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Artist Fellowships

Note: All fellowship applications will be due Oct. 1, 2021, instead of being split between April and October deadlines. 

Click here to access the RISCA grant portal for individuals.

Click here to see fellowships awarded at the April 1, 2019 deadline.

RISCA FELLOWSHIP GUIDELINES – FY22

Fellowships are unrestricted awards that encourage the creative development of artists by enabling them to set aside time to pursue their work and achieve specific creative and career goals. One $5,000 fellowship and one $1,000 merit are awarded in each of 13 disciplines each year. Fellowship and Merit awards are based solely on artistic merit and are highly competitive. Awards are selected through an anonymous panel review of submitted work samples. Artists are encouraged to apply when they have created a substantial body of work that they are prepared to present in a professional manner.

Artists will apply online at: https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=artsrischolarship.

If you have any questions about this program or the application, please contact Mollie Flanagan, Individual Artists Program Director, at 401-222-3881 or mollie.flanagan@arts.ri.gov.

Deadlines

Fellowship applications are due by 11:59pm on October 1, 2021. This is for all disciplines:

If the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline will be 11:59pm on the next business day. Late or incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Eligibility

Prior recipients of RISCA funds may not apply unless all past due final reports for previous grants and Fellowships have been submitted. Fellowship grant recipients will be ineligible to apply in the same category for two deadlines following receipt of an award (example, if you applied on October 1, 2020 and received a fellowship, you may not apply again until October 1, 2021). Recipients of Merit Awards may apply at subsequent deadlines.

RISCA staff, Council members, and their spouses and immediate relatives are ineligible to apply for RISCA funds.

Funding Conditions

The following conditions for funding apply to all Fellowship applicants:

Review Process

Once the application deadline passes, no alterations or additions may be made to your application. Applications are reviewed by a peer panel based on the contents of your application only.

Once a grant has been awarded, applicants should understand that the grant processing procedure is lengthy. In many cases, grant funds may not be received prior to the start of a project. Applicants should be aware of this possibility and plan their cash flow accordingly.

Review Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on artistic merit, as defined within the context of each individual arts discipline and by the panelists. Decisions are based solely on the submitted work samples, panelists do not receive any information about the artist. Please note that an entirely new panel is convened each year, and panelists can only serve on any RISCA panel once every three years.

Access for People with Disabilities

Applicants who need assistance completing an application and/or require an interpreter should contact RISCA well in advance of the deadline.

LARGE PRINT GUIDELINES ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

Work Samples

Fellowships are awarded through an anonymous review process, based only on the work samples. Work samples will be reviewed in the order they are submitted, which should match the Work Samples List. In the Work Samples List, include the title, medium, dimensions, year of completion, and additional information as required below. If any other clarification about each artwork is necessary for the panel to understand what they are seeing or hearing, no more than one line per work sample should be added for clarification.

You may not include:

RISCA encourages the submission of work in languages other than English. However, if non-English literary works are submitted, the applicant must also provide an English translation of each work, along with information identifying the translator.

Samples may include any dance discipline (such as modern dance, ballet, hip-hop, Latin dance, etc.), but must consist of a deliberately composed dance sequence which is part of a meaningful whole. The Choreography Fellowship awards accomplishment in the art of choreography rather than performance. Submit two to three works completed within the past five years. The Work Samples List must include title, year of completion, duration of total piece, and number of performers for each piece. If applicable, also include title and composer of the musical score.

This discipline includes both functional and non-functional crafts, including, but not limited to, the manipulation of materials such as clay, wood, metals, fiber, and glass. Submit between 8 and 10 jpegs, up to 2MB each, of work completed in the last 3 years. Detail or installation views may be included however the application may not exceed 10 images total.

This discipline includes pencil, ink, charcoal, conte crayon, pastels, lithography, aquatint, mezzotint, woodcut, linocut, etching, intaglio, monotype, silk-screen, and all other drawing and printmaking techniques, not limited to two dimensional objects. Submit between 8 and 10 jpegs, up to 2MB each, of work completed in the last 3 years. Detail or installation views may be included however the application may not exceed 10 images total.

Submit up to 15 minutes of total footage, from work completed in the last five years. The Work Samples List must include the title, year of completion, any special techniques used, and the applicant’s role/s in each film. The name of the applicant should not appear within the films themselves; please block out your name in the opening and closing credits.

Manuscripts should consist of a maximum 15 pages, containing work completed in the last three years. Copies from journals or books will not be accepted, and the manuscript must not include your name or any publication information. The Work Samples List must include whether the work is part of a larger text, part of a series, a complete manuscript, etc.

Manuscripts should consist of a maximum of 30 pages of a complete work, excerpt of a novel, or short stories, completed in the last three years. Copies from journals or books will not be accepted, and the manuscript must not include your name or any publication information. The Work Samples List must include whether the work is part of a larger text, part of a series, a complete manuscript, etc.

Manuscripts should consist of a play or screenplay, completed in the last three years. Copies from journals or books will not be accepted, and the manuscript must not include your name or any publication or performance information.

Submit a minimum of two and maximum of three audio files of musical works representing original compositions completed within the past 5 years. Corresponding musical scores, sheet music, or lyric sheets may be uploaded as PDFs, your name may not appear anywhere on the score.

Submit between 8 and 10 jpegs, up to 2 MB each, of work completed in the last three years. Detail or installation views may be included however the application may not exceed 10 images total.

Submit between 8 and 10 jpegs, up to 2 MB each, of work completed in the last three years. Detail or installation views may be included however the application may not exceed 10 images total.

Submit between 8 and 10 jpegs, up to 2 MB each, of work completed in the last three years. Detail or installation views may be included however the application may not exceed 10 images total.

New Genres may integrate more than one arts discipline; work may be interactive or incorporate new technologies and innovative processes. It includes, but is not limited to: performance art, conceptual modes, audio art (other than music composition), multi-media works, and other experimental interdisciplinary art forms. The applicant must be the primary artistic force behind the work, not a performer or interpreter of the work of another artist.

Applicants should submit documentation of a minimum of two and maximum of three pieces (including music, dance, film, etc.) via submission guidelines below. Visual art should be submitted as up to 10 jpegs uploaded to the online application. This application many include a statement that describes how a piece works and/or is experienced by an in-person viewer; it may not include any explanation of meaning, intent, or artistic statement.

Work Sample Formatting and Submission

Format:

Naming Conventions:

Submission:

For video and audio submissions that are over 2 MB:

Fellowship Award Requirements

Benefits for Grantees

Tax Liability

RISCA recommends that individuals concerned about tax liability regarding their grant award follow the advice of their accountant. You will not receive tax documents from RISCA for this award.

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