Artists in Education Residency Grants (PK-12)
- Purpose
- Description
- Eligible Applicants
- Selection of Residency Artists
- Required Components
- Optional Components
- Criteria for Evaluating Applicants
- Amount of Assistance
- General Requirements
- Application Review and Payment Procedure
- Tips for Residency Sponsors
- Arts in Education Residency Handbook
- Application Deadline
- Application
Purpose
To place professional artists of various artistic disciplines in residencies for elementary and secondary students
and their teachers. Residencies must be designed to reinforce the arts instruction provided by the school/school division.
Description
This program provides elementary and secondary students, teachers, and the community at large opportunities to
work with professional artists. The residencies enhance arts instruction in the school curriculum and highlight the
importance of the arts as essential components of a complete education and a valued part of community life.
Each residency must include workshops for a core group of students, at least one formal teacher workshop conducted by the artist, and community performances/exhibitions and activities/workshops. Residencies of ten days or more must also include studio time for the artists. If any residency activities take place outside of the regular school day, transportation should be available so that all students can participate.
The Artists in Education Residency Handbook provides guidance for both the residency sponsor and artist in planning a successful artist residency program.
Eligible Applicants
Virginia elementary and secondary schools which meet the Basic Eligibility criteria are eligible to apply
for funding through this program. Private, federally tax-exempt schools that are in compliance with the Civil
Rights Act and the Rehabilitation Act may also submit applications. School divisions may also apply on behalf of
several schools; however, they must comply with all Commission requirements regarding the minimum length of
each residency, residency components, on-site coordinator, etc. Tax-exempt arts, service, and civic organizations
may work in partnership with the local school(s) in planning and implementing the residency program. Grant
funds may not be used for teachers presently working within the school/school division or the organization/institution.
Selection of Residency Artists
The Commission maintains an Artist Roster , a listing of visual and performing artists interested in doing school residencies. The artists on the roster are screened on the basis of artistic quality, professional experience in their fields, and quality of their plans for residency activities.
Please browse the Artists Roster and contact whoever you might be interested in working with. A school is not required to work with an artist from the roster. A school may work with any visual or performing artist (including out of state) that is eligible and has the required experience to work in schools. If the artist is not on the roster, the Commission will review the artist’s credentials based on the same criteria required to be on the Artist Roster. To find out how to be listed on the Artist Roster, click here.
Links to Artist Rosters of other state arts agencies for finding a residency artist (these artists have also been reviewed by a panel):
Virginia Commission for the Arts Directory of Performing Artists
North Carolina Arts Council Directory of Touring Artists
Required Residency Components
Residencies must be a minimum of three school days.
All Commission-funded artist residency programs must include the following components at each participating school or site:
- Core Group Workshops - a small group of interested students who work with the artist each day of the residency to receive intensive training
- General Workshops - larger student groups, school-wide lecture/demonstrations, presentations, performances
- Teacher Workshop - at least one formal workshop conducted by the artist(s) for faculty and staff either before, during, or following the residency
- Studio Time - For residencies of ten days or more, each artist must be provided with on-site studio space and time - up to 50 percent of the total time - at each school/site for personal work during the residency
- Public Activity - a community workshop, performance, exhibition which is open to the general public may be included as part of the residency.
NOTE: If a residency program is sponsored by a school division or an organization on behalf of several individual schools, all required components must be in place at each participating school. Applications submitted by a school division on behalf of several schools must designate a local on-site coordinator for each school, include all required components at each school, develop a residency schedule for each school which places the artist(s) in each school for the minimum number of three full school days, involve representatives from each participating school in the planning and evaluation processes, and evaluate each school’s residency.
Criteria for Evaluating Applications- Clarity of the program description
- Residency planning and evaluation
- Integration of residency components with existing arts curricula
- Cost effectiveness of the proposed residency.
- Administrative ability of the local on-site coordinator(s)
Applicants must describe each required component and how the components will work together; and the selection process for students. A sample schedule of components for the artist(s) should be included; how/why the artistic discipline (medium) was selected; how the residency will reinforce the scope and sequence of the curriculumbased arts instruction provided by the school; and how it will expand upon previous residencies, if any.
Applicants must describe the planning process, list the members of the planning team/committee, discuss the artist’s involvement in the planning process, describe the residency program evaluation and student assessment processes and the impact of previous residencies.
Applicants must clearly describe the curriculum-based, sequentially-organized arts instruction currently provided by an arts specialist employed by the school or school division and how the proposed residency and its components will reinforce the scope and sequence of the existing arts instruction, as well as how the residency will promote the arts as essential for a complete education.
Applicants must provide a residency budget which includes salary for the artist(s), travel expenses for the artist(s), consumable supplies for the residency workshops, one on-site pre-residency artist-sponsor planning day, and expenses for eligible program documentation. The financial commitment of the school or school division and financial need will also be considered.
Applicants must provide a professional resume for each school’s local on-site coordinator and any other administrator responsible for residency planning, implementation or evaluation.
Generally, the Commission will award no more than 50 percent of the total cash cost of the residency program. First-time applicants, however, may request up to two-thirds (2/3) of the total eligible cash cost of the residency. In-kind (non-cash) contributions are not allowable as part of a match for this program. Only the following residency expenses are eligible for funding
- Salary for the resident artist(s)
- Consumable materials for the artist’s workshops
- Consumable materials for the workshop participants
- Travel (standard rate per mile) for the residency artist(s)
- Program documentation (audio or video tapes, slides)
- Honorarium and travel expenses for the artist(s) for one on-site pre-residency planning day (to take place during the fiscal year of the grant award and prior to the residency)
Funds from other Commission programs may not be used to match any portion of residency income.
Generally the Commission will not fund the same type of residency and/or the same artist(s) in the same school or school division for more than three years. Applications which involve the same discipline in the same school division with many of the same artists must include an explanation as to how this program differs substantially from past programs and why the same discipline or artist was selected.
General Requirements- Residency sponsors should read the Commission's Arts Education Handbook, available from the Commission office or on the Commission website, prior to applying to the Commission for funds.
- Changes in the residency program, artistic or administrative personnel, budget, scheduling, location, etc. must be approved before the residency begins by the Commission. Requests for approval must be in writing and must include all necessary information for a proper evaluation of the request.
- All residencies require contracts between sponsors and artists. The contract must detail all requirements and expectations of the residency sponsor, payments, purchase of supplies, ownership of works created during the residency, scheduling, etc. A sample contract is included in the Arts Education Handbook.
- All Commission grantees are required to acknowledge the support of the Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts in all press releases, brochures, interviews, publications, web sites, and other materials or publicity for Commission-funded projects/residencies.
Application Review and Payment Procedure
- Complete applications must be received by the Commission on or before the published deadline (not a postmark deadline). The Commission does not accept application materials via facsimile transmission or other electronic means (e.g. e-mail).
- All Artist Residency Program applications are reviewed by the Commission’s statewide Arts in Education Advisory Panel. Panelists are appointed by the Commission from a list of artists, administrators, educators, arts administrators, and community members nominated from all areas of Virginia.
- The Arts in Education Advisory Panel makes funding recommendations; the Commission makes all final funding decisions.
- The Commission will pay a portion of each grant at the beginning of September. The final payment will be made after the Commission receives and approves the final report. Final reports must be submitted within 30 days following the completion of the residency and before June 15.
April 1, 2008, for residencies occurring between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009