Program Guidelines - FY 2012

MCC's Artist Fellowships
The Artist Fellowships provide direct, unrestricted support to Massachusetts artists in recognition of exceptional original work, to foster the creation of new art in the Commonwealth. Artist Fellowships in a range of disciplines are awarded to primary creators of original works of art.

For Traditional Arts applicants only: The purpose of the Traditional Arts category is to recognize the artistic excellence and authenticity of an individual's work within art forms that are deeply rooted in traditional culture. Therefore, the requirement that work submitted be "original" does not apply.

Awards
The Artist Fellowships provide competitive grants of $7,500 and finalist awards of $500. The number of awards per discipline category varies according to the number of applications reviewed, the recommendations of each panel, and program funds available.

Disciplines and Deadlines
Artists may apply in the following categories in the 2012 cycle:

Drawing, Painting, and Traditional Arts applications are accepted August 15 through October 7, 2011. Deadline: October 7, 2011.

Choreography, Fiction/Creative Nonfiction, and Poetry applications are accepted December 15, 2011 through January 30, 2012. Deadline: January 30, 2012. APPLY NOW.

Categories for the next (FY 2013) cycle will include: Crafts, Film & Video, Music Composition, Photography, Playwriting, and Sculpture/Installation.

For more information, please refer to the Discipline Definitions.

PLEASE NOTE: the Artist Fellowships Program recognizes contemporary artists' work ranging from traditional practices to emerging fields. MCC encourages all eligible artists, in a wide range of disciplines, including cross-disciplinary forms, to apply to this program. Please contact MCC staff if you have any questions about the most appropriate category or grant cycle.

Eligibility Requirements
Any artist 18 years or older who has been a legal resident of Massachusetts for the last two years at the time of application is eligible. All Artist Fellows/Finalists must be legal residents of Massachusetts when grants are awarded.

The Artist Fellowships Program defines "legal resident" as an individual who fulfills the description of a "full-year resident" as defined in the Massachusetts tax code. See the Dept. of Revenue for more information.

Please note:

• Any artist who has received an MCC Artist Fellowship in the past five years is ineligible to apply. This includes 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. Finalists from these years may reapply. Work samples previously submitted in a successful application (resulting in a full fellowship) may not be re-submitted in a new application.

• Students enrolled in a degree program directly related to the discipline or whose degrees are pending at the time of application are ineligible to apply. Likewise, undergraduate students are ineligible to apply.

• MCC board members, staff, and their immediate family members may not apply for Artist Fellowships.

• Except in the case of Traditional Arts, applicants should be generative artists who create original work, as opposed to those who interpret or translate the work of others.

If you are unsure whether you are eligible, please use the Eligibility Wizard or contact program staff.

Eligible applicants may apply in more than one category. Please note, however, that individual artists may receive only one grant in any given fiscal year. If an applicant is recommended for funding in more than one discipline, s/he will be recognized as a fellow in both categories, but will be awarded only one monetary grant. Applicants may not submit the same work in more than one category. Different excerpts from the same piece do not constitute separate work.

A separate online application (with a new registration, username, and password) is required for each discipline to which an artist applies.

Collaborating artists interested in applying together must file and sign one joint application for a single Artist Fellowship and provide resumes for each collaborator. A collaborator may reside out of state, as long as the primary applicant is a legal resident of Massachusetts.

Review Criteria
There are two review criteria for the Artist Fellowships: artistic quality and creative ability as evidenced by original work submitted.

For Traditional Arts only: the review criteria include artistic excellence, authenticity, and significance to the traditional community. Since the work of traditional artists is best evaluated within a cultural context, these applications and the review process are not anonymous.

Anonymity
MCC's Artist Fellowships review process is anonymous (except in the case of Traditional Arts – see above), so neither your name, nor any information identifying commissions, awards, reviews, and/or presentations should appear within or upon your work sample(s). Please include your name and identifying information only on your resume and where designated in the online application. Work samples will be tracked by title #1.

Application Process

1. Fill out MCC's online application and click on the "Submit Application" icon by 11:59pm on Friday, October 7, 2011 (Drawing, Painting, and Traditional Arts) or Monday, January 30, 2012 (Choreography, Fiction/Creative Nonfiction, and Poetry). Faxed, emailed, and printed application forms will not be reviewed.

