Founders and Inventors: Women Who Created Our World Call For Commissions:
Gather RI is seeking to commission Rhode Island artists to make portraits for the inaugural show that will happen in conjunction with the opening of our new facility. The Dirt Palace has been enlisted to help administer the artist selection process and to oversee commissions.
Artists interested in submitting a proposal to be considered for a portrait commission are asked to read this information prior to applying.
Who we are:
Gather RI is a new, not-for-profit, women’s empowerment center being built in Providence, Rhode Island. Gather RI’s mission is to help women and non-cis people thrive in both civic and professional realms. Gather’s portrait gallery and biographical library of notable women (including trans women) will serve as an inspirational and educational resource for the public. Gather RI’s inaugural portrait show will be, ‘Founders & Inventors - Women Who Created Our World’.
The Dirt Palace is a feminist artist-run space project founded in 2000 in an abandoned library building in the commercial corridor of Olneyville in Providence, RI. The Dirt Palace has grown to include two facilities, and multiple residency and exhibition programs. The Dirt Palace is trans-inclusive, strives to be accountable, and works intersectionally. The Dirt Palace has commissioned hundreds of works by local and national artists over the years, including those created during the renovation of the Wedding Cake House. Dirt Palace Public Projects, the not-for-profit umbrella for all Dirt Palace programs and initiatives, partners with Providence College Galleries in administering the Interlace Grant Fund.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to be in touch: please send an email to curatorial@dirtpalace.org
Application Timeline
April 25th - Applications due
End of May - Applicants notified
Feb 1st 2025 - Commissions completed
What the Opportunity Is:
- Gather will commission artists to create portraits for their inaugural exhibition "Founders and Inventors: Women Who Created Our World" The list of individuals whose portraits will be commissioned can be found in the application.
- Gather RI will exhibit the portraits in their inaugural exhibition (in early 2025), retain the work in its collection for use in future brick and mortar exhibitions, and publish a digital image of the work in its permanent online exhibit. Gather RI will also require a permanent, exclusive option to purchase reproduction rights for selected works for merch to support the organization.
- Commission stipends will range from $500 - $2000 depending on the scale, scope and medium of the work. Artists are asked to include pricing with their proposal.
- Artists will work with the curatorial team on the design process. Once selected, artists will propose 3 sketches/layouts for the finished work. After a direction for the project is approved, the curatorial team will conduct studio visits and check-ins. Finished commissions will be delivered between December 1st 2024 and February 1st, 2025. The work will be on display between March 1st 2025 and November 1st 2025, it will then move to Gather’s permanent collection.
FAQ:
Q: Why founders and inventors as a theme & what was the process of selecting the women whose portraits will be commissioned?
A: Women who “started things” seemed like a natural place to launch! This exhibition is intended to be a jump off, and by no means the end-all-be-all. Part of our intention with this gallery is to showcase a wide range of contributions made by women who created things in the world that affect our lives today in Rhode Island. Gather leadership selected and vetted the list.
Q: Can I choose who I would like to create a portrait of?
A: As part of the application process we ask, “Who from the list of subjects are you most interested in doing a portrait of and why?” We encourage artists to list their top five portrait subjects. It is unlikely that every artist who we commission will be chosen to portray their first choice subject. We will commission a portrait of every subject on the list.
Q: What if I just want to do a portrait of one person from the list of subjects, and am not interested in doing a portrait of anyone else?
A: Please note this in your application. While we’re eager to work with artists who are excited about specific portraits, flexibility will increase artists chances of being chosen for a commission.
Q: Can the work be any size?
A: No. There are some restrictions on this based on the realities of the exhibition space. We’re imagining the smallest works in the 8” x 12” range, and largest in the 30”x40” range. That said, if an artist has an incredible concept that requires thinking outside of these prescribed size boxes, we’ll listen to it. We know that artists will bring ideas to the table that we can not imagine at this point. We are looking for the majority of works to be smaller to mid-sized and proposals offering some flexibility in regards to scale will be looked upon favorably.
Q: What mediums can I use?
A: Oil paint, acrylic, embroidery, collage, watercolor, charcoal, pastel, pencils, glitter, sequins, printmaking, ink - in short any two dimensional material.
Q: How do you define portraiture?
While portraiture is not a neatly defined genre, we are interested in commissioning works that are more or less representational and figurative. That said, some stylization and abstraction can be great. We’re interested in working with artists because we believe deeply that something unique and special is possible when a creative person sets out to represent not just the physical likeness, but also the personality or ideas associated with a subject.
Given that this is a feminist exhibit, Gather RI has an expectation that portraits will be focused on showing their subject first and foremost as an honored and inspirational person, with the dignity and power one would give a distinguished person. This stands in contrast to much of the portraiture of women over the course of art history, where women are often depicted passively or as an object of beauty.
Q: What is the selection process?
A: Commissions will be selected by a panel that includes arts professionals and feminist scholars. The panel will be identified after the selections have been made public.
Q: What is the commission process timeline?
A:
Applications due: April 25th, 2024
Applicants notified: End of May 2024
Project discussions: June 1 - July 1st, 2024
Artist agreements signed: June 2024
Studio visits: July 1st - Nov 1st, 2024
Final pieces delivered: Between Dec 1st 2024 & Feb 1st 2025
Q: Do I have to be a woman, nonbinary, gender fluid or intersex person to apply?
