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Infrastructure Grants

Past Arts Infrastructure Grant Recipients
 
WEA Arts Infrastructure Overview 

Windsor Endowment for the Arts offers four Arts Infrastructure Grants to individuals, businesses or organizations dedicated to developing the arts. Funding may be used to:

  • Sustain a project or organization;
  • Support audience development;
  • Access new markets;
  • Aid research and study;
  • Foster new work or works in progress;
  • Promote new forms of art to the general public;
  • Promote art in non-traditional venues;
  • Encourage creativity and innovation, and/or;
  • Nurture art project initiatives.

Grants are awarded every second year to successful applicants. Individuals, businesses and organizations that meet the eligibility requirements are invited to apply.

Eligibility Criteria
The successful applicant:

  • Is an individual who has lived and/or worked in Windsor and Essex County for a sustained period of time, or
  • Is a business or organization located in Windsor and Essex County
  • Develops and/or promotes projects and initiatives benefitting arts infrastructure, or
  • Sustains existing or established infrastructure or builds new infrastructure
  • Demonstrates dedication to professional and creative development of arts infrastructure as outlined in one of the four specified grants below

Community Arts Infrastructure Grant
This $2000 grant is given to those who have made significant contributions in any of the following activities:

  • Increasing community participation in the arts
  • Broadening access to the arts
  • Using the arts as a means of promoting social awareness or change
  • Developing public projects or programs that enhance the general quality of life in the community and/or within specific underserviced, disadvantaged, at-risk or specialized groups

Examples may also include an arts education project, local urban improvement project, public art project, public landmark, privately funded works of art.

Literary Arts Infrastructure Grant
The $2000 grant is given to those who have made significant contributions in any of the following areas:

  • Fiction
  • Non-fiction
  • Poetry
  • Screenwriting
  • Playwriting
  • Journalism
  • Documentary
  • Book publishing

Examples may include undertakings to raise publishing standards or improve the dissemination of literary arts.

Performing Arts Infrastructure Grant
This $2000 grant is given to those who have made significant contributions in any of the following disciplines:

  • Music: vocal, choral, orchestra, opera, new music projects, composition, conducting, arrangement, musical production, recording, education
  • Dance: dancer, company, school, director, producer, choreographer
  • Theatre: actor, comedian, mime, puppetry, director, company, playwright project, school

Examples may include undertakings to raise performing standards or present innovative forms of expression.

Visual Arts Infrastructure Grant
This $2000 grant is given to those who have made significant contributions in any of the following disciplines:

  • Fine Art: painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, mixed media, installation, performance, bookmaking
  • Fine Craft: clay, ceramic, fiber, glass, leather, metal, wood, mixed media
  • Design Art: architectural design, interior design, architectural landscapedesign, urban design, product design, visual communication design, costume design, set design, fashion design, editorial design and illustration
  • Media Art: film, photography, holography, electronic media, digital art, video

Examples may include local urban improvement projects, public art projects, and/or public landmarks.

Evaluation Criteria
The jury will evaluate the nominee based on:

  • Projects and initiatives benefitting and/or sustaining arts infrastructure. Evaluation will be based on the applicant statement, statement of intent and documentation of work. Weighting: 75%; 
  • Dedication to professional and creative development of arts infrastructure. Evalution will be based on the full application package, including letters of reference.  Weighting:25% 

Application Process
Applications will be accepted between February 1, 2012 and March 14, 2012.
 

Application Package
The application package consists of the following components:

  • Application Checklist (pdf form);
  • Application Form (pdf form);
  • Applicant Statement;
  • Statement of Intent;
  •  Images, Samples or Documentation of Recent Work (CD/DVD): A digital portfolio of work is required and may include images of performance, visual arts works, public projects, events, and/or scanned copies of published works, reviews, newspaper clippings, etc. 

Note:  Do not send original work. WEA cannot guarantee the proper care and storage of original work. Any original work will not be submitted to the Jury, nor returned.

Requirements for Images, Samples or Documentation of Recent Work
As appropriate to the discipline, the artist or organization may choose to submit materials from among the following examples.

Still Images:  Between 5 and 10 images, JPEG format, on a CD-ROM. Note:  extra images will not be presented to the jury:

  • Number, title and date all digital files, e.g. 01.title. 2011.jpg. The number, title and date should correspond to the Image or Works List (see #6, below) and be presented in chronological order with the latest work appearing first;

  • Submitted files must be a maximum of 1024 x 768 pixels, no larger than 5 MB;

  •  Write name, number of images and phone number on the CD-ROM.

Time Based Material: Video/audio works or documentation of works will be no longer than 3 minutes: 

  • Submit a DVD or CD as QuickTime (.MOV) files;
  • DVD’s will be encoded Region 1 (Canada/USA);
  • Number, date and title all digital files;
  • Each submitted work must be a separate file;
  • Provide clear directions on “start” and “stop” times for viewing on the image or works list;
  • All audio/video will be created by the applicant;

Do not send promotional or gallery-produced video, with the exception of performing artists who may submit materials documented by others.

Notes:

  • All CD/CD-ROM/DVD’s must be Mac and PC compatible; 
  • No PowerPoint files will be accepted;
  • Do not submit compressed files.

 
Image or Works List
The numbering of this list should correspond to the CD/DVD of images, samples or documentation of recent work and should include titles of works, performance or events, types of work, medium, size and date of completion, etc. as appropriate.

Reference Letters
Two letters of reference are required.

Note:  Application packages and supporting documents will not be returned.

Application Procedures and Requirements

  • All documents in the application package must be submitted to WEA on paper;
  • PDF-fillable forms may be filled out electronically and printed, or printed and filled out in legible handwriting in black ink; 
  • All other written material (arts infrastructure statement, statement of intent, and image or works list) must be computer-generated or typewritten and submitted. 
  • Please provide the required number of copies of the application material, as outlined on the checklist;
  • WEA will not accept applications that are faxed, emailed or sent on disc. This does not apply to supporting materials (images, samples or documentation of work) See #5 above;
  • All forms and other written material must be arranged in the same order in which they appear on the checklist, with the correct number of copies;
  • Only application packages that are postmarked by Canada Post on or before the deadline date will be accepted;
  • Late or incomplete application packages will be disqualified.

Jury Process
All decisions of the jury are final.  All application information and supporting documents will be destroyed following the final jury decision; only the application information and supporting documents of the winning recipient will be retained.

Jury Members: These are individuals with a recognized combination of knowledge, skill and expertise in their fields.

  • Jurors are selected by the Board of Directors of Windsor Endowment for the Arts;
  • Juror names will be made public at the Awards and Grants Ceremony.

Conflict-of-interest: Members of the Jury are expected to be objective and impartial. This includes avoiding the following conflict-of-interest situations:

  • The juror has a financial interest in the success or failure of the organization or project;
  • The juror has an interest based on the fact that an applicant is a spouse, partner or a member of his/her immediate family;
  • The juror has a personal interest in specific nominations other than those normally expected of an interested member of the arts community;
  • Impediments exist that impede the juror’s ability to evaluate the nomination objectively.

Confidentiality
All nomination information and discussions pertaining to the nomination are confidential.

 

 

 

 

 

 
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