The Oregon Media Arts Fellowship is a biannual award provided by the Oregon Arts Commission and overseen by the Portland Art Museum’s Center for an Untold Tomorrow (PAM CUT) for outstanding achievement and creativity in the field of media arts in the state of Oregon.
Applications for fellowships are now closed. Check back in 2024 for new applications.
Please see the below for more information, rules, guidelines.
About the fellowship program
Artist fellowships honor Oregon’s professional artists and their achievements while supporting efforts to advance their careers. Oregon Media Arts Fellowships provide financial support to enable Oregon media artists the opportunity to create or complete new work or works-in-progress. Review panels look for Oregon artists of outstanding talent, demonstrated ability and commitment to the creation of new work.
Award amounts
Awards are $5,000, with no matching funds required. There will be two fellowships awarded. There are limited resources and all applicants may not receive funding.
Payment schedule
Grant awards will be paid within two months of notification of receiving an award. Applicants should plan accordingly.
Requirements & limitations
Deadline
All applications for the fellowship program must be submitted by completing the online application form no later than 5:00 p.m. on March 31, 2023, to be considered for review.
PAM CUT and the Arts Commission are not responsible for late applications and cannot guarantee processing of applications submitted after the published deadline.
Eligibility
The Arts Commission or PAM CUT have final determination on eligibility and may request more information as necessary.
At the time of application, all applicants must:
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Not be enrolled in a creative degree-bearing program either part-time or full-time
- Submit an individual application — joint applications from two or more artists are not accepted (while the Arts Commission and PAM CUT acknowledge many artists’ work collaboratively, awards are only made to individual artists)
- Have been domiciled in Oregon for at least one year (domicile is a person’s fixed, permanent, and principal home for legal purposes)
- Not received a Media Arts Fellowship or any Oregon Arts Commission Fellowship in the prior five years
- Submit only one fellowship application per year
How applications are reviewed
PAM CUT staff reviews submitted applications for eligibility, completeness and accuracy. Applications that meet program requirements are accepted for further review.
Applications are then reviewed by a panel of professionals with experience in the arts and other fields relevant to the grant program. PAM CUT considers panel recommendations for funding and determines final award amount.
Documentation of the artist’s work is the most important component of the application and artists are strongly advised to submit well-documented and clearly identified work samples for review. Fellowships are awarded primarily based on the creative excellence presented in the applicant’s work samples. All work samples should be clear, legible and/or audible reproductions of the applicant’s work.
Membership on review panels changes every year, so applicants should not assume that panelists have any prior knowledge of their work.
Review criteria
The following review criteria will be used to evaluate applications:
- Aesthetic and artistic quality of the applicant’s submitted artwork
- Artist’s sustained professional achievement
- Potential for the artist’s future contribution to the field
- Application materials (to be answered/submitted via the online form)
Question 1
Artistic Statement: Who are you as a media artist? What is it you do, or make? What formats or processes do you use? (max 1,500 characters)
Question 2
Intent: Describe your intention, purpose or motivation for creating in your artistic practice. What are some of the themes or topics explored in your work? What have you accomplished through your artistic practice or hope to accomplish? (max 1,500 characters)
Question 3
Areas of Interest: What conceptual, aesthetic, or formal directions are you interested in addressing through your future creative work? Does this continue the work you are already doing or will it take you in new directions? Please explain. (max 1,500 characters)
Resume and work samples
Submit your resume and work samples through a single URL that links to a Dropbox folder, Vimeo album, Google Drive or similar file sharing service. If you can’t include your files in one folder or link, please share a PDF that includes links and descriptions for each file.
Make sure your resume:
- Outlines your professional accomplishments
- Is a maximum of 2 pages
- Is a PDF
Up to 10 work samples
Your work samples should include:
- Files depicting individual pieces, artist’s role in production, start and end time of desired segment for review (if project is longer than 10 minutes), installation designs, models, stills, etc.
- Audio files with formats: AIFF, WAV, XMF and MP3
- Audio and video submissions that don’t exceed 20 minutes combined
- Necessary passwords
Assistance
Upon request, application materials will be made available in alternate format such as Braille, large type or on audiotape. For applicants who are hearing-impaired and require TTD/TTY assistance, call 800-735-2900.
Assistance with technical requirements and application scope is available from PAM CUT staff prior to the application deadline. Applicants may also seek feedback after funding decisions have been made. Email ben@pamcut.org or call 503-276-4222 with questions. See the full Oregon Media Arts Fellowship guidelines to learn more.
The Arts Commission recognizes that procedural errors may occur in the application process and is committed to acknowledging errors and rectifying the effects. Appeals may not be made on the basis of an applicant’s disagreement with an assessment of how the application met the review criteria, the judgment of a panel or the amount of the award.
Appeal process
Applicants considering an appeal should contact the Arts Commission at 503-986-0082 or arts.grants@oregon.gov for guidance. Letters of appeal must be submitted to the Arts Commission’s Executive Director within 30 days of the panel meeting. Appeals are reviewed and acted on by the Arts Commission’s Board. Appeals may result in an approval of an award or an increase in the award amount if the applicant can satisfactorily document that the application was misrepresented or improperly reviewed through no fault of the applicant. If the appeal is supported by the Arts Commission’s board, funds will be awarded only if they are available.
Applicants not meeting one or more of the eligibility requirements as determined by staff are encouraged to discuss the decision with staff. Appeals concerning eligibility determination may be made. Letters of appeal must be submitted to the Arts Commission’s Executive Director within 15 days of the decision. Appeals are reviewed and acted on by an Arts Commission committee. All decisions made by the Arts Commission board or committees are final.
If you receive an award
An award contract will be sent to the address in the application. A W9 form will be included, which must be completed for tax purposes. Awardees will receive a 1099 at the end of the calendar year. Artists are responsible for verifying the tax liability for the award. The Arts Commission or PAM CUT at any time may require additional information prior to awarding funds or during the funding period. If your opportunity changes in any way during the funding period, you are required to notify PAM CUT in writing of the changes.
Projects that are awarded a fellowship are required to post this language in the credits of the work – “This project was made possible with a grant from the Oregon Arts Commission and the Portland Art Museum’s Center for an Untold Tomorrow through the Oregon Media Arts Fellowship.”
If you have questions, please contact Ben Popp at ben@pamcut.org, or call 503-276-4222.