QuickFund$ support projects, activities, or professional development for individuals in all disciplines.

Fellowships recognizes outstanding work in media, literature, visual arts, and performing arts.

The Writer-in-Residence award bestows the highest literary honor in the state.

Traditional Arts Apprenticeships encourage the continuation of artistic and cultural traditions of Idaho's familial, ethnic, tribal, occupational, or regional groups or communities.

The Arts Education Directory of Teaching Artists is an online listing of artists who share their unique art forms in schools and communities.

TumbleWords brings Idaho writers and their literature and craft to rural Idaho audiences.

ELIGIBILITY
Grants and awards are intended to support individuals who derive a significant portion of their livelihood from their artistic practice or identify themselves as professional artists, arts educators, or arts administrators. Such individuals are expected to verify this status with a résumé and support materials. Funding is based on artistic merit, not on need, and funds are not intended for nonprofessionals who engage in art as a hobby, or for primarily promotional projects.

On the date of application an individual applicant must be one of the following::

• an emerging or established artist in any discipline, an arts administrator, an educator, or a traditional folk artist

and be

• 18 years or older at time of application (except for the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program),
• a citizen of the United States or a permanent legal resident or a refugee,
• a resident of Idaho for at least one year before application date,
• and have submitted all Final Reports for past Commission grants and awards.

Collaborating artists interested in applying together must file one joint application and provide résumés and support materials for each collaborator. One person will be considered the primary applicant, will receive the funds, and will be responsible for legal and contractual conditions of the grant. The names of all participants should be listed in the project description. Be specific about everyone’s participation and responsibilities. Individuals who are normally part of a group may apply individually provided all artistic documentation is easily identifiable as solely his or her own.

Traditional folk artists are encouraged to apply and may document their work through letters and recorded testimony.

Writers may apply only in the areas of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and cowboy poetry.

Degree-seeking students may apply only if the project is not related to their degree program. In the category of Arts Education, teachers are exempt from this eligibility restriction because they often continue their education throughout their careers to maintain certification credentials.

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APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR INDIVIDUALS

Individuals from most artistic disciplines are eligible for grants and awards. If you have a question about your discipline, see the Glossary or call the Commission office. Use to the checklist (pdf) to identify any of the following materials that are required in addition to your application form and narrative responses.

RÉSUMÉ
Artists are required to submit a résumé of up to two pages. This résumé assists panelists in understanding how you have learned and how you have developed as an artist or administrator. A résumé might include publications, honors, awards, and locations of exhibitions or performances. To receive an award or a grant, a degree or academic training is not required; assuredly, you may be self-taught. Folk and traditional artists may document their work through a short bio or recorded testimony.

ARTIST STATEMENT
All individuals, except writers, are required to submit a one-page artist statement. During the review process, panelists often refer to the artist statement. Thoughtful, well-written information can contribute to the accessibility and understanding of your work. Conceptual and installation art usually benefit from an artist’s statement. Use this opportunity to discuss the current direction of your work and to provide a personal perspective.

SUPPORT MATERIALS
Support materials show the overall strength and artistic quality of your application and must be related to the project under review. They give evidence of what is presented in the narrative and play a significant part in the evaluation process. Some examples include: articles, brochures, printed publications, work samples, a letter of acceptance, résumés and work samples of mentor artists, and information about workshops, conferences, or seminars.

WORK SAMPLES
See Preparing Work Samples for specific requirements. Work samples such as images, DVD, or a CD should represent current work (within the past five years). Since panelists have a limited time to evaluate them, it is extremely important that the strongest example of any sample is presented first. Work samples that do not present strong artistic quality reflect poorly on the application as a whole. Since that is usually the only way artists show their work to a panel, its quality cannot be overemphasized.

Do NOT refer panelists to links, Web sites, or to materials not included in your application packet.

It is through our music, our literature, our art, drama, and dance that we tell the story of our past and express our hopes for the future. Our artists challenge our assumptions in ways that many cannot and do not.-- Michelle Obama

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