Pew Fellowships in the Arts
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2008 Fields of Application:
- Folk & Traditional Arts
- Painting
- Playwriting
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Playwriting: Monday, December 10, 2007
Folk & Traditional Arts and Painting: Monday, January 7, 2008
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The folk & traditional arts and playwriting application form can be filled out online and printed using any standard printer. In order to access the form, you must have an Adobe Acrobat plug-in, available free from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.
Text can be cut and pasted from word processing documents into the individual fields in the form. Please note that when fields continue onto other pages, text must be cut and repasted to fit each individual field.
Acrobat will not print the contents of an "active" field on the form - i.e. one where the cursor is blinking next to the type. Click outside a field to "set" the type and make it printable.
Please Note: Field contents entered using the free Acrobat Reader software cannot be saved. Selecting "save" from within the Acrobat Reader program, will only save a copy of the application with empty fields.
If you wish to save completed application contents, you will need to purchase a full version of Adobe Acrobat*.
If you have any questions about using the PFA application on-line, please contact our offices at 267.350.4920.
* version 5.0 or higher
View the 2008 guidelines
in Adobe Acrobat format.
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The Pew Fellowships in the Arts (PFA) is one of six Artistic Initiatives including Dance Advance, the Heritage Philadelphia Program, Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative, Philadelphia Music Project and Philadelphia Theatre Initiative that are funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts (www.pewtrusts.org) and administered by the University of the Arts (www.uarts.edu). Located at the Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage (PCAH) along with the Philadelphia Cultural Management Initiative, these initiatives each year provide fellowships and project grants to individual artists and organizations, and support more than 600 performances in dance, music and theatre, history and visual arts exhibitions and programs for audiences in Southeastern Pennsylvania annually.
The Artistic Initiatives are part of the Trusts’ three-part strategy designed to sustain the richness and diversity of the region’s artists and cultural groups. One of the hallmarks of the Trusts’ work in the Philadelphia region is its emphasis on recognizing and supporting artistic excellence and challenging organizations to strengthen their programmatic, marketing, management,and financial capacities. In addition to the Artistic Initiatives,the strategy includes The Philadelphia Cultural Leadership Program (PCLP), which provides general operating funds to organizations that demonstrate managerial excellence and a strong sense of artistic mission. PCLP is complemented by the Philadelphia Cultural Management Initiative (PCMI), which provides resources to help organizations attain and maintain those standards.
ABOUT PEW FELLOWSHIPS IN THE ARTS
The Pew Fellowships in the Arts (PFA), established by The Pew Charitable Trusts in 1991, awards grants of a substantial amount to artists working in a wide variety of performing, visual, and literary disciplines. This year the grant amount has been increased from $50,000 to$60,000. The intent of PFA is to award outstanding artists who live and work in the five-county Philadelphia area, who have a demonstrated commitment and professional accomplishment within their field. The grants provide artists with economic freedom so that they have the opportunity to concentrate on their work over a considerable period of time—to explore, to experiment, and to develop it more fully. The program aims to provide such support at moments in artists’ careers when a concentration on artistic growth and exploration is most likely to have the greatest impact on an artist’s long-term personal and professional development. It is anticipated that grants will be used in large part to release artists from other types of employment so that they may pursue artmaking exclusively. Fellowships may be awarded to artists at any stage of their career development, from early to mature, and to artists working in a wide range of aesthetics and traditions. Up to 12 fellowships are awarded annually. (For a list of fellowship recipients please click here.)
SELECTION PROCESS
PFA makes awards to artists working in 12 different discipline categories, which rotate on a four-year cycle: choreography; crafts; fiction & creative nonfiction; folk & traditional arts; media arts; music composition; painting; performance art; playwriting; poetry; sculpture & installation; and works on paper. Applications are accepted annually for the three discipline categories under consideration in that year. Fellowship selections are made through a two-step process involving preliminary and final selection panels. Panels of distinguished artists and arts professionals from outside of the five-county Philadelphia area review applications. Panelists, chosen for their expertise and aesthetic breadth, serve for one year.