2. For the visual arts disciplines (Drawing and Painting), all work sample images must be uploaded and submitted with your online application.

3. For Traditional Arts, Choreography, Fiction/Creative Nonfiction, and Poetry: print your Artist Fellowship Application Summary and send it with your work sample(s) to the MCC. If you wish to hand-deliver your work sample(s), you must do so by 5:00pm on the deadline day. Mailed work sample(s) must be postmarked by October 7, 2011 (Traditional Arts) or January 30, 2012 (Choreography, Fiction/Creative Nonfiction, and Poetry) to::
   
   Artist Fellowships
   Massachusetts Cultural Council
   10 St. James Avenue, 3rd floor
   Boston, MA 02116-3803
   [Indicate on envelope to which disciplines you are applying.]

Faxed or emailed work samples will not be reviewed, nor will late and incomplete applications be reviewed.

Applicants will be informed by email of final grant decisions by early February (Drawing, Painting, and Traditional Arts) or by early June (Choreography, Fiction/Creative Nonfiction, and Poetry).

Work Sample Instructions Work samples that do not adhere to the following guidelines will not be reviewed. For tips on applying for an Artist Fellowship, please visit our blog ArtSake.

DRAWING – Deadline: October 7, 2011
Upload five images, in JPG format, using the online application. Images will be simultaneously projected left to right, 1-5, during the panel review. Please consider this as you choose the order in which you upload images.

Preparing Your Digital Images
Images must be saved in JPG format, with the longest dimension (horizontal or vertical) no more than 768 pixels. Get a tip sheet on preparing your images (PDF).

PAINTING – Deadline: October 7, 2011
Upload five images, in JPG format, using the online application. Images will be simultaneously projected left to right, 1-5, during the panel review. Please consider this as you choose the order in which you upload images.

Preparing Your Digital Images
Images must be saved in JPG format, with the longest dimension (horizontal or vertical) no more than 768 pixels. Get a tip sheet on preparing your images (PDF).

TRADITIONAL ARTS – Deadline: October 7, 2011
Please submit the following materials in support of your Traditional Arts Artist Fellowship:

1. Narrative. Submit two copies. In up to two double-spaced pages, address the items below:
   Name and describe the traditional art form that you practice.
   Explain how you learned your traditional art.
   Tell us about your audience/or people who buy your work. For whom is your traditional art made or performed?

2. Recommendation letter from folklorist, practicing peer and/or member of community knowledgeable about your traditional art explaining why you deserve recognition. The recommendation letter should address the following:
   • "Where does this person's work stand within the tradition?"
   • "Is he or she recognized as a master?"
   • "Does this person excel at the aesthetic standards within the tradition?"
   Letters should be mailed in versus uploaded online. Submit the original and one copy.

3. Required work sample. Choose the category that best represents your work. We strongly recommend that you submit work created within the past four years.

   Folk Craft
   Submit 5 digital images of your work. If possible, include an image that shows the place in which your work is created. Digital images must be a high resolution (at least 300 ppi), and print at least 4"x 6". In addition, up to three pieces of actual work may be submitted for review.

   Music/Verbal Arts
   Submit two copies of one sound recording (CD, DVD, or VHS videocassette). Label it with title and length of the work, and cue it to your preferred starting point, if appropriate.

   Dance/Ethnic Theatre
   Submit two copies of one VHS videocassette or DVD that best demonstrates the quality of your work. Label it with title and length of the work, and cue it to your preferred starting point. If you are part of an ensemble or a dance teacher, make clear who you are in the work sample.

   Panelists may view some or all of any submitted material.

CHOREOGRAPHY – Deadline: January 30, 2012
Submit up to four works or excerpts (no longer than 30 minutes in total running time) on DVD (two copies).

Works in progress are eligible. Work completed prior to 2008 in ineligible.

Label the DVD with title(s) of work(s) submitted. Due to the anonymous process, your name should not appear anywhere within the work sample or on the surface of the DVD itself.

FICTION/CREATIVE NONFICTION – Deadline: January 30, 2012
Submit a manuscript of 25 pages or less. Any additional pages will be discarded from the end of the manuscript. You may include a single work, or up to four excerpts (if you write flash fiction/nonfiction, you can consider a group of short short stories as one excerpt). Submit two copies of your manuscript.

Works in progress are eligible. Work completed prior to 2008 in ineligible.

