Guidelines

The Individual Artist Fellowship was established to recognize practicing artists residing in North Dakota with a monetary fellowship award. This program is designed to support professional artists with outstanding talent and ability to improve their artistic skills and enhance their career opportunities. Two fellowships of $3,500 are annually awarded. The North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA) reserves the right to not award either fellowship, based on panel review.

An applicant will be considered "professional" if they are pursuing their original artwork on an ongoing basis within an artistic discipline, and if they are pursuing it as a means of livelihood, either on a part-time or full-time basis.

Collaborative works will not be accepted. Artists may submit collaborative work as evidence of artistic skill only if the applicant's role in the creation of the work is clearly defined. Works in progress are acceptable with an explanation of the work's goal in the Artist's Statement. NDCA reserves the right to not forward any application with artwork deemed inappropriate for public consumption.

NDCA reserves the right to use any or all submitted work for promotional purposes. Copyright registration is the sole responsibility of the applicant. A copy of all work submitted will be retained by NDCA, extra copies will be returned at the applicant's expense. The applicant must provide an English translation of any support materials or work samples in another language. Applicants should maintain a copy of the application and all work samples submitted to NDCA.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a fellowship the applicant must:

• Be at least 18 years of age and a resident of the state of North Dakota as of January 1, and agree to maintain that residency during the fellowship period.
• Submit a completed application and samples of work on or before the deadline.
• Not be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate degree-seeking student during the fellowship period.
• Submit samples of work that have been completed within the last three years prior to the application deadline.
• Use a portion of the funds or find other funding for three public presentations in at least two varied regions (see map) of the state, as these awards are public dollars. Activities should be given to varied groups, not just one type of audience. Options include universities, community events, local art agencies, elder care facilities, K-12 schools, etc.

Evaluation Criteria

• Quality and consistency of the applicant's work as evidenced by the sample work submitted.
• Professional achievement and record of arts activity as reflected in the artist's resume.
• Potential impact of the fellowship on the artistic future of the artist and arts development within the state.

Calendar

• All applications, regardless of discipline, must be submitted no later than May 1, (electronic submission) for activities taking place July 1-June 30.
• May: Applications reviewed by NDCA staff for completeness and eligibility and then prepared for panel review.
• Early June: Peer panel review and final selections.
• By June 15: Letters of notification of fellowship award determination will be sent to all applicants. Fellowship award documents will be mailed to recipients for acceptance of the awards.
• July/August: Release of fellowship award funds upon receipt of signed contracts.
• July 15 (end of fellowship year): Online Final Report is due.

Fellowship Schedule

Fellowships awarded will be according to the following schedule:

• 2019 (FY20): Music and Literature
• 2020 (FY21): Traditional Arts, Dance, and Theatre
• 2021 (FY22): Visual Art and Media Arts

Disciplines

• Music includes: composing, conducting, and performance
• Literature includes: poetry, fiction, and children's literature
• Dance includes: choreography and performance
• Theatre includes: design, musical theatre, and playwriting
• Folklife/Traditional Arts includes: traditional crafts and visual art, traditional dance, traditional music, and oral traditions. Note: Only traditional artists are eligible in this discipline. These are artists whose skills have developed without formal instruction or institutional direction and depict an ethnic or geographical art form that has existed for several generations.
• Visual Arts includes: works of clay, drawing, fiber, glass, graphics, leather, metal, mixed media, paper, photography, plastic, sculpture, wood, painting, and experimental
• Media Arts includes: audio, film/video, and screenwriting

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Applicants are encouraged to upload and/or provide links to all support materials and sample works. Directions are included on the "Support Materials and Sample Works" page of the online grant application that explain how to upload your files through the "Manage Work Samples" page, or how to submit your videos/recordings using Youtube. If you are unable to upload, you will need to mail in four (4) copies of any support materials and work samples.