Separate preliminary panels are convened for each discipline category to review application materials and select finalists. The final selection of fellowship recipients is made by an interdisciplinary panel, comprised of a representative from each of the discipline-specific panels along with two–three additional members representing the three discipline categories being considered that year.
Fellowship recipients are determined according to two primary criteria. First, and most important, applicants are judged on their artistic accomplishment and future promise. Submitted work samples are the basis for this judgment. The quality of work is considered in the context of the applicant’s individual experience, training,and career stage. Second, panelists consider the impact that a fellowship will have on the applicant’s career and artistic development. The artist’s statement along with the submitted work samples is the basis for this judgment. All applicants are notified by mail, simultaneously, of their application status. For the 2008 cycle, fellowship application results will be announced in early June 2008. Names of panelists are disclosed at the same time as the fellowship results.
- Period and Payment Schedule—The fellowship period begins at the time of notification and continues until the last payment is received. Fellows will receive $60,000 in equal monthly payments for a period of 12 to 24 months. Fellows are required to begin their fellowship payment period within 12months of notification. If they wish, Fellows may receive up to $15,000 of the $60,000 in an initial payment regardless of when they plan to start, with the balance being paid in equal monthly installments for the term of the fellowship.
- Residency and Student Status—Recipients are required to maintain permanent legal residence in the five-county Philadelphia area during the fellowship period. Recipients may not be matriculated students (full- or part-time) in a degree-granting program or equivalent during the fellowship period.
- Reports—Fellows are required to submit brief interim reports during the fellowship period. At the conclusion of the fellowship period, each Fellow is required to submit a brief narrative report describing the impact of the fellowship.
- Orientation Meeting—After new Fellows are named, an orientation meeting is held to review the requirements of the fellowship and to answer any questions the artists may have. In addition to the orientation meeting, individual meetings are scheduled for each Fellow with the PFA director to discuss their individual needs and preferences for the fellowship period.
- Fellowship Publication and website—Each year, PFA publishes a catalogue featuring the fellowship recipients and their work. The catalogue is distributed to a broad cross-section of local and national arts professionals, with particular attention given to individuals and organizations that could provide professional visibility or advancement for the individual Fellows. PFA also puts examples of each Fellow’s work on its website along with brief biographical information.
- Fellowship Announcement and Public Presentation—Each fall PFA holds an awards ceremony to present the Fellows and their work to an invited audience of past Fellows and cultural leaders in Philadelphia.
- Gatherings—Fellows are expected to participate annually in several meetings with other fellowship recipients.
- Exit Interview—At the conclusion of the fellowship period, each Fellow is asked to participate in a discussion with the PFA director. This serves as an opportunity for the Fellow to share, in person, his/her experiences, talk about the impact of the fellowship on his/her work and future directions, and make suggestions and recommendations for the program.
2008 Fellowships— Folk &Traditional Arts, Painting, and Playwriting
All applicants must be practicing artists of demonstrated commitment and professional accomplishment, and be able to provide evidence of such. Please refer to specific eligibility requirements under appropriate field of application.
Residency Requirements:
- Applicants must have resided in the five-county Philadelphia area (Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware,and Montgomery) for at least two continuous years at the time of application.
- Applicants must maintain primary residence in the five-county Philadelphia area throughout the selection process.
- Artists who are granted fellowships must maintain primary residence in the five-county Philadelphia area during their fellowship period, which is defined as the time of notification through the last fellowship payment.
Artists are not eligible if they are:
- Not able to provide evidence of their professional achievements within their field of application.
- A matriculated student (full-time or part-time) in a degree-granting program or equivalent at the time of application or during the selection process.
- A current employee of the Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage or The Pew Charitable Trusts, or immediate family member of such an individual.
- A previous recipient of a Pew Fellowship in the Arts.
