Application forms will be available in September (for a November 15, 2010 deadline).
Please email Melinda if you have questions about the application procedure.
What is Public Art?
Broadly speaking, public art is artwork in the public realm, regardless of whether it is situated on public or private property, or whether it is supported through public or private funding. It can range from temporary to permanent work, murals to sculptures, interventions to performances. It can also be storytelling, iron pours, sound and light projects, dance and spoken word. It is free and accessible to all members of a community.
About East Central Regional Arts Council
The East Central Regional Arts Council (ECAC) serves as an advisory committee to the East Central Regional Development Commission (ECRDC) which is the designated regional arts council for Region 7E. The ECRDC acts on recommendations from the ECAC. The ECRDC receives funding through an appropriation of the Minnesota State Legislature and through The McKnight Foundation. These funding sources enable the ECRDC / ECAC to provide grant funds for local or regional arts projects in the following Region 7E counties of Minnesota: Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Pine, and Mille Lacs. All grants are contingent upon the availability of funds. Funds are offered to organizations and individuals for a variety of arts projects that develop or enhance local arts organizations, artists, or art audiences.
About Central MN Arts Board
The Central Minnesota Arts Board (CMAB) serves Region 7W as one of eleven Regional Arts Councils designated by the Minnesota State Arts Board. Region 7W includes the four counties of Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wright Counties. The CMAB receives funding through an appropriation of the Minnesota State Legislature and through The McKnight Foundation. These funding sources enable the CMAB to provide grant funds and services for local or regional arts projects. All grants are contingent upon the availability of funds. Funds are offered to organizations, governmental units, schools and individual artists for a variety of arts projects that develop or enhance local arts organizations, artists, or art audiences.
About Southwest MN Arts & Humanities Council
The Southwest Minnesota Arts & Humanities Council (SMAHC) serves Regions 6E, 6W & 8 as one of eleven Regional Arts Councils designated by the Minnesota State Arts Board. The SMAHC Region includes the eighteen counties of Big Stone, Chippewa, Cottonwood, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, McLeod, Meeker, Murray, Pipestone, Nobles, Redwood, Renville, Rock, Swift, and Yellow Medicine Counties. The SMAHC receives funding through an appropriation of the Minnesota State Legislature and through The McKnight Foundation. These funding sources enable the SMAHC to provide grant funds and services for local or regional arts projects. All grants are contingent upon the availability of funds. Funds are offered to organizations, governmental units, schools and individual artists for a variety of arts projects that develop or enhance local arts organizations, artists, or art audiences.
Eligibility Guidelines
You must be a resident of the participating regions, having physically lived in the region for at least 6 months and remain a resident throughout the project period.
East Central Minnesota Regional Arts Council Region 7E – MN Counties of Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, and Pine, The project can take place in the State of Minnesota but projects located in Region 7E will have priority.
Central MN Arts Board Region 7W – MN Counties of Benton, Sherburne, Stearns or Wright.
Southwest MN Arts and Humanities Council Regions 6E, 6W, and 8 – MN Counties of Big Stone, Chippewa, Cottonwood, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Lincoln, Lac qui Parle, Lyon, McLeod, Meeker, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Renville, Rock, Swift, Yellow Medicine
Your project must be original, and not duplicate previous work.
No ticket sales or fees may be charged; all events and installations must be freely accessible.
Forecast Public Art staff, Board, and Committee members are not eligible.
The applicant must be at least 18 years of age or older.
The applicant must be either a U.S. citizen, or have attained permanent resident alien status.
The applicant must not have any outstanding final reports due to the ECAC, CMAB, or SMAHC.
Applicants must be those who seek help with creating, producing, or presenting high quality arts projects.
Eligibility for East Central Regional Arts Council Only
- ECAC funding is for region 7E individual artists only.
- Organizations, full-time students, ECAC and/or ECRDC staff and board members are ineligible to apply at this time.
Eligibility for Central MN Arts Board Only
- CMAB funding is for individual artists, non profit organizations, and region 7W governmental units. Governmental units applying must be located within Region 7W. However, the artist involved in their project can be brought in from outside the region.
Eligibility for SW MN Arts & Humanities Council Only
- SMAHC funding is for individual artists, non profit organizations, and governmental units located within the 18 county SMAHC region. The project must take place in the 18 county SMAHC region, however, the artist involved in the project can be brought in from outside the region.
