REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS 2015

Marion International Fellowship for the Visual and Performing Arts

Background

The Cathy and JesseMarion International Fellowship for the Visual and Performing Arts fund is established by Cathy and Jesse Marion of Houston, Texas, in the Fredonia College Foundation. This program will be funded with an award of up to $18,000 to the applicant identified as the Marion Fellow each year. The Fellow will be selected in the Spring of 2015. Funds will be based on the project budget proposed and may be used for materials, travel, lodging, and per diem expenses of the Fellow, as well as an appropriate stipend up to $5,000.

Who May Apply

Applicants must be affiliated with Marion Circle member organizations as artistic or professional staff, faculty,artists-in-residence, Ucross alumni or matriculatinggraduate students. Please check with your institution’s director for particular eligibility requirements.

Purpose of the Fellowship

The Marion Fellowship was created to connect several organizations which have been generously supported by Cathy and Jesse Marion. It is designed to support an artistic journey through which a creative project is developed. Selected fellows will demonstrate outstanding achievement and high professional potential in the arts. As a result of the fellowship, connections among the Circle members will be strengthened with the goal of creating new opportunities for collaborative artistic excellence. The journey begins at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York, includes a residency at the Ucross Foundation in Wyoming, and concludes with a presentation of the work or work-in-progress at the State University of New York at Fredonia. It must include activities at one additional Circle member organization: the Alley Theater of Houston, the Alberta College of Art and Design, or the Springboard Schools of Egypt.

Types of Projects Considered

Projects must include the development and presentation of a work or work-in-progress of visual and/or performing arts. Genres may include dance, theater, music, and the visual arts, but applicants should not be limited by traditional definitions of genre or discipline. The work must be based on, inspired by, or otherwise connected to one of the Chautauqua Institution theme weeks (announced annually). Themes for 2015 are available at include:

Week One:21st-Century Literacies June 27 - July 4, 2015
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Week Two:Boys Will Be Boys, Then MenJuly 4 – 11, 2015
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Week Three:Immigration July 11 - 18, 2015
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Week Four:IrrationalityJuly 18 - 25, 2015
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Week Five:Art & PoliticsJuly 25 - Aug. 1, 2015
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Week Six:VanishingAug. 1 - 8, 2015
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Week Seven:Redefining Europe Aug. 8 - 15, 2015
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Week Eight:The Middle East Now and NextAug. 15 - 22, 2015
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Week Nine:Creating Healthy CommunitiesAug. 22 - 30, 2015
events & speakers

The final presentation at Fredonia must be feasible within the Fellowship budget.

Application Process

The application consists of the Project Description, Cover Sheet and Resume. The project description should be not more than three pages, single spaced (approximately 1500 words), and should include:

  • Identification of Chautauqua Institution theme week to which the project is connected
  • Description and purpose of proposed activity
  • Outline of creative journey path, including proposed timetable
  • Description of how the activity addresses the goals of the Fellowship
  • Project budget including stipend, to a maximum total of $18,000

Proposals should be submitted on line at Materials may also be submitted as .pdf documents to Ralph Blasting, Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Fredonia, . Hard copy applications may be addressed to the Marion Fellowship Committee, College of Visual and Performing Arts, 807 Maytum Hall, State University of New York at Fredonia, Fredonia, NY 14063. All materials are due by March 15th, 2015.

Applications will be screened initially by selection committeeappointed by the Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Fredonia. Three to five finalists will be identified and evaluated by a committee consisting of one voting representative from each Circle member, and chaired by the Dean, who will vote only in case of a tie. A representative of the Fredonia College Foundation will serve as a non-voting, ex-officio member to ensure that the purposes and goals of the Fellowship are maintained. The committee may request interviews of the finalists. The Marion Fellow will be notifiedin April.

Total Funds Available

A maximum of$18,000 will be awarded to the 2015Marion Fellow. Funds will be disbursed in three equal payments through the Fredonia College Foundation according to its applicable procedures and regulations.

Final Presentation and Report

A final presentation about the Fellowship journey and artistic process will occur on the campus of the State University of New York at Fredonia, the cost of which must be included in the project budget. The suggested date of the presentation is September 2015. Technical requirements and travel arrangements will be organized by the Fellow through the Office of the Dean, College of Visual and Performing Arts. A final report including a final budget and proof of expenditures will be required for all supported materials and activity and is due to the dean no more than six weeks after the Fredonia presentation. The report should be not more than three pages of narrative, and should include sample supporting materials (e.g. programs, posters, excerpts of the work or work-in-progress). All advertising, programs and other materials related to the project should acknowledge, in perpetuity, support by the Marion International Fellowship for the Visual and Performing Arts Fund of the Fredonia College Foundation.

Rev. 1-15-2015

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