- It is the policy of PFA to offer equal opportunity and consideration to all eligible applicants without regard to race, creed, color, gender, national origin, age, handicap, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, or any other legally protected status.
Artists who have questions concerning PFA’s policies, eligibility, or the application itself are encouraged to contact the PFA office.
ADDITIONAL PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
Mailing List—As a service to the artists in our region, PFA maintains an extensive database of artists’ names and addresses. This resource is shared with other organizations that seek to offer area artists benefits or opportunities, such as grants, exhibitions, commissions, publications, etc. Artists are encouraged to list themselves with PFA, and to contact our office in the event of a change of address.
FUTURE PROGRAM MODIFICATIONS
PFA reserves the right to modify this program at any time in response to experience gained from its operation, advice from panelists, input from fellowship applicants and recipients, external evaluations, and the community.
2008 APPLICATIONS
FIELDS OF APPLICATION- Folk & Traditional Arts
- Painting
- Playwriting
Deadlines:
- Playwriting: Monday, December 10, 2007
- Folk & Traditional Arts and Painting: Monday, January 7, 2008
For Folk & Traditional Arts and Playwriting, applications must be received in the PFA office (by post or hand-delivered) by 5 pm on the deadline day. This deadline is for receipt of your application, not a postmark deadline.
Painting applications must be submitted online. The online application will close at 5 pm on January 7, 2008.
All applicants are encouraged to review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of this website or call or e-mail PFA staff with any questions you may have about application requirements, the selection process, or the fellowship program in general.
HOW TO APPLY—FOLK & TRADITIONAL ARTS AND PLAYWRITING
A complete application will include:
- Two copies of the application form. (Handwritten applications are not accepted. Download the application here.)
- One set of materials to verify residency
- Support materials as specified for each field of application, clearly labeled according to directions
- Self-addressed stamped envelope with sufficient postage and adequate packaging if support materials are to be returned
- Write the field of application boldly on the outside of the envelope
Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
- Reduce type size smaller than 10 pt. (in other words, please make certain that the type can be easily read).
- Work outside of the provided margin lines on the application pages.
- Staple or bind the application form or support materials.
- Submit extra pages, résumés, reviews, or any support materials that are not required.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Applicants who have completed the enclosed acknowledgment card will receive it approximately one month after the deadline. If immediate confirmation of receipt is needed, send the application by registered mail. If you do not receive an acknowledgment card within one month of the deadline, please contact the PFA office to confirm that your materials have been received. Please do not call before a month has lapsed. Applicants who change their address between the deadline and notification date should contact PFA in a timely manner.
Applicants must apply online. Go to the online application to register and create a new account in order to open an application. Once registered, you will be able to return and login as needed to edit your application until you submit it. Your entire application, including digital image work samples, will be submitted online. You will also submit your images/work samples online. (Refer to the directions under the painting Work Sample Requirements section of the guidelines.)
NOTE: Once you have submitted your application, you will no longer be able to make changes, so be sure you have reviewed everything carefully before submitting.
You must submit the online component of your application and mail your residency verification by 5 pm on Monday, January 7, 2008.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
When you have completed and submitted your online application, you will be given a confirmation number.You must print and include this number with residency verification requirement documents submitted via USPS mail. This means you cannot mail your residency verification documents until you have completed and submitted your online application.
ARTISTS APPLYING IN MULTIPLE CATEGORIES
Artists may apply in more than one category annually, and in every year in which they believe they are qualified. If applicants apply in more than one field, a separate application and set of support materials must be submitted for each field. Applicants are likely to be most competitive in a category if they can demonstrate a significant commitment to and/or a body of work in that particular art form. Artists who have difficulty deciding in which area to apply should consider which category is most likely to include work similar to their own or have panelists who will be knowledgeable about the field in which the artist works.
ARTISTS APPLYING IN COLLABORATION
Artists who clearly demonstrate an ongoing collaborative career may apply together. Such artists should submit separate biographical information on the application form, but complete only one artist’s résumé and statement,and submit only one set of support materials. If a collaborative application receives an award, the grant will be divided evenly between the collaborating artists. All individual applicants must clearly state their roles and must meet the eligibility requirements.
