Chanel is reenergizing its well-established support of arts and culture with a new global program, the Chanel Culture Fund. Created to invigorate and empower contemporary artists in a post-pandemic world, the fashion house has established a program of initiatives and partnerships that aim to empower arts innovators and advance their ideas and reputations in the creative world.
By backing artists and their visions for the future, the Chanel Culture Fund simultaneously champions equality and visibility for all—now at a crucial time when the arts provides a source of inspiration, hope, and shifting perspectives in an evolving world.
Courtesy of Chanel.
Part of that mission is the Chanel Next Prize to support 10 creators in the arts. Individuals who are redefining their field—from dancers and musicians to visual artists—can receive an award of €100,000 to aid in the advancement of their work. Applications are open to artists of all ages, genders, and nationalities, and focuses on providing funding for transformational projects, mentorships, networking opportunities, and more. All opportunities are curated by Chanel, guided by an international advisory board that will also nominate and shortlist recipients.
The other aspect is a series of international partnerships with institutions and organizations will be established to propel and encourage new perspectives. Chanel’s goal to expand upon its history of cultural support will be backed by those leading global institutions, furthering diversity in cultural thinking with projects that foreground missed opportunities of the past. Its partnerships aim to address missed narratives, foster collaboration, and propel ideas that reflect and benefit culture and society at large.
Courtesy of Chanel.
Announced partnerships thus far include The National Portrait Gallery and its London-based exhibition “Reframing Narratives: Women in Portraiture” and the appointment of a team led by Flavia Frigeri, Chanel Curator for the Collection, to research and enhance the representation of women in the collection and on display in the gallery when it reopens in 2023; The Underground Museum with The Noah Davis Prize, including three new fellowships awarded to curators innovating in their field and broadening cultural audiences; The Centre Pompidou, including a multi-year programming initiative focused on collaborative work by designers, artists, and scientists to create new ecologies for sustainable cities and Communities; and GES-2 in Moscow, featuring a three-year annual mentorship program and residency for innovative Russian women artists working at the intersection of theatre, music, dance, and video to coincide with the opening in 2021. Chanel is also establishing new cultural partnerships in Asia, first focused on China.
Courtesy of Chanel.
“The Culture Fund represents Chanel’s belief in the central importance of individual creativity in driving innovation,” said Yana Peel, Global Head of Arts & Culture at Chanel. “At a time when we are navigating our way through complex new environments around the world, we know that artists generate transformative ideas that help us envision the way forward. Chanel has always championed the vitality and advancement of the arts, and we now expand that tradition through the Fund with a focus on supporting cultural innovators and pathbreakers who are mapping out what’s next.”
Courtesy of Chanel.
