Artist eligibility

To be eligible for this grant, an applicant MUST be

• A resident of Kentucky (which includes the Greater Louisville area of Clark and Floyd counties in Indiana) for at least 12 calendar months before applying, and until the grant final report is submitted.

• A professional contemporary visual fine artist. Work in adjacent fields (such as fashion, design, music, theater, dance, commercial photography, and documentary film), will only be considered if it directly and significantly engages the contemporary art discourse.

Artists who maintain a collaborative art practice may apply as a collaborative.

An applicant is NOT considered eligible if they

• Are currently enrolled as a student, including graduate and post-graduate programs.

• Have a primary artistic focus that is commercial in nature (e.g., commercial photography, fashion design, etc).

• Are an arts organization, institution, or commercial art outlet.

Following our mission to strengthen the level of critical discourse among artists in the region, the APDG program supports travel that promises a growth in the artist’s knowledge of and engagement with contemporary art and arts professionals.

To be eligible for this grant, a proposal MUST fall within the implementation dates outlined in the Grant Calendar and include travel outside the region that encompasses one or more of the following activities: 

• To see contemporary art exhibitions, installations, performance art events, or visual art festivals that can help the artist develop broader knowledge and critical engagement with contemporary art and its concerns

• To meet and engage with professional colleagues for activities such as studio visits and meetings with critics and curators

• To participate or attendance at symposia, conferences, and seminars relating to the applicant’s practice

• To attend residencies whose primary programming connects artists with critics, curators, other artists, and professionals related to the artist’s practice*

*Residencies that are simply studio retreats will not be considered. Funding support does not include costs for materials at the residency.

A travel proposal will NOT be considered if it includes any of the following activities:

• Attendance at art classes, art courses, and workshops or travel focused on learning technical or craft skills 

• Attendance at commercial art events such as art fairs (e.g.. Art Basel Miami, Paris Photo, Frieze) and fundraisers (e.g., galas and benefits) 

• Search for commercial gallery representation

• Exhibition of the artist’s work or the production of exhibitions

• Completion of a project already in development

• Production of artwork or the development of a body of work

• Viewing or study of historical exhibitions or collections of work, or non-contemporary art-related practices 

• Research for the production of exhibitions or curatorial projects*

• Travel within the Great Meadows Foundation region

* Eligible curators can apply for the Curator Travel Grant.

FIRST-TIME APPLICANT MEETING

All first-time applicants MUST schedule a meeting to talk with the director (phone, Zoom or in-person) before applying. Applicants can request an appointment by emailing info@greatmeadowsfoundation.org BEFORE the First-Time Applicant Meeting Deadline listed in the Grant Calendar.

During our meeting, we will discuss the nature of the grant and application process, your current artistic practice and ambitions, as well as your grant proposal ideas. This allows us to ensure your proposal falls under the eligibility guidelines and provide any additional direction and resources you may need. Our meeting also gives you the chance to ask any questions about the grant and/or application process.

ALL APPLICANTS

All applicants are welcome to send a draft of their application for review by the foundation before officially submitting it through the website. Please notify the Foundation well in advance if you intend to send a draft by emailing info@greatmeadowsfoundation.org. This process allows you to get editorial feedback that can help strengthen your application. We recommend you send your draft as early as possible in the grant cycle.

SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

All applicants are required to submit their completed application through the online website portal by the deadline listed in the Grant Calendar. APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. APPLICATIONS THAT ARE NOT COMPLETE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. We recommend submitting your application well before the deadline in case you encounter any technical difficulties.

REVIEW AND NOTIFICATION

All applications are reviewed by a committee of art professionals from outside the grant region. Applicants will be notified about the status of the application by the date listed in the Grant Calendar, and be given further instructions should they be awarded a grant.

Those receiving grants are required to submit a final report no later than 14 days after the completion of their grant project.

We strongly recommend applicants carefully read through these guidelines before filling out the online application. When ready, the application form is available at this link. 

We encourage all applicants to be ambitious in developing proposals that will significantly advance their practice and engagement with contemporary art discourse on a national and global level. Successful proposals tend to be those that are thoroughly researched and include specific exhibitions, events, and/or meetings that will enable the artist to build relationships and contribute to broader dialogs about contemporary art.

