Please also refer to the Application for this grant program.

Program Purpose

The purpose of the Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship Program is to support Kentucky artists engaged in creating artwork of high quality and to recognize creative excellence in practicing, professional Kentucky artists. Goals

Goals

• The primary goal of the Al Smith Fellowship Program is to directly support the advancement and continuation of Kentucky artists' careers and creative work.
  
  
• The Al Smith Fellowship Program also seeks to provide public recognition and acknowledgement of Kentucky artists creating work of high artistic merit.

Performance Expectations

Your application will be reviewed using the following performance expectations:

1. Artistic Excellence (75%)

• Excellence of work
  
  
• Creativity and individuality of work
  
  
• Demonstrates serious commitment to an art form

2. Professional Achievement (15%)

• Exhibitions, awards, honors and other significant achievements or recognition

3. Enhancement of the Artist (10%):

• Potential of the fellowship to enhance the artist's development and to encourage the continuation of the artist's work

Program Description

The Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowships are $7500 awards given to Kentucky artists who have achieved a high level of excellence and creativity in their work. Applications are accepted annually, on a rotating basis by discipline. Applications from visual artists and media artists are accepted in odd numbered years. In even numbered years, applications are accepted from writers (fiction, non-fiction, play/screenwriting and poetry), choreographers, music composers and interdisciplinary artists.

The Fellowship program utilizes a "blind jurying" process by which the selection panel is not provided with applicant's names; the panel reviews the work samples and applications according to application numbers only.

Applicants may be selected for $1,000 Professional Assistance Awards in lieu of a Fellowship Award. Fellowship and Professional Assistance awards are based primarily upon the quality of the work samples submitted by the artist. Awards are unrestricted and may be used in any way to enhance the artist's career.

Kentucky Arts Council Values

The Kentucky Arts Council bases its work on the vision that the people of the commonwealth value and participate in the arts. Working in partnership with organizations and individuals to deliver arts programs and services throughout the state, we ask that applicants and their partners keep these guiding values in mind when working with the Kentucky Arts Council.

Diversity

The Kentucky Arts Council believes that arts programs and services should be accessible to all people of the commonwealth. The Council recognizes that communities are not limited to geographic boundaries, and may be defined by common factors such as occupation, recreation, religion, ethnicity, belief, etc. that are shared by a group of people. The members of these groups share a common culture and a sense of aesthetics. These unique and diverse art forms bring people together and can promote positive intercultural relations among the state's various communities, including:

• persons of all ages
• gay, lesbian and transgender communities
• persons of all ethnic and racial groups
• persons with disabilities
• geographically or economically isolated communities
• disadvantaged and at-risk persons
• institutionalized persons

Preservation of Cultural Resources

The Kentucky Arts Council believes that the arts and cultural resources of Kentucky are key to understanding our heritage, and that honoring the past will help build our future. Recognizing that knowledge of our history will help build our future; we support identifying, documenting, conserving and protecting the cultural resources of the state including:

• Cultural traditions
• Historic sites
• Historic structures

Advocacy

The Kentucky Arts Council believes in the importance of individuals and organizations advocating for the arts as basic to life. These are some of the ways in which you can help the Arts Council achieve public policy favorable to the arts in Kentucky:

• Involve your organization in the public life of your community
• Get to know your legislators and local officials and stay informed about the issues
• Involve your public officials in the activities of your organization
• Ask legislators and local officials to vote for your position
• Acknowledge public funding sources
• Discuss the value of the arts with your peers
• Designate one of your board members to be the advocacy contact for the organization

Program Support

The Kentucky Arts Council will offer the following support to ensure that Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship program standards and goals are met:

• Press releases and public information will be distributed announcing the new recipients of the Fellowship and Professional Assistance Awards.
  
  
• Fellowship Recipients will be added to the Virtual Gallery located on the Kentucky Arts Council web site, www.artscouncil.ky.gov.
  
  
• Recipients of Fellowship Awards are eligible to participate in the Kentucky Arts Council's Marketplace, a sales booth at Kentucky Crafted: The Market which promotes and sells artist's books, CDs and other products.

