Visual Arts Fellowships 2019–20

Professional Artists

1. You must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, as well as a current legal resident of Virginia, and have been so for at least 24 consecutive months prior to the application deadline.
2. You must continue to be a legal resident of Virginia for the Fellowship period of Aug 2019–May 2020. A legal resident has a valid Virginia driver’s license, and/or pays income taxes in Virginia, and/or is a registered Virginia voter. Applicants must be able to provide verification of residency upon request.
3. You cannot be a degree-seeking student at the time of the application deadline nor plan to be a degree-seeking student during the Fellowship period of Aug 2019–May 2020.

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Professional Artists who are NOT ELIGIBLE include the following:

• 1. Recipients of a VMFA Professional Fellowship after July 2014
  2. Recipients of three or more Fellowships in any category
  3. Full-time VMFA employees
  4. Students currently enrolled full time in a degree-seeking program at the time of the application deadline (Nov. 2018)

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Students (Graduate and Undergraduate)

1. You must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, as well as a current legal resident of Virginia, and have been so for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the application deadline.
2. You must continue to be a legal resident of Virginia for the Fellowship period of Aug 2019–May 2020. A legal resident has a valid Virginia driver’s license, and/or pays income taxes in Virginia, and/or is a registered Virginia voter.
3. Students paying in-state tuition to an accredited Virginia college, university, or school of the arts qualify as legal residents of Virginia. If you attend an accredited college, university, or school of the arts in Virginia but do not qualify for in-state tuition, you may not apply for a VMFA Fellowship until you establish Virginia residency. If you are a legal Virginia resident but attend an accredited college, university, or school of the arts outside of the state full-time, you may still apply. Applicants must be able to provide verification of residency upon request.
4. You must be planning to be enrolled full-time and qualify as a Virginia resident as outlined above for the entire academic year Aug 2018–May 2019 at an accredited college, university, or school of the arts.
5. Half-year fall semester Fellowship awards (worth $3,000 for graduate students and $2,000 for undergraduate students) may be considered on a case-by-case basis for full-time students in the final year of a degree program who plan to graduate in Dec 2018.

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Student Artists who are NOT ELIGIBLE include the following:

• 1. Recipients of three or more Fellowships in any category
  2. Full-time VMFA employees
  3. Students that will NOT be enrolled full time in a degree seeking program during the fellowship period Aug. 2019-May 2020.

Fellowship applicants’ works are reviewed in a blind selection by distinguished jurors.

The juror(s) may request to read the applicant’s artist statement

Jurors do not see the applicant’s information (General Application Form) and do not see the applicant’s resume.

Awards are based solely on artistic merit.

All applicants will be notified by letter no later than the first week of February 2019.

Press release will be posted in the VMFA website’s Media Room.

Please note: VMFA does not provide written or verbal explanations regarding the awards.

To complete your application follow the step by step process outlined below.

Required items (in order of completion):

 STEP 1. GENERAL APPLICATION FORM

1. RESUME:Upload your most current resume or CV. Note: this is for internal use only. Juror(s) do not see the applicant resumes.
2. After your form is completed and submitted you will receive (via email) your Unique ID. And the link for submitting work samples.
3. COLLABORATIVE: Each artist in a collaborative group must fill out this application form on which she/he notes the Unique ID assigned to collaborator(s). When filling out the form, it will ask if the applicant is the first in the group to complete the general application form, so only ONE applicant will be assigned a Unique ID to be used for the WHOLE GROUP. As each collaborative group proceeds to steps two and three, only ONE work sample submission form is to be submitted.

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STEP 2. PREPARE WORK SAMPLE FILES FOR SUBMISSION

1. See work sample rules & guidelines as outline by discipline.
2. You will need your Unique ID acquired in step 1 in order to properly submit/name your files.

HINT: It is strongly recommend that you prepare your image/video files (resize, rename, and select the order you would like to have them viewed 1-8) before proceeding to the Work Sample Submission form (Step 3).

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STEP 3. WORK SAMPLE SUBMISSION FORM
(This link will be provided upon completion of the General Application Form, step 1.)

1. Artistic Statement:
   • Upload a 200 words maximum artistic statement about the work you are submitting. (art history applicants do not submit an artistic statement)
   • The applicant’s name should not appear on the artistic statement.
   • Accepted File Formats: .pdf, .doc, .docx
2. Work Sample list: You will be asked to fill in the following per image submitted
   • Title of the work
   • Date (year) of completion
   • Description (for film/video include primary responsibilities)
   • Media (for film/video categorize the as narrative, animation, or experimental)
   • Dimensions (for film/video include running time)
3. COLLABORATIVE: Each collaborative group is assigned one Unique ID and completes ONE Work Sample Submission Form using this ID.

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STEP 4. TRANSCRIPT (UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS ONLY)

1. A most recent transcript officially stamped and sealed by your school’s registrar
2. Submit under separate cover. Mail to: Fellowship Program Art & Education Division | Virginia Museum of Fine Arts | 200 N. Boulevard | Richmond, VA 23220-4007

Transcript Postmark Deadline: Mon, Nov 19, 2018

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Help?

Frequently Asked Questions

Fellowship Office
Sara Mazzullo | Fellowship Program Coordinator
804.204.2685
vmfafellowships@vmfa.museum

Overview

Applicants must select the one discipline that most closely corresponds to the work they are submitting. Submissions are not judged within these disciplines, but instead within eligibility categories (professional, graduate, undergraduate) across all disciplines. Artists may apply only once during each Fellowship cycle.