Panel review of work samples is anonymous. Therefore, neither your name, nor any information identifying commissions, awards, reviews, and/or presentations should appear on your manuscript.

Due to the high volume of Fiction/Creative Nonfiction applications received, we cannot return work samples. Please do not submit original copies of work.

Work samples must be:

• In manuscript format; photocopies of published work (books, magazines, etc.) are not allowed.
• On white, letter-quality 8.5"X11" paper.
• Double-spaced and typed in Times, Helvetica, or equivalent font, no smaller than 12 point in size. Either single-sided or double-sided pages are acceptable. If using double-sided pages, each side counts as one page.
• Formatted with at least 1" margins on all sides.
• Page numbered.
• Held together with paper clips or binder clips. Do not use staples, plastic sleeves, or any binding.

POETRY – Deadline: January 30, 2012
Submit a manuscript of 15 pages or less. Any additional pages will be discarded from the end of the manuscript. Submit two copies of your manuscript.

Works in progress are eligible. Work completed prior to 2008 in ineligible.

Panel review of work samples is anonymous. Therefore, neither your name, nor any information identifying commissions, awards, reviews, and/or presentations should appear on your manuscript.

Due to the high volume of Poetry applications received, we cannot return work samples. Please do not submit original copies of work.

Work samples must be:

• On white, letter-quality 8.5"X11" paper.
• Typed in Times, Helvetica, or equivalent font, no smaller than 12 point in size. Either single-sided or double-sided pages are acceptable. If using double-sided pages, each side counts as one page.
• Formatted with at least 1" margins on all sides.
• Page numbered.
• Held together with paper clips or binder clips. Do not use staples, plastic sleeves, or any binding.

Application Receipt Notification
For delivery notification, mail your work sample(s) "return receipt requested" via the US Postal Service.

Review Process
After the application deadline, MCC convenes independent panels to review applications. Panels are composed of artists and arts professionals representing a range of aesthetic perspectives. Except in the case of Traditional Arts, the review process is anonymous to ensure impartial assessment of each applicant's work. Funding recommendations made by review panels are presented to the MCC board for final award decisions.

Return of Application Material
Due to the high volume of applications received in the Artist Fellowships Program, we are not able to return work samples to Fiction/Creative Nonfiction and Poetry applicants. Please do not send original copies of work.

Applicants in Choreography and Traditional Arts who wish to have work samples returned through the mail must provide a self-addressed, stamped mailer or box with sufficient postage. The MCC assumes no responsibility for material lost or damaged during the review process or for shipping costs. To arrange pick-up of work samples, contact the Artists Department after grants are announced. Please call at least one business day before you wish to retrieve your work samples. All materials not claimed by July 31, 2012 will be discarded.

Access Policy
The MCC is committed to access not only as a matter of law, but also as a policy designed to encourage the participation of all segments of the Commonwealth's population in MCC-funded programs. The Massachusetts Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity currently designates the following as underserved: African Americans, Asian Americans, Latin Americans, Native Americans, people with disabilities, Vietnam-era veterans, and women. The MCC also considers low-income communities, rural populations, and citizens over 65 years old as underserved. The MCC does not discriminate on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, religion, race, or disability.

Conflict of Interest
To ensure that all MCC review panels are free from conflicts of interest and/or the appearance of such conflicts, panelists are required to disclose any current or prospective affiliations they or their immediate family members have with an actual or potential applicant. "Affiliations" applies to employment, board memberships, independent contractual relationships, advisory or policy relationships, substantial contributor relationships, or other financial relationships. In addition, panelists are required to disclose any past or current adversarial relationships with actual or potential applicants of a professional or personal nature. MCC board members are not permitted to participate in discussions or votes relating to any applicant with whom they have an affiliation or relating to any applicants competing with that applicant.

Reconsideration Policy
An applicant may request reconsideration of an MCC decision on his or her application if the applicant can demonstrate that the MCC failed to follow published application and review procedures. Dissatisfaction with the results of a review does not constitute grounds for reconsideration, however.

The first step in the reconsideration process is to consult with the appropriate Program Coordinator to discuss the review process that concluded in MCC's decision. If the applicant wishes to pursue a reconsideration, a request must be sent to the MCC's Executive Director, in writing, within 30 days of the MCC's notification to the applicant of its decision. All requests will go to the MCC's board for reconsideration no earlier than its next scheduled board meeting.

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