Who May Apply

• Professional artists, responsible for creating their own work, not interpreting the work of others, are eligible to apply..
  
  
• Applicant artists must be at least 18 years of age and residents of Kentucky (for at least one year immediately prior to the grant application deadline).

Restrictions

• The program does not make awards to students pursuing graduate or undergraduate degrees, or to artists who submit work created under the supervision of an instructor.
  
  
• Artists who have previously received a Fellowship may not reapply until six years have passed since their previous Fellowship Award. (This means that applicants may actually reapply in the 8th year after their previous award.) Artists, who have received a Kentucky Arts Council Fellowship in or after 1998, or a fellowship from another state arts agency in that period, are not eligible to apply. Previous recipients, if unsure about eligibility status, should contact Amber Luallen, Individual Artist Program Director, prior to completing the application.
  
  
• Artists may only apply with work samples over which they had complete creative control and which were not created solely for commercial or instructional purposes.
  
  
• Multidisciplinary or multi-category artists are not eligible to apply.
  
  
• Artists may only apply in one category, per applicant year. All work samples must be representative of the selected category.
  
  
• With the exception of Media Arts, all work samples must have been completed within the past three years. Media Artists may submit work completed within the past four years.
  
  
• No individual may receive more than a total of three fellowships from the Kentucky Arts Council.

How to Apply

• Read the Materials. Thoroughly read the Guidelines/Instructions and Application for this program before applying.
  
  
• Submit Application. Complete and submit the application form and work sample index along with required work samples by the deadline.

Program Timeline

Application Deadline

September 15, 2004: Writers of fiction, non-fiction, play/screenwriting and poetry; composers; choreographers; and interdisciplinary artists.

September 15, 2005: Visual Artists (2D and 3D) and Media Artists (film, video, audio). Categories include craft, drawing, experimental and installation work, mixed media, new genre, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, film, video and audio work.

Applications must be postmarked by September 15, 2004 or hand delivered to the Kentucky Arts Council office no later than 4:30 p.m. on that date. Applications with deadlines falling on Saturdays, Sundays, or federal or state holidays will be accepted on the next business day if they are 1) officially postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service, 2) when using a shipping service (e.g. UPS, Federal Express, etc.) a dated receipt is provided, or 3) they are hand delivered by 4:30 p.m. Packages dated with internal postage meters will not be accepted. Late applications will not be accepted under any circumstances and will be returned. Faxed applications will not be accepted and incomplete applications are unlikely to be considered.

Note: Due to new postal regulations, all packages over 16 ounces must be given directly to a postal clerk at a post office, and not dropped in a postal box.

Instructions

General Format Requirements

Please note: Format requirements enhance the readability of your application for the panelists. Failing to follow these requirements may result in your application being returned, or portions of your application being unreadable due to hole punching, copying, etc.

• All applications must be prepared on a computer and/or typed. No handwritten applications will be accepted.
  
  
• If you have Internet access and ADOBE Acrobat Reader® 4.x or greater, you can open the Application form from the link located at the bottom of this page to fill-out and print the form using your computer. (ADOBE Acrobat Reader® can be downloaded FREE by visiting their web site at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html).
  
  
• Use standard-size (8½ x 11) white paper for all pages; single-sided copies only.
  
  
• Use minimum one-inch margins on top, bottom, right and left sides of narrative pages.
  
  
• Use minimum 11-point type. Standard fonts such as Times New Roman, Helvetica, Arial or Courier, are recommended; decorative fonts will not be accepted.
  
  
• Number all pages and place your name and the words "Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship" on the top right-hand corner of each page.
  
  
• Do not staple applications or enclose them in folders or binders of any kind; use paper clips only.
  
  
• Because of the blind jurying process (see "Program Description"), this application requires one complete copy AND one copy with the applicant's name, mailing address and email address blocked out. You may wish to copy the application before signing the original application form.

Work Samples

All Fellowship applicants must submit work samples and a Work Sample Index (see "Fellowship Application") with their application. Work samples are the primary way that panelists assess artistic and professional quality. Please consider your choice of work samples carefully, in relation to the program criteria and the medium or discipline in which you are applying.

