Program Guidelines - FY 2010

Purpose of the MCC's Artist Fellowships
The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) promotes excellence, access, education and diversity in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences to improve the quality of life for all Massachusetts residents. In keeping with this mission, the Artist Fellowships provide direct, unrestricted support to artists in recognition of exceptional original work, to foster the creation of new art in Massachusetts. Artist Fellowships are awarded to primary creators, not those who interpret or translate the work of others.

For Traditional Arts applicants only: The purpose of the Traditional Arts category is to recognize artistic excellence within art forms that are deeply rooted in the traditional and ethnic cultures of Massachusetts. Therefore, the requirement that work submitted be original does not apply.

Deadline
For the Drawing, Painting, and Traditional Arts categories, applications are accepted September 1 through October 13, 2009.

For the Choreography, Fiction/Creative Nonfiction, and Poetry categories, applications are accepted December 12, 2009 through January 25, 2010.

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

Funding Categories
Applicants may apply in the following categories this year:

• Drawing
• Painting
• Traditional Arts


• Choreography
• Fiction/Creative Nonfiction
• Poetry

Next year’s categories will include: Crafts, Film & Video, Music Composition, Photography, Playwriting, and Sculpture/Installation.

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 and including cross-disciplinary forms such as interactive, social choreography, event-based, and new media, to apply to this program. Please contact MCC staff if you have any questions about the most appropriate category or grant cycle.

For more information, please refer to the Discipline Definitions

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.

However:

• 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.

• Recipients of Artist Fellowships (formerly called Artist Grants) from 2007, 2008 and 2009 are not eligible to apply. Finalists may apply, however.

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 cycle. If an applicant is recommended for funding in more than one discipline, s/he will be recognized as a fellow in both categories, but only one monetary grant will be awarded. Applicants may not submit the same work in more than one category. A separate online application (with a new registration, username, and password) is required for each discipline to which s/he 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
In keeping with MCC's policy to ensure anonymity during the panel review process for all disciplines (Traditional Arts excepted), neither your name, nor any information identifying commissions, awards, reviews, and/or presentations, should appear on 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 and Deadlines

1. Fill out MCC’s online application and click on the "Submit Application" icon by 11:59 PM Tuesday, October 13, 2009 (Drawing, Painting, or Traditional Arts) or Monday, January 25, 2010 (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. Slides or CDs will not be accepted.

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 5:00 PM on the deadline day. Mailed work sample(s) must be postmarked by October 13, 2009 (Traditional Arts) or January 25, 2010 (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 discipline 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 in early February (Drawing, Painting, and Traditional Arts) or early June (Choreography, Fiction/Creative Nonfiction, and Poetry).

Work Sample Instructions

DRAWING
Work samples that do not adhere to the following guidelines will not be reviewed.

Work completed prior to 2006 is ineligible.

Upload five images, in JPG format, using the form below. 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. The minimum image resolution size is 72 dpi. Read a tip sheet on preparing your images (PDF).

PAINTING
Work samples that do not adhere to the following guidelines will not be reviewed.

Work completed prior to 2006 is ineligible.

Upload five images, in JPG format, using the form below. 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. The minimum image resolution size is 72 dpi. Read a tip sheet on preparing your images (PDF).

TRADITIONAL ARTS

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.

CHOREOGRAPHY
Work samples that do not adhere to the following guidelines will not be reviewed. Remember: you will still need to mail or hand-deliver your work sample(s) after filling out this form and completing the online application.

Submit up to four works or excerpts (no longer than 30 minutes in total running time) on either VHS videocassette or DVD (two copies).

Label the videocassette/DVD with title(s) of work(s) submitted. Do not include credits or your name anywhere on the videocassette/DVD. Due to the anonymous review process, all credits apart from the title(s) must be removed from the work, as well as its packaging.

Neither your name, nor any information identifying commissions, awards, reviews and/or presentations, should appear in the fields below. Work samples will be tracked by title #1.

FICTION/CREATIVE NONFICTION
Work samples that do not adhere to the following guidelines will not be reviewed. Submit a manuscript of 25 pages or less. You may include a single work, or up to four excerpts. 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 2006 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, or in the fields below.

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:

• On white, letter-quality 8 ½”X11” paper.
• Double-spaced and typed in Times, Helvetica, or equivalent font, no smaller than 12 point in size.
• Formatted with at least 1” margins on all sides.
• Page numbered and labeled with the manuscript title at the top of every page.
• Held together with paper clips, binder clips, or rubber bands. Do not use staples, plastic sleeves, or any binding.

POETRY
Work samples that do not adhere to the following guidelines will not be reviewed. 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 2006 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, or in the fields below.

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 ½”X11” paper.
• Typed in Times, Helvetica, or equivalent font, no smaller than 12 point in size.
• Formatted with at least 1” margins on all sides.
• Page numbered.
• Held together with paper clips, binder clips, or rubber bands. 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 peer panels to review applications. Panels are composed of artists and arts professionals representing a range of aesthetic perspectives. 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 Fellowship 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 the grants are announced. Please call at least one business day before you wish to retrieve your work samples. All materials not claimed by August 1, 2010 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.

Proceed to the online application