CALL TO ARTISTS: REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

THE ART OF ACTION: Shaping Vermont’s Future Through Art

Vermont philanthropist and visionary, Lyman Orton (pictured at right), is collaborating with the Vermont Arts Council and the Vermont Council on Rural Development to commission two-dimensional works of art that reflect or respond to issues and challenges facing our state.  The intent is that the project and the work created will raise awareness and inspire a vision that will shape Vermont’s social, political, environmental, and/or economic future.

Twenty artists will be selected to make a presentation on a topic or topics related to Vermont’s future.  From these, ten will be selected to develop their concepts. Commissions will range from $10,000 to $40,000 and averaging $25,000.  

Selected artists will be commissioned to create two-dimensional works of art in media of the artists’ choosing (oils, acrylics, mixed, etc.) that reflect various topics that emerge from VCRD’s Council on the Future of Vermont’s statewide process of engaging Vermont citizens in exploring the state’s future.

The context as identified by VCRD’s Council on the Future of Vermont is as follows:

Economic, social, and environmental challenges facing Vermont have the potential to undermine traditional land use patterns, the economy, and the strength and unity of communities. These challenges are compounded by Vermont’s demographic pressures, an aging population, social, economic, and cultural divisions, and the need for affordable housing, government services, public safety, and transportation. Positive trends in health, education, mobility, and the technology-driven access to broader communities and trade also offer future opportunities. What do these challenges and opportunities mean to Vermonters, and what do they believe we will need to do to meet the future with confidence?

NOTE: We will begin accepting Requests for Qualifications on July 16, 2008.  Check back here for updated submission information.

The deadline for submissions is August 28, 2008.

Project Description:

The intent of The Art of Action: Shaping Vermont’s Future Through Art is to raise awareness and inspire citizen action around issues and challenges facing Vermonters.   Artists will explore the issues identified in the Council on the Future of Vermont’s public process to create thought-provoking and perhaps even challenging work, along with artists’ statements and other contextual documentation.
 
The goals for the project are to:

• Help Vermonters comprehend what the future may bring given current forces and trajectories, and to articulate a desired vision.
• Demonstrate how art is able to frame societal issues and engage people in dialogue and action.
• Cause more art of this type to be created as a result of this project.
• Create a national market for Vermont art and position the State as “the place to be” for creative and entrepreneurial leaders.

Opportunities for dialogue and action will result from the creation and/or presentation of the Works in a variety of settings and contexts.   Funded Works will demonstrate potential for action or change around the selected issue(s) or challenge(s). The selected artists will be enthusiastic and motivated by the potential of art as a means of investigating issues of statewide importance, exploring opportunities for the future, and instigating change. Each artist’s Work will provoke and/or inspire social awareness of, public engagement in and action around the selected topics.

Orton intends to retain one piece from each artist; the remaining pieces will be offered to the public at a major auction event. Proceeds from the auction will be used to seed another round of commissioning in order to continue to build the market. Some portion of auction proceeds will also be returned to the artists - in addition to the commission amounts – as a means to demonstrate the market success to the artists.

Selection Process:

A Project Review Committee will be responsible for the selection of artists and artwork for the Project.  The Committee will consist of people knowledgeable about various artistic disciplines as well as people knowledgeable about the various issues and challenges facing the future of Vermont.  

Step 1:  Artist Selection: 

Artists submit their qualifications for consideration for the project by the deadline.  The Requests for Qualifications submission form will be posted on the Vermont Arts Council’s website on July 16.  The deadline for submissions is August 28, 2008. 

The Committee will evaluate these submissions and narrow the pool of artists down to a group of approximately 20 Artist Finalists, who will be selected according to the following criteria:

• High artistic quality of past work;
• Experience and ability to work effectively with various communities or groups;\
• Ability to communicate effectively;
• Ability and willingness to attend occasional meetings in Vermont;
• Willingness to become familiar with the VCRD research;
• Ability to access additional resources when necessary;
• Willingness to share their work on a statewide level;
• Demonstrated desire to engage in this kind of work.

Step 2: Research & Project Development:   

Artist Finalists will each receive an honorarium of $2500 and will agree to:

• Familiarize themselves with the VCRD Council on the Future of Vermont process, input sources, and research, as well as conduct independent research as necessary.  
• Attend an orientation and a conference sponsored by the VCRD on the Future of Vermont.  Both events are estimated to take place in late fall of 2008.

Artist Finalists will choose a topic (or topics) of interest and will each prepare an oral presentation to be given to the Committee.  In addition they will be asked to supplement this oral presentation with a written proposal for their set of paintings.  Written proposals may include project description, budget, timeline and drawings, maquettes, and other prototypes as appropriate.

Step 3: Project Selection: 

Once the oral presentations are completed, the Committee will choose up to ten artist proposals for implementation. These chosen artists will be awarded commissions ranging from $10,000 to $40,000, and likely average around $25,000.  Artists will have up to eight months to complete their projects.

Artists will be selected according to the following criteria. Their proposals must:

• be of high artistic quality;
• address one or more issue, challenge or vision specific to the state of Vermont per the work of the CFV;
• engage Vermonters around the issues – either during the creation or presentation of the art work;
• stimulate action - either through changed behaviors and/or raised awareness about an issue.
• articulate goals relevant to action/proposed changes, and demonstrate a method or means to measure how well the project has met those
• goals;
• result in a series of marketable works of two-dimensional art (paintings, mixed media, etc.);
• have a reasonable budget;
• be clearly planned and presented;
• demonstrate that the artist has the ability to carry out the project as proposed.

Expectations:

• Artists whose Work is funded will be expected to sign a contract with the Arts Council that reflects the intentions of this Call to Artists. 
  
• Artists will further be required to participate in activities that promote and document their Work. Such activities will include, but not be limited to, video interviews, blogs, and other marketing and promotional tools.
  
• Works created by Artists in the context of this project will be considered “Works for Hire” and they and all their associated use and reproduction rights will become the property of Lyman Orton upon delivery. 
  
• Artists will be appropriately credited in all exhibitions, publications, and other documents pertaining to the marketing and promotion of the Works.

Eligibility:

Visual artists who are U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age are eligible to apply.  Arts Council Staff and Trustees, any Orton-Izzi-Byrne enterprise staff, VCRD Staff, and their family members, are not eligible to apply. 

Timeline:

Submission Process:

The Requests for Qualifications submission form and additional information will be posted here on July 16, 2008. 

The deadline for submissions is August 28, 2008.

CONTACT

Contact Project Manager John Zwick AFTER JULY 16, 2008 for any questions you may have about this project.

OTHER CALLS TO ARTISTS

Visit the following areas of our website for more information on open calls to artists.

• The latest issue of ArtMail, our free biweekly e-newsletter, contains updated information on local and national calls to artists. (consult the "Calls to Artists" and "Funding Opportunities" sections)
  
  
• Art in State Buildings Program - visit this page to learn if there are open requests for proposals.  (There are no new calls at this time)
  
  
• Art Fits Vermont - visit this page to learn how to participate in Art Fits Vermont, a statewide community arts projects coordinated by