SUPPORT MATERIALS
While PFA is aware that there is no adequate substitute for original works of art or live performance, under current circumstances there is no solution to the problem of review other than the various standardized reproductions of work samples (slides, DVDs, digital images, etc.) requested in these guidelines. Since panelists will use an applicant’s work samples as their primary basis for evaluation, applicants are urged to submit the best quality material in the most appropriate format possible. These work samples may be the only visual or auditory experience panelists have with an applicant’s work.
The importance of high quality support materials cannot be overemphasized. We recommend that artists project their slides/digital images and review their compact discs, DVDs, video, and audio tapes, and look over their application carefully before submitting them for review. General guidelines for submitted work are as follows:
- Applicants are encouraged to submit their strongest current work. (As a general rule, work created within the last five years).
- Applicants may NOT submit work created while a student.
- Applicants may NOT submit thesis work.
- No more than the maximum number of materials specified will be reviewed.
- Do not send original works of art, printed reviews, promotional tapes, brochures, or catalogues. They will not be reviewed.
- Applicants must clearly state the roles of any other artists who may have been involved in works submitted.
- If an applicant is proposing to work on a particular piece or body of work during the fellowship period, the submission should include a portion of this particular work-in-progress or examples of the type of work to be pursued.
- If an applicant is moving in a new direction, the ability to articulate that direction through the work samples is very helpful to the panels and will enable the panel to make an informed decision.
- Applicants who believe their work is best demonstrated through documentation other than what is requested may submit additional support materials upon approval of PFA’s director. Please contact the PFA office at 267.350.4920.
FOLK & TRADITIONAL ARTS AND PLAYWRITING
All support materials must accompany the application form. During the review process, all application forms and support materials will be the property of PFA. While taking all reasonable care, PFA cannot be held responsible for damage to support materials submitted. Fellowship recipients’ support materials remain with PFA’s office for archival purposes. Applicants not selected for fellowships may have their support materials returned after the announcement of the awards. If you would like your support materials returned, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return of your materials, otherwise, your support materials will be discarded.
WORK SAMPLE REQUIREMENTS
FOLK & TRADITIONAL ARTS
Folk and Traditional arts include community—or family—based arts that have endured generations or have emerged out of common experience. Folk arts carry with them a sense of shared aesthetics and standards of excellence. As well, folk and traditional arts tend to have their own particular, often community-based, systems of training and education through which individuals attain mastery.
Artists working in both visual and performing traditions may apply in this category. Artists working in visual traditions should submit up to 20 digital images or slides, and artists working in performing traditions should submit two–three samples of works on DVD, compact disc, or video/audiotape or as appropriate to their form of expression. Support materials must be accompanied by a completed application.
As evidence of a demonstrated commitment and professional accomplishment, artists applying in the folk and traditional arts category must be able to articulate their relationship to a particular community or tradition. On the Description of Submitted Work section of the application artists should include a description of the cultural community or tradition in which they are grounded, and an explanation of the significance of the art within that community. Please provide information about your particular art form, how it was learned, and the place it has within the community—for example, how does your repertoire relate to the wider tradition in which you work, or in what context(s) is your work seen or heard. It may also be helpful to explain to the panel what they are seeing/listening to in your work samples, as well as any other information the panel may need to understand what makes the sample a good representation of the form.
For folk and traditional arts applicants, the Philadelphia Folklore Project offers workshops and technical assistance to help with the application process. You can contact them at 215.726.1106.
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All applicants in painting must be able to provide evidence of their demonstrated commitment and professional accomplishment within their field. To fulfill the requirement, it is required that applicants in this category have:
- Had their work included in at least two curated/juried exhibitions at a recognized gallery or museum.
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- Received other awards, grants, and fellowships in painting.
