The Innovative Production grant supports artistic innovation in the production and presentation of media and/or performance work of artists.
- Deadline: January 11, 2013
- Maximum grant amount: $2,000 (Organizations must show an in-kind and/or cash match)
- Project must take place between March 8, 2013 and March 7, 2014
- Funding will be available after March 8, 2013
Innovation can be in the form of materials used, production methods, project concepts, technology integration, and/or location use. Innovation can also come in the form of timing, placement of work, means of distribution or the manner that it is presented.
Production can encompass any or all stages of the creative process from conception to completion (not just the end product).
Media can take the form of film, video, sound art, animation, computer-based generative work, net art, interactive installations and other digital media forms.
Performance can be theatre, music, dance, juggling, performance art, eco-art, interventions and other live art forms.
The proposed production should have public presence or community impact. It should also be compelling and demonstrate excellence in the field. An application may request funding for a segment of a production, or a production in its entirety. If the request is for partial funding, the source for the other funds to complete the project must be explained. All applications should address the continuum of the creative process from artist to audience, and explain the way in which innovation is being incorporated.
Who is Eligible to Apply
Any individual Maine artist who:
- Has a valid Maine address and has resided full-time in Maine for a minimum of two years at the date of application, and
- is 18 years of age or older at the time of the application, and
- is not enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student and the application is not a required part of their course of study, and
- has completed and filed all final reports required for previous Maine Arts Commission grants.
A professional Maine arts organization that:
- Is nonprofit and legally established in Maine, and
- has tax exempt status 501(c)(3) from the Internal Revenue Service
- or is a unit of local, county, state or tribal government, and
- promotes, presents, produces and/or teaches visual, performing or literary art(s) as its primary purpose, and
- has completed and filed all final reports required for previous Maine Arts Commission grants.
Review Process
Applications are reviewed by members of the Maine Arts Commission's Contemporary Arts Committee and/or members of the public selected for their expertise in specific fields. The review panel's recommendations are then presented to the Maine Arts Commission at its next regularly scheduled meeting for approval of the selection process.
Review Criteria
Innovative Production Grant applications will be reviewed on a competitive basis using the following criteria:
- Artistic excellence
- Evidence that the proposal has public element(s) to it and/or community impact
- Innovative component(s) that enhances artistic presentation and/or production
- Ability to use the funds appropriately as demonstrated by a project budget
Examples of Successful Grants
Nate Aldrich
"A very innovative involvement of community through interactive audio."
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts
"Compelling expansion of boundaries for tools used in the creation of craft artwork."
Required Application Materials
Please do not submit work in elaborate file folders or packaging. Make copies of all application materials for your records prior to submitting them.
Preparing your documents for submission - All word documents must be saved as .doc or .rtf files and adhere to the following naming convention: lastname_firstname_TitleOfDocument.rtf (example: shaw_kathy_resume.doc or shaw_kathy_narrative.rtf).
- eGRANT ApplicationApplicants are required to upload all supporting documents (with the exception of video, audio, images or physical design examples) through eGRANT.
- Resume(s) - For the applicant and any other artists to be employed by the project. Third party testimony of an applicant’s work is not required but could be beneficial.
- Vendor Form (form below) - If the grant is awarded to you, this will be used by the Treasury to generate a check. Applicants should be sure to indicate the address the check should be sent to. You are required to mail your signed vendor form to our office. Faxed copies are not accepted.
- Application Narrative (form below) - Applicants must submit their narrative form containing clear and specific responses to each of the project questions; these need to be addressed sequentially and numbered. Responses can not exceed two pages. The project description is the central element of the grant request. The more information the reviewers have about the project and its relation to the review criteria, the better they can judge its merits.
- Assurances Form - for Organizations only - (form below) with original signature of an authorizing official. Please mark with name of applicant.
- Budget Form - An outline of how funding will be applied. For organizations it should also include how matching funds will be obtained and used.
- Work Samples - You can submit up to ten work samples in any of the formats outlined below.
WORK SAMPLE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
There are up to ten opportunities to submit work samples with your application, although not every application will ask for ten samples. Work samples are a crucial aspect of your application and it is essential that they are of professional quality and appropriate representations of your current abilities.
