling the participation of artists who wish to create specifically for public space or present their projects at the Imaginarius festival.
The Imaginarius 2027 Call for Proposals for Creative Support, open for applications until 10 July, aims to support new creations specifically designed for public spaces. This reinforces the municipality’s commitment to directly supporting artists, creating structured conditions for experimentation and artistic mentorship, and consolidating the festival as a platform for long-term artistic creation, circulation, and development.
This call for proposals aims to select two original artistic creation projects for public spaces, corresponding to two distinct support lines: one dedicated to emerging artists and the other to career development, including creation grants of €6,000 and €10,000 respectively, plus an additional €1,500 for presentations at Serralves em Festa 2027. Beyond financial support, the projects will benefit from artistic, technical, and production mentoring, including artistic residencies at the Imaginarius Creation Centre, mentorship, integration into Imaginarius PRO, premiere at Imaginarius 2027, and placement in complementary contexts for national circulation and visibility.
“Through this call for proposals, the Municipality reinforces its commitment to cultural policies geared towards contemporary creation, the artistic enhancement of public spaces, and the strengthening of the national creative ecosystem,” emphasizes the Councilor for Culture, Paulo Marcelo.
Regarding the International Call for emerging and established creators, which is open for applications until 30 July, it foresees the selection of a maximum of 18 artistic projects for integration into the official Imaginarius programme in 2027, ensuring adequate conditions for hosting and supporting the presentation of the works.
The participation model includes support of 150 euros per person per presentation at the festival or, in the case of installations, 200 euros per person per day per presentation. Travel support is also provided at 150 euros per person for projects from mainland Portugal, 400 euros per person for projects from other European territories, including Madeira, the Azores and North Africa, and 1,200 euros per person for projects from other countries.
“By ensuring this support for the presentation, travel, and accommodation of artists, we are promoting effective conditions for artistic circulation, geographical and aesthetic diversity of proposals, as well as for the international exchange of creators,” the councilor stressed.
The rules and application forms for both calls for proposals are available here.
