The Public Art Learning Fund aims to strengthen the field of public art in New England by providing professional development support directly to artists.
Donor Name: New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA)
States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 12/13/2021
Size of the Grant: $500 to $2,000
Details:
The Public Art Learning Fund provides grants of $500 to $2,000 to support professional development opportunities for New England artists to strengthen their public art practices. Through the Public Art Learning Fund, NEFA intends to foster the continued development of more equitable, inclusive, and vibrant public spaces and public life throughout New England.
Public Art Learning Fund is one of NEFA’s grant programs supporting artists in the field of public art.
Program Values & Goals
NEFA’s Public Art programs acknowledge the necessity of addressing the intersectionality of spatial justice and racial justice in cultivating a more vibrant and equitable public art ecosystem.
The Public Art Learning Fund aims to strengthen the public art field in the region by supporting artists in further developing the skills, resources, and connections they need to build a more vibrant and equitable community of practice in the region. Learning in partnership with grantees, NEFA strives to learn how they may be able to better support a more equitable and sustainable public art ecosystem throughout the region.
The Public Art Learning Fund focuses on professional development opportunities that build necessary skills, resources, connections and strengthen artists’ public art practices and the public art field at large.
Artists may utilize the Public Art Learning Fund to: pursue a specific professional development opportunity to strengthen their own public art practice in New England and beyond. Examples may include but are not limited to attending a conference, workshop, training, or discussion related to building creative or administrative skills related to their public art practice; registration fees and travel expenses are eligible expenses.
Funding Priorities
Public Art Learning Fund equips artists with skills, resources, and connections to strengthen public art practices that contribute to more equitable, inclusive, and vibrant public spaces and public life throughout New England.
The Public Art Learning Fund gives priority to timely opportunities that are:
- Specifically expanding an artist’s public art practice. NEFA will look for clarity on desired learnings and application to artist’s public art practice.
- Equitably contributing to more just and inclusive public artmaking in the region. Artists at various stages in their public artmaking practice from urban, suburban, and rural communities across all six states in New England are welcome to apply.
NEFA values diverse cultural and artistic expressions as essential to more equitable and vibrant public spaces and recognizes that some artists may experience barriers to accessing professional development opportunities due to race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, class, age, and geography. The Public Art Learning Fund intends to prioritize equity in funding opportunities. This may include but is not limited to prioritizing artists who identify Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) and/or are rooted in rural communities.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicant must be an artist who resides full-time and makes work in one of the six New England States (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont)
- Applicant must be an artist whose artistic practice engages the public realm or who can demonstrate that they are in the process of expanding their artistic practice towards public artmaking
- Applicant must have a Creative Ground profile.
- Proposed professional development opportunity must:
- specifically relate to strengthening the applicant artist’s own public art practice
- take place during the grant period
Note: There are no geographic limitations for the professional development opportunity requested (e.g., an artist may apply to the Public Art Learning Fund to attend a conference outside of New England). However please be mindful of pandemic related travel restrictions that may be in place and consider a backup plan if you’re learning opportunity requires travel during this time.
Applicants who are NOT eligible to apply are:
- Artists seeking funding to develop or implement a specific public art project.
- Current Public Art Learning Fund grantees. Grantees must complete their funded activity and final grantee report before being eligible to apply for another Public Art Learning Fund grant.
For more information, visit Public Art Learning Fund.
