2022 USA Fellowship - United States Artists
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2022 USA Fellowship
Congratulations!
You have been nominated to apply
for the 2022 USA Fellowship!
Carefully read the criteria and
eligibility requirements below.
Applications are due December 14,
2020 at 11:59 PM CDT.
Contact
Technical Questions
For technical questions, please email support@slideroom.com
Application Questions
For questions related to the application process,
please email the Program staff at applications@unitedstatesartists.org.
* If you do not have access to the internet or are unable to complete an
application through our online process, please contact us as soon as possible so
we can assist you.2022 USA FELLOWSHI P APPLI CATI O N 2 of 13
Table of Contents
Application
3 About
3 Eligibility
4 Timeline
4 Selection Process
4 Criteria
5 FAQ
5 SlideRoom Application Form
Application Instructions
6 Accessing the Application
Artistic Practice Section
7 Disciplines
8 Practice Descriptor
8 Biography
9 Resume
9 Short Answer Responses
Portfolio Section
10 File Specifications
10 Work Sample Guidelines
12 Work Sample FAQs
12 Helpful Tips
12 Videos
unitedstatesartists.org2022 USA FELLOWSHI P APPLI CATI O N 3 of 13 Application About United States Artists is a national organization based in Chicago, IL. Founded in 2006 by the Ford, Rockefeller, Rasmuson, and Prudential Foundations, USA was created to address the lack of unrestricted funding available to artists. USA Fellowships are $50,000 unrestricted awards for individual artists across the United States and its territories, awarded in the following disciplines: Architecture & Design, Craft, Dance, Film, Media, Music, Theater & Performance, Traditional Arts, Visual Art, and Writing. These unrestricted cash awards allow artists to decide how the funding will support their lives. They are awarded to artists at any career stage—early-career, mid-career, and established. To date, we have awarded over 30 million dollars to more than 600 artists in 49 states and Puerto Rico! Eligibility To be eligible for a USA Fellowship an artist must be: • 21 years of age or older • Eligible to receive taxable income in the U.S. • Residing and working in the U.S. for the last two years • Not a USA employee, contractor, Board member, or one of their family member • Not previously awarded the USA Fellowship FAQ Do nominated artists have to be U.S. citizens? No. However, artists must have lived and worked in the U.S. or its territories for the last two years and be eligible to receive taxable income in the U.S. Can a project or organization apply? No. USA Fellowships only support individual artists or small collaboratives. Short-term projects or organizations are automatically ineligible. What constitutes an artist collaborative? USA defines a collaborative as a small group of up to three (3) artists who make most of their artistic output together.
2022 USA FELLOWSHI P APPLI CATI O N 4 of 13
Timeline
September - November 2020 Nominations
November 12, 2020 Application Opens
December 14, 2020 → 11:59 PM CST Application Deadline
Spring 2021 Panel Selection
Summer/Fall 2021 Board Approval
October 2021 Notification
January 2022 Public Announcement
Selection Process
The selection process takes an entire year to complete. Artists are anonymously
nominated by a geographically diverse and rotating group of arts professionals to apply.
Over the span of 3 months, applications are reviewed by discipline-specific panels who
select the finalists for approval from our Board of Trustees. The Fellowship is then
announced publicly in January 2022.
* If you do not have access to the internet or are unable to complete an application
through our online process, please contact us as soon as possible so we can assist you.
Note: Your application will be reviewed based on your whole body of work with an
understanding that the pandemic has affected the production of new works.
Criteria
Panelists evaluate applications based on the following questions:
• Vision: How has this artist demonstrated a unique artistic vision throughout their
practice?
• Impact: Have they made or could they make significant contributions to their field
and/or cultural ecosystem?
• Momentum: Is this the right time in the artist’s professional or creative development
for this award?2022 USA FELLOWSHI P APPLI CATI O N 5 of 13
SlideRoom Application Form
The application form will have five sections to complete.
1. Contact Information:
Basic information about yourself and how we can contact you.
2. Eligibility Requirements:
Eligibility verification through a series of “yes” or “no” questions.
3. Artistic Practice:
Short answer questions about you and your work, resume upload, etc.
4. Demographic Information:
Optional information that helps us improve our application outreach and process.