A: No, we are interested in all feminist artists who are invested in shining a light on women’s accomplishments.
Q: Do you accept applications from students?
A: Yes!
Q: Can I get feedback on my application?
A: Sorry, we are not able to provide feedback on submissions to applicants.
Q: What are the requirements in terms of image rights? Gather RI will require a permanent, exclusive option to purchase reproduction rights for selected works for merch to support the organization.
Q: Can Gather sell my piece?
A: Our intention is to build a collection that will be on display in this space, online and others over time. Our intention is to lend works to other institutions, but not to sell artwork. Our goal is to build a permanent collection and resource that will be inspiring for others going into the future.
Q: Will this piece be shown again?
We certainly hope so! Gather RI will do their best to notify artists when their work is displayed at Gather RI in the future or lent to other institutions for exhibition.
Q: Are there visual materials like photographs in the public domain to base portraits on for all of the subjects?
A: For all but two of the subjects there are googable photographs to work with. Presenting the source materials that you plan to work with will be part of the “project discussion” phase. Artists are not required to have done research into source material at the time of their application.
Q: If the subject is still living, will I be expected to communicate with the subject? Will I be “cold calling” them, or will Gather have laid some of the foundation?
A: Subjects that may require communication are notated on the list of subjects with an *(asterisk). Gather RI will facilitate all communications.
Q: I live in Seekonk, can I not apply?
A: If an artist has strong ties to RI and lives in a place that is close enough to the border that they would be considered part of the local community, they are encouraged to apply.
OVERVIEW
As the Creative Capital, the City of Providence is invested in the continued development of a vibrant local arts culture. Post-pandemic, however, many local artists continue to struggle with the deep economic impacts of COVID-19. With funding support from the City, Interlace is partnering with AS220 to protect the City’s beloved and renowned arts culture.
The Teaching Artist Grant (TAG) program provides financial support to artists who were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically Indigenous and African heritage teaching artists.
This program is supported by the City of Providence’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, which has provided over $3 million to the Providence arts economy in an effort to support local artists and organizations as they work to rebound from the deep economic impacts of the pandemic.
This grant fund is co-administered by The Interlace Grant Fund and AS220, with funding support provided by City of Providence Department of Art, Culture, and Tourism.
This is second of two rounds of TAG funding.
REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS
Award decisions will be informed by a point system, and final selections will be made by an independent jury consisting of local Indigenous and African heritage leaders.
The quantity and dollar amount of the grants awarded will be contingent on the number of applicants and on applicants' eligibility. Previous awards under this program also will be taken into consideration. No applicant is guaranteed an award, but all eligible teaching artists are encouraged to apply, including those who've previously received TAG awards.
Anonymized aggregate data about awardees will be shared publicly, but names of awardees will only be shared in a meeting of the Art and City Life Commission. Interlace will share details about the jury after awards have been disbursed.
While there are certainly artists who build careers without ever writing a grant, grants can be a useful way to gather helpful resources and feedback for a variety of creative endeavors. Even when a grant is not awarded, the processes of articulating ideas, refining a proposal, and mapping out a timeline and budget can be useful for the development of project management skills that all artists at some point or another will need to utilize.
The Interlace Grant Writing Mentorship Program pairs an artist who has written successful grants in the past with an artist who is newer to grant writing. Mentors will help Emerging and Mid-Career Artists (“Mentees”) with the Interlace Project Grant application processes as well as provide general mentoring support. Please note: Only visual artists eligible to apply to the Interlace Fund are eligible for this program. Read more about eligibility here: https://www.interlacefund.org/project-grants
Mentors do the following
- Support mentee in applying to the Interlace Grant Fund (due September 15, 2024). Specifically, mentors will meet with mentee a minimum of three times:
- Once in June/July to learn about mentee’s practice, goals, and project ideas (a studio visit could be great, or getting coffee and looking at their sketchbooks or web representations of their work, etc.) and to agree to an exact timeline for August and September meetings. Mentor and mentee will also review Interlace guidelines at this meeting.
- Once in July/August to workshop a draft of the mentee’s Project Grant proposal, including giving feedback on narrative, budgets, work samples, bio/CV, etc.
- Once in August/early September to finalize and submit the Project Grant proposal.
- Mentors will also be available through the fall of 2023 to provide as-needed (and as-available) support for mentees. For example, if a mentee is applying to other grant programs, fellowships or academic programs, or jobs, they might ask for support from their mentor. Past mentors have also helped mentees reflect on their studio practice more generally, on how to share work with an audience, and other such concerns.
Emerging and Mid-Career Artists (Mentees) do the following:
- Develop Interlace Project Grant application from ideation to full submission, with mentor’s support (see above)
- Provide informal feedback to Interlace staff about this pilot program if desired
Interlace will do the following
- Hold a pre-mentorship skill share gathering for Mentors, review tips for coaching/mentoring
- Match Mentors with Mentees
- Give support along the way
- Provide Mentors with a $250 stipend - mentors are encouraged to spend some of that ($20-ish) on Mentee - taking out for coffee to talk about projects, etc. Stipends will be mailed after Mentors complete a brief reflection form.
Information about Mentee identity will not be shared publicly, in an effort to make sure that Interlace Jurors are not biased by having insight into who the org has been supporting. Mentees are not guaranteed funding from Interlace or other grants to which they are applying.