through our online platform Creative Exchange, we share models and tools nationally. ... challenges facing Minnesota, in
Artists and Aging
Request for Qualifications Information session on August 9, 6-‐7pm RFQ Deadline: August 22, 11:59 pm
Springboard For The Arts and The Citizens League seek 4 artists/artist teams to address issues of aging through the lens of home and community this fall. Each artist/artist team will address a specific community interest within the topic of aging and its intersection with public policy to create projects implemented between October-‐December 2016. Each artist/artist team will receive $5000 (includes artist stipend and any project materials). Background Springboard for the Arts and The Citizens League are partnering to engage local artists to inform and inspire the public around issues of aging through the lens of home and community and how this affects or reveals policy change. This project brings together Springboard’s expertise in supporting and amplifying the creative voice and agency of artists with The Citizens League 60+ year history of effective bipartisan policy change in Minnesota. A current initiative of The Citizens League’s “Calling Home” is a year-‐long process to inspire, support, and document conversations among Minnesotans about aging through the lens of home and community to ultimately inform policy priorities at the legislature and other settings (city, employer, etc.). As Minnesota faces a declining labor force, there will be more people aged 65+ than school aged in 2020 as well as more people of color. The implications and opportunities of an aging population must be examined. As a first step to the Citizens League’s initiative, they have hosted intergenerational listening sessions around the state to better understand and capture what real –individuals and their families are seeing as the most pressing issues around aging. Priorities that emerge from the discussions, which may include housing, healthcare, transit, aging-‐in-‐place and others will provide the topical backdrop and inspiration for the 4 selected artists/artist teams to create their projects. Springboard for the Arts is a community and economic development organization whose mission is to cultivate vibrant communities by connecting artists with the resources to make a living and a life. Springboard’s purpose is to organize and engage artists to build reciprocal relationships with their communities, resulting in vibrant, creative, and equitable places. We work directly with more than 20,000 artists and collaborate with over 115 cross-‐sector organizations each year from our offices in Saint Paul and Fergus Falls Minnesota. The number of communities we reach is growing everyday; through our online platform Creative Exchange, we share models and tools nationally. The mission of The Citizens League is to build civic imagination and capacity in Minnesota by bringing citizens—subject matter experts and community members—together to identify the problems, frame the issues, and propose solutions to meet the changing needs in Minnesota. Since 1952, the Citizens League has created common ground across parties and ideologies to solve some of the biggest challenges facing Minnesota, including issues like schools, taxes, transportation, health care, and water. This project is funded by the Pluribus Project, a special initiative of the Aspen Institute. 1
Details Using the issues that emerge from the listening sessions, Springboard will support the 4 artists/artist teams to each focus on a different issue in collaboration with Citizens League staff and their organizational partners in aging along with individuals from the listening sessions. The artists/artist teams will design public projects that 1) increase awareness of the issues around aging and the needed policy change, if applicable and 2) foster active engagement of more people in the process of change as it relates to aging. The artists will meet as a cohort 3 times to learn about the issues and priorities, understand how policy change happens, gain organizing and leadership skills, create public engagement projects and provide peer feedback/support. Projects ideally will take place at least partially in the Twin Cities metro area, but may also occur elsewhere in Minnesota in collaboration with organizational partners. Examples of artist projects: • A visual artist creates a series of illustrations of how policy change happens, using time-‐off for caregiving as the example. • A theater artist addresses the issue of housing options for seniors by creating a play with community members sharing stories of how different cultures take care of elders and how current zoning policies make it difficult (ex. lack of in-‐law/accessory dwellings). Eligibility All artists and artist teams in Minnesota are eligible. Artist/artist teams must be able to meet in person in Saint Paul 3 times over the project duration, including the initial cohort workshop on Saturday September 10, 9am-‐2pm at Springboard for the Arts, Saint Paul. Artists of all disciplines, experience levels and backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Selection Criteria Artists/artist teams will be evaluated on the following criteria: • Artist’s ability to create artwork that engages other people as demonstrated in submitted materials. • Quality of artist’s past work as demonstrated in the submitted materials. • Experience working collaboratively. Selection Process A panel of artists and representatives from Springboard for the Arts, The Citizens League, and Calling Home partners will select artists/artist teams. Informational Meeting August 9, 6-‐7pm Springboard for the Arts, 308 Prince Street, Suite 270, Saint Paul 55101 2
Timeline • Application due by Monday August 22, 11:59pm. • Notification by Friday September 2. • Sign contract and receive $4000 of project funds. • Participate in cohort meeting on September 10, 9am-‐2pm. • Attend 2 more cohort meetings (schedule decided together). • Design and implement project from October 1 to December 16, 2016. • Upon completion of final report no later than Dec 31, 2016, receive remaining balance of $1000. Application Submission Process Submit application materials as instructed: 1. Create a free Dropbox account using www.dropbox.com if you do not already have an account. 2. Create a Dropbox folder titled 3. Complete and compile items A-‐E listed below in the folder (Cover sheet, work samples etc.) 4. Share a link to your folder with (do NOT share the folder itself) to:
[email protected] Go here for instructions: https://www.dropbox.com/help/167/en 5. You will receive confirmation of receipt within 1 week. 6. Questions via email will be answered on a best effort basis-‐-‐
[email protected] Application A. Cover Sheet • Contact information (if multiple artists, note lead artist and list team members) B. Narrative -‐ maximum 2 pages Please use the section headings below in your narrative. 1. Description of art work and approach Describe your medium(s), and approach to art making. 2. Why is this opportunity of interest to you? Why are you interested in aging and/or policy issues? 3. Collaboration What is your experience working collaboratively (artistic or otherwise)? 4. Engaging community How has any of your previous art work engaged community? This could be from passive engagement such as audience viewing, to active engagement such as people participating in creating the art work. 5. Availability 3
Are you able to attend the cohort workshop on September 10, 9-‐2pm? __ yes __ no C. Resume -‐-‐ not to exceed two pages (can include resume for each artist if part of a team). D. Work Samples Provide 8 work samples of your artistic practice (for each additional team artist, add 4 work samples. For ex. Two artists could submit 12 samples total). File specifications (each file/link counts as one work sample): Visual and text work • Place these files in the dropbox folder. • Title each file in the order you wish it to be viewed . • Visual work: .jpg format at 72 dpi and no more than 1920 pixels on the longest side. • Text work: .doc or .docx and no more than 3 pages. Video or audio work • Provide a link in the work samples list to an online source (YouTube, Vimeo, MySpace, Bandcamp). E. Work Samples List Create a work sample list that includes the following information for each sample. Name of file or link • Title of work • Year • Materials • Short description (optional)
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