Remember that the Fellowship program uses a blind jurying process meaning that applicant's names are not revealed to the panel. Pay careful attention to the specific requirements for submitting work samples, including blocking out your name and address on copies. DO NOT send originals of work samples.

Care will be taken in handling and returning work samples; however, the Kentucky Arts Council does not take responsibility for loss or damage. If you would like your work samples returned, enclose a self-addressed mailer with sufficient postage to cover the cost of return mail.

All categories, except Media Art, must submit work completed within the past three years. Media Artists may submit work completed within the past four years.

Writers, composers, choreographers and interdisciplinary artists may apply at the September 15, 2004 deadline. Please carefully review the work sample requirements below:

Writers: Submit a total of two copies of manuscripts or sample works, as detailed below. One copy should include your name, address and completion date, and one copy should have your name and address blocked out. Work must be printed or typed on one side of an 8 ½ x 11-inch paper and clearly reproduced. Do not send originals, materials in binders or other covers, or sample copies of publications. A cover/synopsis sheet, no longer than one page in length, may also be included. Include the original cover/synopsis sheet giving the applicant's name and address and one copy of the cover/synopsis sheet with the name and address blocked out.

Poetry: 15 to 20 numbered pages (one-sided copies only)

Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction: 20 to 30 numbered pages (one-sided copies only) double-spaced, of short fiction/nonfiction or an excerpt from a novel or other work. If an excerpt is submitted, it should be briefly placed in context on the cover/synopsis sheet.

Scripts: A scene or a play, not to exceed 50 typed conventional script pages. Pages should be numbered. If a portion of a play is submitted, it should be briefly placed in context on the cover/synopsis sheet. Scripts may be for stage, radio, film, television, etc.

Librettos: (Opera or Musical Theatre) See requirements for scripts and include three audio tapes and/or musical scores according to format for composers.

Composers: Up to three separate work samples may be submitted on audiocassettes or CDs. Three copies of each sample must be included with the application. If necessary, cue the tapes to the appropriate place for the beginning of the work. In addition, four sets of unbound scores or, for jazz, four sets of a 32-bar lead sheet, must be submitted. If the applicant is also performing on the tape, please identify the applicant's instrument. Label the sample tapes, CDs, scores and lead sheets with the title of the work and completion date. Include the Audio or Video Work Sample Index with applicant's name and address, titles and dates of works and, where applicable, date and place of premiere and other production credits. Include the original Audio/Video/Film Work Sample Index giving the applicant's name and address and one copy of the Index with the name and address blocked out.

Choreographers: Up to three separate work samples may be submitted and may consist of individual pieces or a series. Each sample must be submitted on a separate VHS tape with three copies of each sample included with the application. If necessary, cue the tapes to the appropriate place for the beginning of the work. Label each VHS tape with the title and total running time of the work. Include the Audio or Video Work Sample Index with your name, address, titles of the work(s), composer of music and, where applicable, date and place of premiere and other production credits. Include the original Audio/Video/Film Work Sample Index giving the applicant's name and address and one copy of the Index, with the applicant's name and address blocked out.

Interdisciplinary: For works sharing or derived from a combination of writing, choreography and music composition as a central part of the piece. Select support materials from those described above which properly represent your work. Include the corresponding number of copies, all marked with the title of work. No slides will be accepted for this category. Include a cover sheet or Audio/Video/Film Work Sample Index Sheet as described in the categories above.

Applicants in this category are encouraged to contact Amber Luallen, Individual Artist Program Director, before applying.

How Award Decisions Are Made

Out-of-state, discipline-based, peer panels will select fellowship recipients according to the Performance Expectations in an anonymous, blind jurying process. This process means that the application form and all materials reviewed by the panel of jurors will be presented with the applicant's name deleted.

Appeals

Kentucky Arts Council decisions are final. There are no appeals in this category.

For More Information

The Kentucky Arts Council welcomes all questions regarding this program and application. For more information, please contact:

Amber Luallen
Individual Artist Program Director
Kentucky Arts Council
Phone: 502-564-3747, ext. 4809
Toll-free: 888-833-2787 ext. 4809
E-mail: [email protected]
See Arts Council mailing address below.