Join us for an online information session with our Programs and Community Initiatives Manager, Mays Albaik, where she will dive into the details of the open calls for 421’s Artistic Research Grant and the upcoming Residency Program. This is the perfect opportunity for artists to ask questions and get more insights about these open calls.

Date and Time: Thursday, September 12, from 7:00 PM to 9:15 PM (GST)

Location: Online Zoom Call

If you’re curious about these opportunities, this information session will offer all the details you need to apply and how to make the most of these unique opportunities.

To register your interest and access the call, register here.

Artistic Research Grant 

This grant supports early-to-mid-career creative practitioners across various disciplines engaged in practice-based research addressing contemporary social issues through interdisciplinary approaches and community involvement. This grant is designed for projects that explore the intersections of art with social and cultural topics, such as public spaces, language, mobility, urbanity, economics, and migration. 

For the 2025 edition, projects that engage with questions of ecology & humans’ relationship to nature are encouraged, but not mandatory. 

Residency Program 

Our five-month residency, running from February to June and July to December 2025, provides space and resources for creative practitioners across various disciplines to experiment with social and community engagement. Open to individuals over 21 who are not currently enrolled in a degree program, the residency offers private studio space, living accommodations for non-Abu Dhabi based residents, travel support, stipends, equipment funding, and a production budget. 

The program will select three applicants per cohort to engage in multidisciplinary projects.

Stay tuned for the open call announcement here.