Deadline: 17-Oct-22
The New England Foundation for Arts (NEFA) is pleased to announce an open call for the Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice Grant Program to strengthen collaborations to collectively imagine creative, impactful, accountable public artmaking in Massachusetts.
Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice grants support teams of Massachusetts-based artists, creatives, culture bearers, cultural organizers, and community-based organizational collaborators, to do the important work of imagining: What does public art that fosters positive social change look, sound and feel like in your community?
Priorities
Priority will be given to teams that share in NEFA’s public art values and are commitment to the work of dismantling the legacies of racism, anti-Blackness, and white supremacy culture. In particular they are prioritizing teams that are:
- Led or co-led by Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC), and more specifically BIPOC artists and creatives. They believe the path to dismantling the legacies of racism and white supremacy culture includes centering BIPOC-led creative exploration and expression in public spaces.
- Built on trust and accountability. Teams that are aware of the power dynamics within their Collective Imagination Team and broader community and are actively working towards addressing imbalances in power dynamics.
- Rooted in community and/or demonstrate deep relationship to place – particularly rural places and/or places where folks are experiencing/have experienced displacement.
- Wrestling with the intersectionality of spatial justice and racial justice in their community and public spaces.
Funding Information
Collective Imagination Teams will be selected to participate in a cohort learning model and receive a $6,000 grant.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible Teams must be:
- Based in Massachusetts
- Have at least one team member who identifies as an artist or creative (teams may also include: culture bearers, cultural organizers, and/or community-based collectives or organizations).
- Have at least one team member who is rooted in community – where the team is focusing their imagination journey (e.g., a resident of that community, an artist who resides in that community, or someone who has worked in/with this community for a long time.)
- A total of at least three team members (e.g., one lead applicant and two or more collaborating applicants)
- Majority of team members (including the lead applicant) must be primarily based in Massachusetts. Teams may consist of some team members not based in Massachusetts.
- Interested in and committed to the work of collective imagination – imagining public art that fosters positive social change.
- The lead applicant of the team may apply as a:
- Community-based anchor organization working in collaboration with artists, activists and community members, culture bearers and/or cultural organizers (organizations may be a 501c3 or fiscally sponsored)
- Grassroots collaboration anchored in community and place – an informal collaboration of artists, activists and community members, culture bearers or cultural organizers (e.g., a collaboration without an organization taking the lead). For grassroots collaborations, the lead applicant may be any member of the team.
Ineligible
- Collective Imagination Team that is not primarily based in Massachusetts (i.e., majority of team members are not based in MA).
- Project-specific funding requests. Collective Imagination Grants intend to strengthen collaborations and support this necessary work of collectively imagining together, before diving into creating impactful, accountable public art.
- Current Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice grantee (lead applicant) who has not completed their respective grantee report.
Criteria
Teams will be selected based on:
- Clarity of intentions. They recognize that public spaces are not neutral. And public art made in public spaces is not neutral. They want to know what has brought your team to this moment of exploration and imagination, and why now? What are your intentions for embarking on an imagination journey together?
- Willingness to prioritize and be available to participate in virtual cohort gatherings in 2023.
For more information, visit https://www.nefa.org/ImagineSpatialJustice