Online Application Procedure for all Disciplines (additional information needed is listed below by discipline)

• Budget Form
• Sample Works and Documentation Information
• Artist’s statement
• A summary of the projected use of the grant funds in the Project Proposal. Artists MUST include information describing how they will make their work available to the general viewing public in at least two (2) regions of the state. This is a panel requirement.
• Artist’s current resume
• Up to five (5) items of additional documentation including, but not limited to, printed reviews, newspaper feature stories, exhibition catalogs, programs, etc.
• Pre-paid postage for any support materials needing to be returned; or you may pick up your submitted materials at NDCA's office within 30 days after the grant awards are announced.

Visual Artists

• Submit up to ten images of different works of art completed within the last three years. Label images with applicant's name and title of work. The order of works should correspond with the list included in your application.
• If your work is an installation you may also include one video/DVD not longer than 5 minutes in length.

Media Arts

• Submit non-commercial work samples at least one of which has been completed within the last three years.
  • Audio: 1 recording/CD/DVD not longer than 10 minutes with the sample of work starting at the beginning. Materials must be labeled with titles of the work and applicant's name.
  • Film and Video: One video/DVD not longer than 10 minutes in length.
  • Screenwriting: One copy of an entire script or a work in progress.

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Literary Artists

• One copy of written samples of work completed within the last three years. All samples of work must be double-spaced except for poetry, which may be single-spaced. Sample(s) of work should be as follows:
  • Poetry: 3-5 representative works.
  • Fiction: A maximum of 30 pages of a novel, or a maximum of 20 pages of a short story. A one page synopsis may be used to complete the work if the maximum page allowance is not enough.

Musical Artists

• Samples of work completed within the last three years. Include one recording/CD/DVD with specific tracks identified (the recorded sample(s) of work must start at the beginning of the recording/CD/DVD). The tracks can be up to 10 minutes in length and must contain excerpts from at least two different compositions. Copy of the written score(s) or lead sheet(s) for each work recorded. Be sure to mark on the written scores where the excerpts are located.

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Dance

• Samples of dance performance or choreography completed within the last three years.

Performance:

• Submit in video/DVD several examples of the applicant work, not to exceed ten (10) min to demonstrate the artistic level and variety of the performer’s repertoire.

Choreography:

• Submit video/DVD with several examples of the applicant's work, not to exceed ten (10) min with a one page typed screening note that includes the title, date of the performance, any sound credits and the length of the actual work. If the applicant is the performer, note that as well.

Theatre

• Samples of theatre related works completed within the last three years.

Directors/Performers:

• Submit video/DVD with several examples of the applicant’s work, not to exceed ten (10) min, along with a one page typed explanation to include the title of the work and the date of the performance.

Set/Costume design:

• Submit images (no more than 10) that show the quality, variety and uniqueness of the applicant’s design work, along with the corresponding numbered list of productions. Do not announce the name of the applicant. In addition, there must not be any information identifying the applicant on the written score(s) or lead sheet(s).

Lighting Design:

• Images or schematic drawings (no more than 10) to show equipment installation and lighting results, as well as a one page typed explanation of the relationship between the production and the lighting design.

Playwright:

• Upload fifteen-twenty (15-20) pages of a completed work. This should be accompanied by a one page typed summary giving the year of completion and information on any actual production of the play. If this is Musical Theater, the applicant must submit one copy of the libretto, score, book, and CD/DVD music sample.

Traditional Arts

• Samples of traditional art completed within the last three years.

Crafts/Visual Art:

• Submit up to ten (10) images of different works of art.
• Label images with artist name and tile of work.

Traditional Dance:

• Submit one video/DVD no longer than ten (10) min in length that provides a view of the variety and quality of the applicant’s work.

Music/Oral Traditions:

• Submit one recording/CD/DVD no longer than ten (10) minutes in length with samples of the applicant’s work.

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Final Evaluation

(Online Final Reports are required)

• At the completion of the fellowship year, submit a brief description and documentation (including budget) of the work accomplished with grant funds during the grant period by July 15.
• Include a statement regarding the impact of the fellowship on the artistic future of the artist and the impact on arts development within North Dakota with the above description.
• Include information describing how the artist made their work available to the general viewing public in at least two regions of the state. This is a panel requirement.

Assistance

Call (701) 328-7592 or e-mail kkonikow@nd.gov with any questions.