Submissions have now closed for the 2024 round. We'll be in touch with all applicants by 4 December 2023.
About Public Record Office Victoria
Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) is the archive of State and Local Governments in Victoria. We hold over 100 km of digital and physical records from 1836 to the present day, from maps, plans and photographs, to written documents, files, and books. Many records are accessible to the public either online or for viewing in our Reading Room in North Melbourne. Our records include passenger lists, wills and probate documents, First Nations records, coronial inquests and court records, education, health, railway records, old maps and historic photographs of Victoria and Melbourne. For more examples of the types of records we hold please look at the following online resources:
Look history in the eye (downloadable booklet with examples of the stories within our collection)
Flickr albums (images from our live events and our photographic collections)
Popular topics (search tools for finding records by topic)
YouTube channel (video resources and recordings of our talks)
Online exhibitions (photographic exhibitions that use our collection)
Photographic collections (search for images within the different series)
Maps (search for historic maps)
What is the Creative in Residence Program?
The Creative in Residence Program is a paid opportunity for a creative person in Victoria to use the State’s public archives as a starting point or feature in a new creative work. The program is designed to provide a professional opportunity for a creative outcome that showcases the value and potential of using archival records. The successful applicant (the Creative) will be able to access public records on-site or remotely online to develop and create a new body of work, and will be given research support and guidance from programming and collection staff for 3 months during their residency.
Applications can be submitted by artists, musicians, creative writers, performers, photographers or creative collectives - who can demonstrate the value of our records in a unique creative response. The finished work(s) must have a public outcome, for example, something we can share online, or an exhibition or performance at the Victorian Archives Centre, or other public location in Victoria. We’re open to new ideas and challenges.
You’ll also need to document your creative process from initial inspiration to completion, so that we can share regular updates through our online channels. This could be in the form of video footage or photographs, alongside working drawings, journals or writing.
The residency takes place at the Victorian Archives Centre in North Melbourne during 2024 and requires an expected time commitment equal to 3 months full time, along with an expected exhibition timeframe of within 12 months. Please read the FAQ section below for commonly asked questions.
What is PROV looking for?
PROV is seeking original projects that make significant use of PROV’s collections in the creative work and process. We are open to all artists or collectives who can demonstrate a commitment to their creative practice. We’re particularly interested in applicants who wish to re-contextualise historic records for contemporary conversations, and projects which aim to explore under-represented perspectives. The final work must feature our records or clearly draw inspiration from PROVs archival collection. Applications should demonstrate how both the work-in-progress and final project outcomes will engage audiences.
A panel of external judges will assess all applications within the following criteria:
- Proposal concept.
- Experience and skills.
- How the work will connect to PROV's archival records.
- Potential to encourage engagement with the State collection in ways that are meaningful for Victoria’s diverse communities.
- The applicant has demonstrated how their project is achievable within the timeframe of 12 months.
Who can enter?
- Applications are open to Australian citizens and permanent residents
- All forms of creative expression and creators working either in collaboration or independently are eligible to apply.
- Applicants must be able to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to their creative practice.
- Projects that have already commenced, are supported by other funding bodies, or are covered by a publishing contract, are eligible to apply but must demonstrate an alignment to the same end piece of work, as well as the goals of this creative residency program.
- Projects that are supported by university-derived funding are not eligible to apply.
- Projects that have planned public outcomes within the 12 month timeframe, whatever the format, are desirable.
Why be involved?
The PROV Creative in Residence Program is an opportunity to explore the state’s rich archival resources with personal assistance from PROV staff and a dedicated workspace for viewing records at the Victorian Archives Centre in North Melbourne.
The Victorian Archives Centre has a gallery (available from April through to 26 July 2024 or a negotiated time during 2025) and a performance space that seats up to 100 (available throughout the year), which can be utilised by the Creative. PROV will also promote the project through our online channels.
The Creative receives a professional fee of $15,000 (including GST) paid in two instalments, plus a budget of up to $10,000 (including GST) for resources needed to deliver the project, paid upon delivery of invoices. These resources might include:
- Tools and materials
- Transportation or installation of work
- OHS and risk management requirements
- Advertising outside of PROV’s usual channels
- Costs associated with an exhibition launch