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Re:Imagine Artist Fund

July 7, 2020

The Portland Art Museum and Northwest Film Center announce The Re:Imagine Artist Fund, an expanded initiative to support visual, cinema arts, and new media artists, both to provide immediate assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as to sustain their creative practices long-term. The Fund will provide emergency relief grants and longer-term sustainability grants, as well as increase programming stipends to artists from across Oregon and Clark County, Washington. At this critical moment of change, it is crucial to the health of our arts ecosystem to distribute resources, and PAM/NWFC joins the important relief efforts of area organizations in directly supporting artists.

To address immediate economic needs, the first phase, the Re:Fresh Fund, will distribute 25 unrestricted grants of $2,000 as emergency COVID-19 relief funding to visual, film, and new media artists whose livelihoods have been severely impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic. 

The second phase, Re:Imagine Fund, will focus on supporting 10 artists with grants of $5,000 as they reimagine their practices and pivot towards the post COVID-19 future. Applications will be evaluated for both innovative potential and economic need. Please refer to the FAQ for more information about review criteria.

We acknowledge the power imbalance between artist and institution while affirming our intention to generate and offer resources to bolster our arts ecosystem. Selections for both phases will be made by members of PAM/NWFC staff and a panel of arts workers and community partners that are diverse and reflective of our region’s communities. Submissions will be evaluated with attention given to our equity statement: commitment to equity means including, serving, resourcing, validating, and centering our BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and colleagues and neuro-diverse communities and community members with disabilities. 

We strongly encourage applicants to apply to one fund only after careful consideration of their needs and the development of their artistic practice at this moment. 

The third phase of the initiative, which has been integral to Museum and Film Center work for decades, focuses on artist-driven programs, services and support. Each year, the Museum allocates on average $100,000 to pay artists stipends for collaborating with PAM/NWFC, and this fund will strengthen this capacity as we embrace the future and forge new models of engagement. This effort will focus on artists who are currently less represented in the collection and in programs, specifically Black artists and filmmakers, those who identify as women and LGBTQIA+. It will include a new visiting artists program, a reimagined artists talks series, podcasts, social media takeovers, and other programmatic collaborations that will go beyond the walls of PAM/NWFC. This program will engage artists through an invitation process led by our curatorial and learning departments in conjunction with our existing community partners.

Funding for the Re:Imagine Artist Fund is made possible by the Museum’s  Art Gym endowment, established with support from the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation, and from Tim and Mary Boyle. If you are interested in supporting PAM/NWFC to continue this work, please contact Director of Development Karie Burch, karie.burch@pam.org, 503-276-4240.

The project development team is Amy Dotson, Director of NWFC & Curator, Film & New Media at PAM (she/her/hers, identifies as white); Jaleesa Johnston (she/her/hers, identifies as Black), Programs Lead in the Learning and Community Partnerships Department, Grace Kook-Anderson (she/her/hers, identifies as Asian), The Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Curator of Northwest Art, Sara Krajewski (she/her/hers, identifies as white), the Eichholz Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art of the Portland Art Museum, Ben Popp (he/his/him, identifies as white) Head of Artist Services, NWFC.

APPLICATION PHASES, DETAILS AND REQUIREMENTS

Phase 1- Re:Fresh Relief Grants

Applications for the Re:Fresh Relief Grants will open July 7 and the deadline to apply is July 28. The applications will be reviewed by a panel of arts professionals including artists, arts workers, PAM/NWFC staff, and community partners that are diverse and reflective of our region’s communities. We strongly encourage applicants to apply to one fund only after careful consideration of their needs and their artistic practice at this moment. This program will distribute unrestricted grants of $2,000 to 25 recipients. Due to the sensitive nature of emergency relief funding, recipients will remain confidential.

APply For Relief Grants

Eligibility qualifications for applicants:

Application Questions: 

  1. Tell us about yourself, include demographic information if you wish.  Submissions will be evaluated with attention given to PAM/NWFC’s equity statement: our commitment to equity means including, serving, resourcing, validating, and centering BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, neuro-diverse individuals, and individuals with disabilities. (limit 600 characters) 
  1. Share one link (for example: your website; a link to an event, exhibition, screening; your Instagram or social media platform) to demonstrate your professional artistic practice. The link shows the review panel that you are a committed, practicing artist and that art is central to your livelihood.
  1. Describe your need for relief funding? (limit 1500 characters) 
  1. Optional: Is there anything else you would like to tell us? (limit 1500 characters)

Timeline:

Phase 2- Re:Imagine Sustainability Grants

Applications for the Re:Imagine Sustainability Grants will open July 7 and the deadline to apply is August 11. The applications will be reviewed by a panel of arts workers including artists, curators, PAM/NWFC staff, and community partners. We strongly encourage applicants to apply to one fund only after careful consideration of their needs and their artistic practice at this moment. This program will distribute unrestricted grants of $5,000 to 10 recipients. Careful consideration will be given to artistic innovation, shift and response in the wake of COVID-19.  