5. Portfolio:
Work sample upload.2022 USA FELLOWSHI P APPLI CATI O N 6 of 13 Application Instructions Carefully read the requirements before completing your application online. → No late applications will be accepted. → No changes or additions may be made to application materials after the deadline. Accessing the Application The USA Fellowship application is on SlideRoom. 1. Click on the link sent via email to start your application via SlideRoom. Once you do, click on “Apply Now” to begin. 2. Create a login and password with SlideRoom if you do not already have one. You may save your application and return to it any time before you submit. 3. Once you get to the section titled “Portfolio,” click on “+Add Media” to upload work samples. Refer to caption guide. 4. For technical issues while uploading work samples, SlideRoom has a useful online guide here. 5. Once you are ready to apply, go to the section titled “Submit” and click the final “Submit Application” button.
2022 USA FELLOWSHI P APPLI CATI O N 7 of 13
Artistic Practice Section
Disciplines (choose only 1)
As the applicant, you make the final determination of which discipline to apply under.
Choosing is not about definitively identifying with one discipline, but rather selecting
the type of panel that will review your work.
Applications will only be reviewed by one discipline-specific panel. We know that artists
practice in multiple fields and across disciplinary boundaries; therefore, our staff works
hard to build diverse panels for each discipline.
Architecture & architecture: building, interior, landscape, urban planning, etc.
Design design: fashion, graphic, industrial, object, type, etc.
Craft ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, metals, textiles, etc.
Dance aerial, ballet, choreographers, dancers, hip-hop, jazz, tap, etc.
Film animation, documentary, episodic, experimental, narrative, shorts,
etc.
Media work that uses technology, aesthetics, storytelling, digital cultures,
and so on; including but not limited to immersive design,
interactive media, podcasts, virtual reality, web-based projects, etc.
Music classical, composers, contemporary, experimental, folk,
instrumental, jazz, musicians, pop, world, etc.
Theater & directing, experimental, live action, playwriting, puppetry, tactical
Performance and site performance, etc.
Traditional work related to the continuity and evolution of a tradition and/or
Arts cultural heritage such as cultural dance, cultural music, oral
expression, and traditional crafts, etc.
Visual Art installation, painting, performance art, photography, sculpture,
sound art, video, etc.
Writing criticism, fiction, graphic novels, journalism, nonfiction, poetry, etc.2022 USA FELLOWSHI P APPLI CATI O N 8 of 13
Practice Descriptor (5 words or less)
The practice descriptor is a word or two that best summarizes your practice. For
reference, recent Fellows have identified as the following:
Architecture & • Architect
Design • Fashion Designer
Craft • Ceramicist
• Experimental Weaver
Dance • Dancer & Choreographer
• Performer
Film • Documentary Filmmaker
• Screenwriter
Media • Podcaster
• Virtual Reality Artist
Music • Trumpeter & Composer
• Singer & Songwriter
Theater & • Playwright
Performance • Theater Director
• Performance Collective
Traditional • Basket Weaver
Arts • Folk Guitarist
Visual Art • Installation Artist
• Multidisciplinary Artist
• Painter
Writing • Poet & Cultural Critic
• Fiction Writer2022 USA FELLOWSHI P APPLI CATI O N 9 of 13
Biography (250 words or less)
The biography is intended to provide a brief introduction and overview of your personal
background and artistic practice. Although you may include accolades here, it should
not merely repeat what is listed in your resume.
Resume (3 pages or less in a single PDF)
The resume should be tailored to provide a concise but holistic snapshot of your
professional accomplishments with an emphasis on your notable achievements,
activities, and milestones.
Short Answer Responses
These responses directly correspond to the criteria listed on page 1 and are used in the
panel review process to give panelists insight into your practice, intention, and vision.
These answers should focus on your practice as a whole rather than the specifics of
individual works. We recommend drafting your text in a word processing program and
using spellcheck before submitting.
The application requires you to answer the following two short answer questions:
1. What motivates your artistic practice? Please describe the intention behind your
work. (500 words or less)
2. Where are you in your practice and how would the award impact your work and life?
(250 words or less)2022 USA FELLOWSHI P APPLI CATI O N 10 of 13
Portfolio Section
File Specifications (all disciplines)
• Images must be less than 5 MB per file
• Videos must be less than 250 MB per file
• Audio must be less than 30 MB per file
• Documents must be uploaded as a PDF with page numbers and be less than
10 MB per file
• URL links must be Vimeo, YouTube, or SoundCloud
*For other websites that are not Vimeo, YouTube, or SoundCloud please compile links
with captions on a single PDF and upload as a Document.
