CREATIVE ACCESS RESIDENCY AWARDS APPLICATION NOW AVAILABLE
Fellowship Opportunities for Visual Artists & Writers with Spinal Cord Injury Include Twelve Residency Stays at Four Host Sites.

Creative Access offers visual artists and writers with spinal cord injury the rare opportunity for concentrated time dedicated to their creative practice in a supportive residency community. Twelve awardees will receive the invaluable opportunity of between a 2-8 week residency at one of the four host sites, including room and board, a $1000 stipend, and travel award for a personal assistant/caregiver if needed. Please share this opportunity with your networks!

Since 2009, the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation has partnered with the Vermont Studio Center (VSC) to support visual artists and writers with spinal cord injury (SCI) with residency fellowships. In 2017, the Creative Access Fellowships Program - in partnership with the Alliance of Artists Communities - expanded to include 12 residency stays at four host sites: Vermont Studio Center (Johnson, VT), PLAYA (Summerlake, OR), Ragdale Foundation (Lake Forest, IL), and Santa Fe Art Institute (Santa Fe, NM), selected for their accessible facilities, innovative programming, and reputations for excellence. Application and selection for the Creative Access residencies are coordinated by the Alliance of Artists Communities.

If selected, Creative Access Fellows will receive:

• a residency lasting between 2-8 weeks to take place at a mutually agreeable time between April - December 2018
• a $1000 stipend to offset travel and other costs of the residency
• room/board and travel support ($250) for a personal assistant/caregiver, if needed

The application portal is now open at the Alliance of Artist Communities: http://www.artistcommunities.org/creativeaccess . Learn more about the application process, eligibility and guidelines here: http://www.artistcommunities.org/creativeaccess/apply
The deadline to apply is November 1, 2017.

Applicants will need to submit a CV/resume, work samples, and a short description of their SCI and the impact it has had on their art process. The unified application is free. All submissions will be juried by consortium members.
   
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FUNDING

Craig H. Neilsen Foundation has been tireless in supporting both programs and scientific research to improve the quality of life for those affected by and living with spinal cord injury.  Following the vision and values of Craig Neilsen, the Foundation focuses the majority of its grantmaking on furthering the promising advances in the field of spinal cord injury research. It supports research in areas of investigation relevant to improving recovery and works to coordinate its efforts with those of other federal and private funders.

The Foundation’s research funding is directed across a broad spectrum, including mechanistic, translational, clinical and psychosocial research, with a goal of opening innovative areas of inquiry and emphasizing progress across the entire translational spectrum. Another main funding priority is the Creating Opportunity & Independence Portfolio that assists individuals affected by spinal cord injury today and builds stronger community and rehabilitative support.

The Foundation provides educational grant programs including postdoctoral research fellowships, Spinal Cord Injury Medicine Fellowships, and Neilsen Foundation Scholarships for students with spinal cord injury at selected colleges and universities. In addition, selected Special Projects related to spinal cord injury and Vision and Values Projects grants support other programs that reflect Craig Neilsen’s philanthropic interests.

PARTNERS

The Alliance of Artists Communities is a national and international association of artists’ communities and residencies—a diverse field with thousands of programs worldwide that support artists of any discipline in the development of new creative work. The Alliance gives a collective voice on behalf of its members, small and large, that leverages support for the field as a whole; promotes successful practices in the field; and advocates for creative environments that support the work of today's artists. (www.artistcommunities.org)

PLAYA is a nonprofit organization supporting innovative thinking through work in the arts, literature, natural sciences and other fields of creative inquiry. Located in the Oregon Outback, Playa’s 75–acre property includes six fully-equipped and spacious cabins, two fully-equipped live/work studios, three studio/research spaces (including one shared living quarters), a large open shed, and outdoor field-research areas. Access to most facilities is barrier-free, and PLAYA has hosted programs specifically for performing artists and dancers who use wheelchairs. Residencies offer the gift of time and space to eligible applicants, and span two multi-month sessions each year. The intention of all of PLAYA’s programming is to support creative individuals who are committed and passionate about their work, and who will benefit from time spent in its inspirational remote location. (www.playasummerlake.org)

The Ragdale Foundation is a non-profit artists’ community located on architect Howard Van Doren Shaw’s country estate in Lake Forest, IL, 30 miles north of Chicago. Begun in 1976, Ragdale

annually hosts more than 150 artists, writers, choreographers, and composers at all stages of their careers for 18-25 day residencies. Ragdale offers a retreat setting where at any given time, a dozen

creative individuals experience uninterrupted time for dedicated work, a supportive environment, dynamic artist exchanges, 50 acres of idyllic prairie, and a family-style dinner each evening.

Ragdale has a universally accessible studio in the Barnhouse. The Chandler studio, a live/work space with a wheelchair-accessible private bath, accommodates visual artists or writers. The space is adjacent to the kitchen and dining facilities. Ragdale welcomes artists at all stages of their careers and seeks to create a mix of various experience levels in each group of residents. (www.ragdale.org)

 Santa Fe Art Institute (SFAI) is a cultural organization that cultivates creative practices, engage with diverse communities, and address the most pressing social issues of our time.  Approximately 10 artists per month receive private living quarters with a private bath and working space, which is centrally located within Santa Fe’s vibrant and diverse cultural community. The SFAI facility, a nearly 17,000 square foot complex designed by Ricardo Legoretta, includes gallery and exhibition spaces, sky-lit studios, a growing contemporary art library, courtyards, laundry facilities, communal kitchen, and dining and living room areas. Visual artists are provided with a semi-private studio space as well as access to a large communal work space. Writers are welcome to use the library for writing and reading, as well as their own private rooms equipped with desks. SFAI’s facility meets all ADA requirements with complete accessibility for wheelchairs to studio and living spaces. Two resident rooms are equipped with bathroom facilities for wheelchair access, and since SFAI’s complex is one level, there are no stairs or barriers. (www.sfai.org)

 Vermont Studio Center (VSC) is the largest international artist residency center in the US, hosting 55 artists and writers per month, year-round, in the northern Green Mountains of Vermont. VSC’s 15,000 alumni come from every state in the nation and 140 countries. Art and writing residents are  provided with private studios with wireless internet, private rooms, three chef prepared meals per day, access to shops (sculpture, ceramic, traditional and digital photo), critique consultation/mentorship with 6 Visiting Artists and Writers per month, gallery openings, art and literary libraries, Open Studios, readings and lectures, and opportunities for meditation and yoga. In summer of 2017, VSC will be opening a new wing to our largest residency housing, with six additional private ADA and universally designed rooms open every month of the year. VSC welcomes creatives at all stages of their careers, and has offered Creative Access fellowships to artists and writers with mobility and sensory issues since 2002. (www.vermontstudiocenter.org)