$5,000 Artist Fellowships to be Awarded in Literary Arts: Poetry
July 15, 2021
VCA Announces New Officers and Continued Focus on IDEA
At its year-end Commission Board meeting in June, the VCA voted in new officers to include:
Chair - Asa Jackson, from Hampton Roads
Vice Chair - Dr. Dena Jennings, from Orange
Secretary - Terry Buntrock, from Williamsburg
Together, this group will be leading the Commission in the continued development of policy and practice related to the agency’s commitment to IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access), and fulfillment of the agency's 21|24 Strategic Plan.
$5,000 Artist Fellowships to be Awarded in Literary Arts: Poetry
The Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) has announced the opening of its 2021-2022 Artist Fellowship program, this year highlighting Literary Arts, and most specifically, POETRY. All eligible Virginia-based poets are encouraged to apply.
Five (5) Artist Fellowships in the amount of $5,000 will be awarded by the Commission to recognize the creative merit of individual Virginia artists and to support their pursuit of artistic excellence. The application deadline is October 1, 2021, at 5 PM. Interested artists may apply via Foundant (the agency’s online grants system), which can be accessed at the top left of the homepage of the VCA's website(www.arts.virginia.gov).
“We are excited to return to a greater sense of normalcy, in part, through the return of the artist fellowship program this year,” said Janet Starke, Executive Director of the Virginia Commission for the Arts. “Further, we are looking forward to this year’s focus on poetry, as we demonstrate investment in many of Virginia’s talented literary artists.”
Artists in the discipline of poetry who are legal Virginia residents at the application deadline and who plan to remain in the state for the coming year, are eligible to apply for 2021-2022 Artist Fellowship. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age. An individual may receive only one fellowship from the Commission within any four-year period.
The Virginia Commission for the Arts is the state agency that supports the arts through funding from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Commission distributes grant awards to artists, arts and other not-for-profit organizations, educational institutions, educators and local governments, and provides technical assistance in arts management.
For more information about the Virginia Commission for the Arts, or its programs and resources visitwww.arts.virginia.gov.
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ICYMI: Thanks to those who were able to join the VCA's Town Hall on the ARP on June 29. For those who couldn't join, you can find the discussion here. The VCA team continues to consider stakeholder feedback and is shaping recommendations for disbursement to go to the Commission Board for approval by late Summer. Stay tuned!
NEA Creative Placemaking Grants Program: Our Town Grants
Our Town is the National Endowment for the Arts’ creative placemaking grants program. These grants support projects that integrate arts, culture, and design activities into efforts that strengthen communities by advancing local economic, physical, and/or social outcomes.
Our Town grant guidelines are now available here, with a deadline of August 5, 2021. There is an increased focus in the guidelines on systems change.
Photo: "Cribs" by Brenda Baker was a featured stop on the 2012 Farm/Art DTour as part of Fermentation Fest. Photo courtesy of Wormfarm Institute