Apply FOr Sustainability Grants

Eligibility qualifications for applicants:

Application Questions: 

  1. Tell us about yourself, include demographic information if you wish.  Submissions will be evaluated with attention given to PAM/NWFC’s equity statement: our commitment to equity means including, serving, resourcing, validating, and centering BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, neuro-diverse individuals, and individuals with disabilities. (limit 600 characters)
  1. Share one link (for example: your website; a link to an event, exhibition, screening; your Instagram or social media platforms) to demonstrate to the review panel that you are a committed, practicing artist with a sustained commitment to your work, career, and a public audience.
  1. How has your artistic practice changed due to COVID-19?  How are you planning to innovate or shift your work to address the new artistic potentials created by the changing social and cultural landscapes? (limit 3000 characters)
  1. How would this funding help support your practice? (limit 1500 characters)
  1. Optional: Is there anything else you would like to tell us? (limit 1500 characters)

Timeline:

Phase 3- Re:Imagining Our Work

PAM/NWFC will strengthen its long-term artist services & sustainability programming and advance its commitment to artists who are less represented in the collection and in programs, specifically Black artists, film and mediamakers, and women. This will include a new visiting artists program and further inclusion of artists voices through talks series, podcasts, social media takeovers, and other programs and events that extend beyond the walls of PAM/NWFC, including the ability to pay artists stipends for collaborating with PAM/NWFC as we embrace the future and create new models of engagement.

 Expanding our Capacity for Artists Services & Support

Frequently Asked Questions

For Applicants: 

Please review thoroughly; if your questions are not answered below, please contact us at ArtistFund@pam.org or 503-276-4259. 

How do I apply?

Please submit your application for the Re:Fresh Relief grant, through pam.to/relief_grant

Please submit your application for the Re:Imagine Sustainability grant, through pam.to/reimagine_grant

Am I eligible for this funding?

To be eligible for funding, you must be 21+ and have a Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.  The funding is intended to support artists based in Oregon and Clark County, WA. The application is open to artists working in the following fields: Visual Arts (installation, painting, performance art, social practice, photography, sculpture, sound art, video, etc.); Cinema Arts (short & long-form animation, narrative, documentary, episodic, experimental,etc.); and New Media Arts (work at the intersection of technology, aesthetics, storytelling, and digital cultures including but not limited to XR, VR, AR and audio based storytelling, etc.) 

For the Re:Fresh Relief Grant, you must have experienced dire financial emergencies due to cancellation of events, exhibitions, screenings, programs, and other professional presentation opportunities.

How do you define “dire financial emergencies”?

Artists who have experienced dire financial emergencies due to the cancellation of events, exhibitions, screenings, programs, and other professional presentation opportunities. Due to the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, we define ”dire financial emergencies“ as the lack or imminent endangerment of essentials such as housing, medicine, childcare, and food. We are aware that each artist’s needs differ, so ask that you thoroughly and accurately describe your situation. Applicants should demonstrate a pressing and critical need for emergency support.

What are sustainability grants?

The Re:Imagine Sustainability grants will offer support to artists whose practices intentionally reach out to engage communities/publics, yet who face significant changes to their practice or their approach because of the Co-vid 19 pandemic. Consideration will be given to artists addressing institutional, cultural, and political shifts, and who have demonstrated community/public impact with their work to date. Applicants should describe the ways they are shifting their work in consideration of the post-pandemic world.

How do you define Visual Artistry?

In efforts to streamline our vetting and selection process, we are asking each applicant to identify with ONE of the listed disciplines below. We understand that many artists practice between and across fields and are multidisciplinary in nature. However, due to our internal capacity, we ask that you do your best to select the discipline with which your work most deeply aligns. The application is organized in these three categories: Visual Arts (installation, painting, performance art, social practice, photography, sculpture, sound art, video, etc.); Cinema Arts (short & long-form animation, narrative, documentary, episodic, experimental,etc.); New Media Arts (work at the intersection of technology, aesthetics, storytelling, and digital cultures including but not limited to XR, VR, AR and audio based storytelling, etc.) 

Can I apply to both funds?

No. It is the decision of the applicant to decide on which funding would be the most appropriate to your circumstances. Due to the shared financial hardship in the arts community, we want to ensure that the monies from these grants reach as many individuals as possible. 

What is the selection process for phase I and phase II? 

Submissions will be evaluated with attention given to PAM/NWFC’s equity statement: commitment to equity means including, serving, resourcing, validating, and centering our BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and colleagues and neuro-diverse communities and community members with disabilities. Applications will be reviewed by a panel of PAM/NWFC staff members and arts workers. Eligibility criteria will be assessed first. The panel will carefully consider the applicant’s need in Phase 1. In Phase 2, the applicant’s need and opportunities for artistic growth will be considered, with weight given to the potential development in the artist’s career coming out of the Co-vid 19 pandemic. 

Should I provide a cv or resume?

Resumes and CV’s are not required. Share one link (for example: your website; a link to an event, exhibition, screening; your Instagram or social media platforms) to demonstrate your professional artistic practice.  

Should I provide work samples or slides?

The application process is made easy in order to quickly address relief and sustainability funding. You will be asked to share one link that best demonstrates your work will be useful. 

When will I hear back if I receive funding? 

Funding for the Re:Fresh Relief Grant will be announced in mid August and recipients will be kept confidential due to the sensitive nature of relief grants. Funding for the Re:Imagine Sustainability Grant will be announced in mid September. 

Will I be able to apply again in the future?

Our intention is to provide relief and sustainability grants now and distribute all of the funding available in phase 1 and 2. If the pandemic continues to take an immense toll on the artist community in Oregon and Clark County, Washington we will reassess our capacity to fund another round. PAM/NWFC have centered artists in our curatorial and programming work and will continue to do so through phase 3 of this initiative. 

If I receive a grant, will there be reporting requirements?

No grant reporting will be necessary.

What will you require to issue my grant?

A W9 and Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) are required by the IRS in order to distribute grants to artists. We will collect this information after you’ve been notified of your selection.

How can I help support PAM/NWFC to continue this work?

You can make a donation to support future programs and exhibitions by contacting Karie Burch, Director of Development at karie.burch@pam.org or 503-276-4240.

For Press & PR Inquiries 

Please contact Ian Gillingham, ian.gillingham@pam.org, Direct: 503-276-4342; Cell: 503-334-6893

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