CVs should be submitted as a one-page PDF with 12-pint Arial font, single line spacing. The header should include ONLY the applicant’s name, “CV”, and website and/or Instagram handle. All other identifying information will be removed before the CV is seen by the outside reviewers.

CVs more than one page in length will not be accepted, so be selective and include only significant exhibitions and accomplishments in your artistic career. We recommend including these categories: Education; Exhibitions (group and solo); Publications and/or published reviews; Residencies, Fellowships, and Grants; Public Collections.
An example of a properly formatted CV can be found at this link.

Applicants are required to submit 10 images of recent work, or work that is relevant to their project proposal. While hi-res images are not required, successful applicants tend to have clear and sharp images that convey scale and detail. Artists with time-based practices should include a still image with a link to the corresponding video.

Images must be submitted as a 10-page PDF with one artwork per page. Detail photos or different aspects of a 3D work should be included on the same page. Below each work, list ONLY the following information:

• Title

• Date

• Medium

• Dimensions (or duration for time-based work)

Do NOT include narrative information about the work, unless it includes an optical illusion or ambiguous element that requires a short clarification. Files exceeding 10 pages in length or 4MB in size will NOT be accepted. 

An example of a properly formatted PDF of images can be found at this link.

The following three questions form the core of the grant application and are what the reviewers will weigh most heavily in evaluating the submissions. Applicants may share a draft of their proposal with the director and staff for critical feedback and suggestions before formally submitting their application. Please notify us well in advance, at greatmeadowsfoundation.org, if you plan to send us a draft.

Having a friend outside the art world read through your draft can also help alert you to any points of confusion or missing information, ensuring you have communicated your ideas clearly. We suggest all applicants draft their answers in a separate document before copying and pasting them into the official application, and we strongly recommend submitting your completed application well before the due date so we can assist you if you encounter any technical issues. Again, late applications and incomplete applications will not be accepted, NO EXCEPTIONS.

Below, we’ve included helpful guidelines for each of the questions; sample responses are available at this link. Applicants are encouraged to contact the director at info@greatmeadowsfoundation.org for clarification or with any additional questions about the application.

Application Question 1 (The “Who”)

Give a brief outline of your practice. Give some background about your artistic concerns and interests. [Max. 1500 characters including spaces]

Here, you will describe your work and practice to arts professionals who have never seen it before (the outside reviewers). You’ll want to include things like your medium, scale, materials, and process.  (E.g., I am a painter who primarily creates large-scale abstract works on upcycled billboard vinyl using bright acrylic paints and natural materials such as coal slag and sand in a layered and iterative process.) 

Successful applications create a connection for the reviewers between the images you include in your PDF and your description of your practice. Don’t, for example, discuss your sculpture practice in this part and include all time-based works in your PDF.

We also recommend including a brief background of your artistic practice, the subject matter you address, your artistic concerns and intentions with the work, and other artists that have informed your practice and/or that you see your work in conversation with. Do NOT rely on jargon and “artspeak” to try to impress the reviewers; successful applications communicate their ideas clearly and concisely.

Application Question 2 (The “What”)

Give a detailed and clear description of your plan of activities, including how many days your travel will take. Tell where and when you will go, what you will see or do, and what artists and/or arts professionals you intend to connect with. If you are planning to attend an event or exhibition, state its significance to your practice. For clarity, you may want to include a simple itinerary list.  [Max. 1500 characters including spaces]

Here, we recommend being as detailed as possible. As stated in the prompt, writing your response as an itinerary can both help you plan your activities and aid the reviewer in understanding your proposal.

First, include how many days your travel will take, and when you will be arriving and departing your proposed destination(s). Then, describe what you will do there—again, being as specific as possible. 

For example, if you are going to visit a museum, state which exhibition(s) you will see; if you are going to a biennale, tell us what the theme is and which participating artists are of interest to you. If you are attending a residency or a conference, tell us which lectures and/or symposia you will attend and which arts professionals you intend to engage with there. If you have meetings with fellow professionals planned, tell us who they are and what they do—i.e. artist/art writer/curator.

Wherever you propose to travel, research what other contemporary art exhibitions, galleries, and events are happening there and include them in your itinerary. Successful applicants demonstrate that they’re making the best use of their time outside the region, engaging with the contemporary art world in as many ways as possible.