What is not funded by ECAC, CMAB, or SMAHC funding:
- Applicants that do not have an arts and/or culture related focus.
- Projects where funds are requested to account for deficits in projects or programs begun prior to the project earliest start date. In other words, payment of debts incurred before the grant activities begin or outside of the grant project scope of activity.
- Applicants with past due ECAC, CMAB, or SMAHC final (or other) reports.
- Applications where funds are to be used to match other ECAC, CMAB, SMAHC grant applications.
- Projects that once completed will not remain within participating regions for which grantee applies.
- Religious organizations or projects, which are for the religious socialization of the participants or audience.
- Activities that engage in political lobbying or intend to influence public policy.
- Projects where artists are required to pay excessive entry or exhibition fees in order to exhibit or perform in the project for which funds are sought.
- Projects that will not take responsibility for their publicity, media coverage, and public relations and that won’t provide timely promotion of the project throughout the region the project takes place within and that will not use the proper funding credit line and logo.
- Individuals whose primary focus is not the creation of art.
- Individuals that don’t make all grant funded events open and accessible to the general public.
- Activities involving any organization at which the artist is employed.
- Tuition, fees, or work toward any degree.
- Development of curriculum plans, teaching materials or teaching programs, which are intended to be used in the regular course of employment.
- Activities in primary, secondary, or parochial schools.
Grant Terms
Each grantee selected to participate in the program will have a contract that indicates timeline, budget and services provided. Selected artists will receive, as needed, a limited number of hours of free consulting and/or facilitation time from Forecast Public Art staff, including assistance with site negotiation, liability insurance, community & media relations, and marketing.
You may involve other artists or design professionals, community members or groups, or hire established professionals to assist with your project. Applicant must lead and manage the team’s interaction with the project.
All artists receiving funding from Forecast Public Art & the participating regions agree that their projects will be developed and implemented to encourage universal accessibility in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A universal environment or space is usable by everyone, people with and without disabilities, and of all ages.
All projects must be completed and final reports submitted to Forecast Public Art no later than November 30, 2010. Participants are responsible for providing visual and written documentation to Forecast Public Art as part of their final report. In addition, Forecast Public Art will produce documentation of projects funded.
Selected applicants may be asked to participate in next year’s Grant Workshops, held in the fall of 2010.
Any variation from these terms, without written approval from Forecast, will result in withdrawal of the grant.
Application Process and Materials
All applications will be submitted online through Forecast’s website.
Project Narrative One page
Narrative should include a brief description of project, site information, how you intend to use the funds, value of project to applicant and perceived benefits to community.
Work Samples 5 images
Video clips — 3 minutes maximum— are also admissible for any category
Digital work samples are preferred and encouraged, files must be Macintosh compatible. Images must be in jpeg format. Videos must be in Quicktime format with chapters. Each file should be named with artist surname and a number that corresponds to an identification sheet (example: Smith_01). Images should be at least 72 dpi in resolution and not larger than 3 MB per image. If digital work samples are unavailable please email Melinda to make arrangements for alternative media.
Work Sample Listing
Please order in numbered sequence, with descriptive information for each sample.
Full Resume
For primary applicant and project partners, if applicable.
Selection Criteria
Merit, Artistic Quality and Clarity of Proposal
Benefit of Project to the Community & Demonstrated Need for the Project (artistic quality, civic engagement, creating a sense of place, etc.)
Quality of Work Samples
Ability of the Applicant to Accomplish the Project Goals and Evaluate Outcomes
Outcome Evaluation
Funding for these programs comes in whole, or part, from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, a fund created by the people of Minnesota to support the arts. Because our fellow citizens have made this commitment, we have an obligation to be even more intentional about arts grant project evaluation. In regard to these regional planning grant projects this includes: the goals, impacts, results, and the community benefits. Outcome evaluation is a legislatively required part of these Regional and Arts & Cultural Heritage grant funding programs. You will need to consider in your project planning the time and costs that may be related to providing us with project outcome evaluation.
This activity is funded, in part, by a grant from the East Central Regional Arts Council, Central MN Arts Board, and Southwest MN Arts and Humanities Councils, with funds provided by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.
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Forecast Public Art · 2324 University Avenue West · Suite 104 · St. Paul, MN 55114 · T 651.641.1128 · F 651.641.1983