NOTE: Submitting images/videos that do not follow the guidelines (below) as they pertain to your selected discipline will result in disqualification.

It is strongly recommend that you prepare your image/video files (resize, rename, and select the order you would like to have them viewed 1-8) before proceeding to the (Step 3) Work Sample Submission form.

If you have any questions on the instructions below please contact the Fellowship Office via email or phone

 

Rules & Guidelines by discipline

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Crafts, Drawing, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, or Sculpture

Rules

1. A work sample consists of a total of eight digital images (25MB maximum).
2. Of the eight images, at least six must represent individual works; no more than two images may be details of the individual works.
3. Professionals: All works must have been completed in the past three years. No works in progress will be accepted.
4. Students: At least four of the works must have been completed in the past three years. No works in progress will be accepted.
5. No legible names or signatures may appear on the digital images to ensure anonymity with the juror(s)

Guidelines

File Format: JPG or jpeg ONLY, No gifs, tiffs, or other formats will be accepted.

1. Image Size: Total upload size for these eight images is 25MB maximum
   Benchmark: approx. 3MB per image
2. NOTE: You DO NOT need to have the same file size/resolution for each image. However, you can only submit 25MB max.
3. File name:
   Your Unique ID_VMFA_1
   Your Unique ID_VMFA_2
   and so on.
   Do not put title of the work in the file name.
4. Order: Number each image (1-8) to correspond to the Work Sample Form. This is the order they will be viewed.

NOTE: Submitting a work sample that does not follow the rules & guidelines pertaining to your selected discipline will result in disqualification.

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Film/Video

Rules

1. Film/video applicants may submit personally conceived works in the following categories only: Narrative (fiction, dramatized events, and authorized adaptations of literary or dramatic works), Animation (the animation of graphics or three-dimensional objects), and Experimental (works that expand the traditional definition of film or video forms — live-action or animation techniques can be used).
2. Only noncommercial, non-instructional works over which the applicant has exclusive control and primary creative responsibility will be accepted.
3. No music videos will be considered.
4. Submit video samples of three individual works total 15 minutes (maximum) in length.
5. Submit work
   1. Option 1 on a standard DVD and mailed to VMFA
      OR 
   2. Option 2 online by providing a direct link to your downloadable video
6. Professionals: All works must have been completed in the last three years. No works in progress will be accepted.
7. Students: At least one of the works must have been completed in the last three years.  No works in progress will be accepted.
8. No legible names, credits, or signatures may appear on the DVD menu and/or the individual on-screen works to ensure anonymity with the juror(s).

Option 1: Mailing a DVD to Fellowship Office
DVD Guidelines

1. Label: Submit work on a DVD labeled with applicant’s name and Unique ID #.
2. Time: Total work sample consists of a 15-minute (maximum) in length.
3. Menu: DVDs must include a menu with titles of each work and running times.
4. Format: Formats other than a standard DVD will not be accepted.
5. Order: Number each video to correspond to the Work Sample Form. This is the order they will be viewed.
6. Mail to: Fellowship Program Coordinator, Art & Education Division | Virginia Museum of Fine Arts | 200 N. Boulevard | Richmond, VA 23220

Option 2: DIRECT LINK to your DOWNLOADABLE video samples

Downloadable Video Sample Guidelines

1. Time: Total work sample consists of a 15-minute (maximum) in length.
2. Title/File names: Your Unique ID_VMFA_1, Your Unique ID_VMFA_2, and so on. Do not use the title of the work.
3. Order: Number each video to correspond to the work sample list on submission form. This is the order they will be viewed.
4. Videos must be downloadable.
5. Videos must be uploaded (as specified) to host site before work sample form is submitted.

NOTE: Submitting a work sample that does not follow the rules & guidelines pertaining to your selected discipline will result in disqualification.

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New/Emerging Media

Rules

1. New/Emerging Media refers to works of art made using nontraditional techniques that do not fit into one of the other eight disciplines listed. Examples of New/Emerging Media art could be, but are not limited to, combined media installations, environmental or site-specific artwork, digital artwork, sound or audio artwork, or interactive artwork.
2. A work sample consists of either A or B. You must select only one of the following options. You may not submit both digital images and video samples.
   • Total of eight digital images (25MB). Of the eight images, at least six must represent individual works; no more than two images may be details of the individual works.
   • Video samples of at least six, and no more than eight, individual works total 15 minutes (maximum) in length.
3. Professionals: All works must have been completed in the last three years.  No works in progress will be accepted.
4. Students: At least one of the works must have been completed in the last three years. No works in progress will be accepted.
5. No legible names, credits, or signatures may appear to ensure anonymity with the juror(s).

 

Guidelines

Option A: Follow the Crafts, Drawing, ect. submission guidelines.

Option B: Follow the Film/Video submission guidelines.

NOTE: Submitting a work sample that does not follow the rules & guidelines pertaining to your selected discipline will result in disqualification.

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Art History (Graduate students only)

Rules

1. A work sample consists of three research papers or published articles.
2. All papers or published articles must have been written in the past three years and in English.
3. Art History applicants must have sole authorship of their work sample submissions.

Note: The applicant’s name should not appear anywhere within the papers/documents to ensure anonymity with the juror(s).

Guidelines

1. File Format: Format papers as word (.doc or .docx) or (.pdf) files.
2. File name:
   • Your Unique ID_VMFA_1, Your Unique ID_VMFA_2, and so on. Do not put title of the work in the file name.
3. Order: Number each file to correspond to the Work Sample List/form.

NOTE: Submitting a work sample that does not follow the rules & guidelines pertaining to your selected discipline will result in disqualification.