Naming of all files should use the following convention: last name_title_year of work (Eg: Doe_Untitled_2010.jpg). There is a maximum of 72 characters file name limit and the name should NOT contain spaces or characters other than letters, numbers, underscores and hyphens.
An explanatory document must be included with the work samples to provide an additional reference for the submissions. Information on this document should list the work and include artist name, title, medium, size (if applicable), year of creation, and any other (brief) information that will better inform the reviewers about the artwork.
Represented work must be current; preferably within the past three years.
FORMAT REQUIREMENTS FOR WORK SAMPLES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
LITERARY
Preferred format PDF, but WORD documents will also be accepted.
Literary samples should be examples of an artists literary creation(s), submitted in the way that corresponds to the application. Manuscripts should include works of prose or up to five poems. Script and playwriting applicants should include one act or scene. Manuscripts in all genres must not exceed 20 pages. Selections from a longer script or work of prose may be accompanied by a synopsis of the complete work. All materials must be legible in 12-point or larger type and double spaced.
For Individual Artist Fellowship applications only:
The manuscript must not include evidence of publication. Copied, published material that is not in original manuscript format will not be accepted. Authors who illustrate their own work may send in unpublished renderings. The name of the author should not appear on any manuscript material.
IMAGES
Preferred format JPEG, but PDF images will also be accepted.
Optimal image size is 1920 pixels on the longest side (to accommodate HD viewing) at a resolution of 96 dpi and a file size under 5mb. Images can be a digital photograph or a digital scan.
AUDIO
Preferred format MP3, but WAV or AIFF files will also be accepted.
Optimal audio submissions should be an audio file under five minutes in length in a file size under 10mb. If the audio file is longer than five minutes listening points should be indicated on the explanatory document about how to listen to the work sample(s). Links to audio files that are housed online can count as audio submissions.
VIDEO
Preferred Format MPEG-4, but MOV and AVI files will be accepted.
It is preferred that time-based works submit at least one video work sample. Optimal video submissions should be a video or video clip under five minutes in length in a file size under 20mb. If the video file is longer than five minutes viewing points should be indicated on the explanatory document about the work samples. Links to a video URL that is housed on a hosting site such as Youtube, Vimeo, or the artist’s website can count as a video submission.
If you are unable to upload your materials or you wish to submit files that are copy-protected you may submit the work samples on a CD or DVD. If you do this you must send six copies of the material. Please write the appropriate information to identify the application on the disc itself (not on the case).
WEB
Website URL address in a PDF, but WORD documents will also be accepted.
If the artist has their materials in an online resume or some other networked means of exhibition they can direct reviewers to the material by providing a URL. The URL should link to a specific page containing the work sample. An applicant should not assume the reviewers will navigate into the site if directed to the home page. The applicant may suggest preferred web browsers for optimal viewing of submitted materials in the explanatory document about the work samples.
The Maine Arts Commission reserves the right to use submitted materials in the promotion of the artist and/or Maine Arts Commission programs. The material will be used in a promotional manner only and will not be used for commercial purposes.
We recommend that contributors consider licensing their media files under a Creative Commons Attribution/Non-Commercial/Share-Alike license.
Each applicant must speak with Kerstin Gilg, Media Arts and Performing Arts Associate at 207/287-6719, kerstin.gilg@maine.gov, about the project before submitting an application. Failure to do so will disqualify the application.
How to Apply
Applicants are required to apply through the Maine Arts Commission e-GRANT system. E-GRANT will accept applications until 11:59 pm, E.S.T., however; agency staff is only available to answer questions until 5:00 pm, E.S.T. Because of the volume of e-GRANT submissions on the day of any grant deadline, we strongly recommend you give yourself a 24 hour buffer.
Applicants who are unable to apply through e-GRANT must contact Kathy Ann Shaw at 207/287-2750, 877/887-3878 TTY/NexTalk User ID: kathy.shaw or kathy.shaw@maine.gov to discuss an alternative prior to applying. Alternative submissions will not be accepted without prior authorization.
The agency will not accept late or incomplete applications under any circumstance.
Grant information is available in large print format by request. All Maine Arts Commission programs are accessible to people with disabilities. All programs funded by the Maine Arts Commission must also be accessible.