None of these exhibitions/honors can be of work created or presented while an undergraduate or graduate student at a college or university. This information must be listed on the résumé section of the application.
Applications will only be accepted online.
Visit http://pewarts.cuerate.org to register and create a new account in order to open an application. Once registered, you will be able to return and login as needed to edit your application until you submit it. You will be asked to provide the following information: biographical (i.e. name,address, etc.), work sample inventory (at least 12 and no more than 20 digital images and identification information), artist statement, and résumé. Directions on submitting your images/work samples online are listed below.
Digital Image Specifications
Upload at least 12 and no more than 20 digital images using the following specifications:
- Dimensions: Each image must be no more than 1240 pixels x 1240 pixels. (i.e., the widest dimension is no more than 1240 pixels)
- Resolution: 72 dpi (standard for viewing on a monitor)
- File size: No larger than 4.0 MB (each image). This refers to the file when it is saved as a .JPG, not when opened in a program such as Photoshop.
- File format: Images must be in .JPG format with a .JPG extension
- RGB is the suggested color profile.
- A black border will fill around your uploaded image if it is less than 1,240 x 1,240 pixels.
- Digital images will be uploaded along with your application. Do NOT send discs containing image files.
- Naming convention for digital files: first 8 letters of the applicant’s last name and then number for presentation (preferably chronological order, beginning with earliest work). For example, franklin01.jpg; franklin02.jpg; franklin03.jpg.
- Do not use any punctuation, symbols, or spaces in the file names.
- Images may include different views of individual pieces and/or details of such. Specify in the Additional Info section if an image is a detail.
- Applicants whose work is dependent upon scale for overall impact are strongly encouraged to submit at least one image demonstrating size (in general, an installation shot will suffice). Images will be projected four at a time in the order in which they are uploaded. Chronological order, beginning with your earliest work, is encouraged but not required.
How to Upload Your Images:
- Using the “Browse” button, find and select the image file to be uploaded.
- After selecting a file, click “Upload” button.
- Make sure that the file name appears next to “File uploaded” and that the “Remove File” button appears.
- You may remove the uploaded file by clicking “Remove File” button.
- Once you finish uploading an image and entering its corresponding description, you can upload your next image. Check each image to insure it has uploaded properly. Click on the file name to view your image.
- Please make sure to save your work after uploading each image. You can use the “Save Your Work” button at the bottom of the screen.
- When you have completed and submitted your online application, you will be given a confirmation number. You must include this number with your residency verification submitted via USPS mail. This means you cannot mail your residency verification until you have completed and submitted your online application.
NOTE: The online application closes at 5 p.m. on Monday, January 7, 2008. Once you have submitted your application, you will no longer be able to make changes, so be sure you have reviewed everything carefully before submitting. Mail your residency verification after submitting the online application.
PLAYWRITING
Playwriting includes artists writing for stage only. All applicants must be able to provide evidence of their demonstrated commitment and professional accomplishment within their field. It is required that applicants in this category have:
- Had one full production within the last five years presented for the public at a professional venue for which admission was charged.
This production can not be of work created or presented while an undergraduate or graduate student at a college or university. Include the title of the piece, producer/production company, director, names of other major collaborators, dates of production, number of performances,and venue in the Résumé section of the application. Along with a completed application, applicants in playwriting should submit one unbound copy each of two completed works. Please include a cover for each manuscript with a one-page synopsis of the work.
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To assist artists with the application process, and to provide more information regarding the PFA guidelines and selection process, a FAQ section has been added to the PFA website, answering the questions our applicants have repeatedly asked throughout the years.
STAFF
Melissa Franklin, Director
Sarah Biemiller, Senior Program Associate
Ellen Maher, Program Assistant
PLEASE ADDRESS ALL INQUIRIES TO:
Pew Fellowships in the Arts
Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage
1608 Walnut Street, 18th floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Telephone 267.350.4920
Fax 267.350.4997
Email pfa@pcah.us
www.pewarts.org