Work Sample Guidelines (by discipline)
These guidelines are based on panelist recommendations and are designed to better
support your application. Consult the chart on this page for your discipline’s
requirements and submit the combination of work samples that work best for your
application. To clarify, we are not asking you to submit everything suggested next to
your discipline in the grid. Submit the type of samples that make sense for you and best
showcases your practice. We ask that you do not submit more than what is listed. Also,
kindly note that SlideRoom accepts a maximum of 15 files.
Architecture & • 15 images or less
Design • 3 time-based files or less (should not exceed 30 minutes total)
• 5 PDF files or less (5 pages max per PDF)
Craft • 15 images or less
• 3 time-based files or less (should not exceed 30 minutes total)
Dance • 10 images or less
• 3 time-based files (should not exceed 30 minutes total)
• Include any cue points
Film • 10 images or less
• 3-4 time-based files (should not exceed 30-40 minutes total)
• For screenwriters: Up to 3 script samples (25 pages max. per
sample)
Media • 10 images or less
• 5 time-based files or less (should not exceed 50 minutes total)
• Web-based projects: Up to 5 URL links compiled on a single PDF2022 USA FELLOWSHI P APPLI CATI O N 11 of 13
Music • 10 time-based files or less
• Time-based files should not exceed 30-40 minutes total
• A mix of video and audio is recommended
Theater & • 10 images or less
Performance • 4 time-based files or less (should not exceed 30 minutes total)
• Include any cue points in description
• For playwrights: Up to 3 writing samples (25 pages max. per sample)
Traditional • 1 additional short answer response
Arts • 15 images or less
• 3 time-based files (should not exceed 30 minutes total)
• Include any cue points in description
Visual Art • 15 images or less
• 4 time-based fles or less (should not exceed 30-40 minutes total)
• For video/performance artists: It is strongly recommended that
you include time-based files
Writing • Poetry: 6-10 poems in one PDF → 20 pages total
• Prose: All samples in one PDF → 30 pages total
• Multigenre: Combination of the above in one PDF → Cannot
exceed 30 pages total
Give yourself ample time prior to submitting
Depending on internet speed, uploading large files will take time. Plan accordingly and
verify that your files are completely uploaded before submitting your application.
Work Sample Captions (requirements vary)
Work sample captions should be used to describe specific projects and provide
additional context for work as needed. Space is provided for the following with each file:
• Title
• Year
• Size/Dimensions/Length/Duration
• Media, Medium, or Materials
• Cue Points (if time based)
• Additional Details (100 words or less)2022 USA FELLOWSHI P APPLI CATI O N 12 of 13 Work Sample FAQs How will these work samples be shared? We will not share your application or work samples with individuals outside the application process. Each panelist and staff member is subject to a confidentiality and a conflict of interest policy. Your status as an applicant will remain confidential. Can I mail work samples by post? No. Applications are only available and accepted online via SlideRoom. All work samples must be directly uploaded to SlideRoom. If you are unable to complete an application through our online process, please contact us as soon as possible for assistance. See page 5 for contact information. What do I do if I am having technical trouble with uploading work samples to SlideRoom? Please reference this helpful FAQ page on SlideRoom’s website. If you continue to face issues, contact support@slideroom.com. Helpful Tips 1. Choose the most relevant disciplinary panel Decide what context you would like your work reviewed under and consider the discipline that shares your lexicon. This is not only about choosing which field experts are best suited to review your work, but also which discipline you are innovating or challenging within. 2. Embrace your voice in the short answer questions Each application is reviewed individually and based on its own merit. With that said, the strongest applications are those that address the criteria—vision, impact, and momentum—with a strong sense of voice and perspective. This is an opportunity for you to contextualize your work and articulate what motivates and inspires you. 3. This is not a project-based grant Write about your practice as a whole and only expand on important and relevant projects as needed. For example, if a project is central to your practice, you should write about it, but you shouldn’t spend time writing about every work sample provided in your short answer responses. Utilize the captions for project-specific descriptions.
2022 USA FELLOWSHI P APPLI CATI O N 13 of 13 4. Create access points into your practice Develop a narrative in your application through your short answer questions, work samples, etc. for panelists both familiar and unfamiliar with your work. 5. Focus on the narrative your work samples are telling and aim for quality over quantity Share your strongest and most relevant work. Choose samples that highlight your innovative approach and/or your unique perspective as an artist. For example, for some artists it is appropriate to show work in chronological order, while for others it can be a disservice. Submit work that you are most passionate about and believe is the strongest. Videos Click on the links below for video aids: Application Overview Application Requirements How to Use SlideRoom
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