Application Question 3 (The “Why”)

Give a brief description of why you want to undertake this travel. What is the significance of the travel destination or event for you as an artist? How will you benefit from visiting this destination or event? Will you have the opportunity to meet individuals who can benefit your practice? What will be the impact upon your practice as an artist when you return to Kentucky? [Max. 1500 characters including spaces]

Here’s where you connect the dots. This response is your opportunity to convince the reviewer that the itinerary you outlined in Question 2 will significantly advance the artistic practice that you described in Question 1. 

For example, if you are going to a biennale, describe how that year’s theme and the participating artists are relevant to your practice. If you are visiting major exhibitions, describe how the subject matter and works might help expand or change your conception of your own practice. If you are attending a residency or a conference, describe how it can connect your practice to a broader discourse and what relationships you might cultivate among the participants or attendees.

Successful applicants also consider how they might share what they experience with their Kentucky artistic community, be it through the classes, workshops, studio visits, mentorship, writing, and more. Remember that the mission of the foundation is “to critically strengthen and support visual art in Kentucky by empowering our community’s artists and other visual arts professionals to research, connect, and participate more actively in the broader contemporary art world.”

Applicants may request between $500 and $7,000 for their proposed travel and activities. Successful applications offer well researched, detailed, and realistic itemized budgets. We highly recommend listing expenses in a bullet-point format and being as specific as possible, as the reviewers will review your budget to determine if your proposal has been thoroughly researched and realistic within the requested budget.

The following guidelines can help you develop your budget within the allotted categories.

Travel

Give the dates you will travel and modes of transportation (e.g., plane, train, car, etc.)

• For flights, list the airline, arrival and departure times, flight number, etc. Will you need to check a bag? If so, list checked baggage cost. We encourage applicants to also provide a link to their flight.

• If you are traveling in your own car, estimate the mileage and number of gallons of gas you will need to buy. If you renting a car at your destination, give details of the hire costs and estimate the mileage and number of gallons of gas you will need to buy.

• If you will use public transportation while away, list what you will be using, what pass you will get, etc.

• If you plan to use rideshares, list the anticipated routes and costs

Lodging

• List the number of nights you will need lodging, include check-in and check-out dates

• List the name of accommodation and its location, making sure that it is close to the venues you will be visiting

• Applicants are encouraged to also include a link to their proposed accommodations

Meals

• We recommend using budgetyourtrip.com or a similar source to calculate the cost per day for food

• Consider that on travel days you may not need a meal if you will be provided breakfast, lunch, or dinner on your flight

• Also take into account if your accommodation provides breakfast, or a kitchenette or mini-fridge where you can keep fresh food items

Other

Use this section to list other costs you might incur, such as catalogues for exhibitions outlined in your application, museum entrance fees, or other admission fees

Other Funding

Applicants should list any other funds they may be utilizing. For instance, other grants; funds available from your department if you’re teaching at a university; or your own funds if the total travel costs exceed our maximum of $7,000.

All applications are reviewed by committee of visual art professionals outside the grant region. This committee changes with each round of the grant. When reviewing applications, the committee will consider the following in scoring the proposals:

• The quality of the applicant’s work

• The proposal’s relevance to the program guidelines

• The ambition and focus of the proposed itinerary

• How well the proposal has been researched

• Specific goals and identified contacts detailed in the proposal

• The ability for the travel to positively benefit the critical growth of the artist’s career

• How detailed and realistic the budget is

Applicants will be notified about the status of the application by the date listed in the Grant Calendar, and be given further instructions should they be awarded a grant.

Those receiving grants will be required to submit a final report no later than 14 days after the completion of their grant project. 

Reapplying 

Any artist who applied but was not awarded a grant is strongly encouraged to reapply in the next round, provided their proposed activities still fall within the dates listed in the Grant Calendar. 

The following application rules apply to those who have been awarded grants:

• Artists MUST have submitted a final report for their previous grant in order to be eligible to apply for another grant

• Artists who have received up to 4 grants in this program must miss 1 round before being eligible to reapply

• Artists who have received 5-9 grants in this program must miss 2 rounds before being eligible to reapply

• Artists who have received 10+ grants in this program must miss 3 rounds before being eligible to reapply.