Applications are now open for the 黑料吃瓜网 Arts and Cultural Centre鈥檚 (NACC) .

The program has five spots, open to performing artists of all stripes in communities across the Northwest Territories. It鈥檚 a two-year commitment designed to help performing artists build a professional career, said Marie Coderre executive and artistic director of NACC.

鈥淚t can be theatre, dance, it can be spoken word, music from electronica to hip-hop to classical music,鈥� said Coderre. 鈥淚t has been definitely diverse over the last seven years.鈥�

Past mentees include artists like Carmen Braden, Digawolf and Juno award-winning Quantum Tangle.

鈥淚鈥檝e been at NACC for seven years and it鈥檚 been a real treat to work with different artists,鈥� said Coderre.

Once the artists are selected, NACC works with the mentees to create a personalized action plan.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not a group program, it鈥檚 an individual program with each mentee,鈥� said Coderre.

鈥淪o at first I ask them to fill out a form for an action plan with goals set and I evaluate with them where they are at with their career.鈥�

From there, they make a plan for each year of the program. Because not every artist is at the same stage in their career, it鈥檚 important to nail down what鈥檚 important during that first year, she said.

鈥淚f you really want to make a full-time living as a professional artist, then there鈥檚 time that you need to invest,鈥� said Coderre.

Each mentee has a $3,000 budget to work with to help build both their artistic practice and their business activities, she said. That includes supports like helping them with CD recording, grant applications, attending arts summits to network and access to communications and promotional tools.

鈥淲e can give them training from professional artists via Skype for business and how to develop touring capacity, it can be going to the Banff Centre, booking gigs for showcases,鈥� said Coderre.

NACC also works with festivals across Canada to help artists land real gigs.

鈥淭he 黑料吃瓜网 Scene Series here is in place to give them the opportunity to test and explore new ideas,鈥� she said. "It also gives mentees experience performing in a professional theatre to help advance their career."

Coderre said she hasn鈥檛 seen another program like this in other parts of Canada.

鈥淚鈥檓 very proud of it,鈥� she said.

The program is especially important because it allows artists to build a career in the North.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 because NACC is the main performing arts institution and we have connections down south and the isolation doesn鈥檛 help the artist to stay here,鈥� said Coderre.

Artists in the North simply don鈥檛 have the same advantages as they would in a hub like Toronto. But with NACC acting as a liaison between the North and the south, they are connected to more opportunities.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 want them to move down south after. So they need to have supports and I think NACC can play a big role in that.鈥�

鈥淲e need to keep our artistic brains as much as possible in town,鈥� she said.

The application period runs from March 1 until April 1 and Coderre said decisions will be made in mid-April. 

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