Grant goals
To support new research and knowledge through craft practice
To create new models for craft research
To make research in craft accessible within and outside of the Academy
To support the careers of craft artists that may be relatively unknown
To assist "mid-career" artists in undertaking a specific proposal/project that would otherwise not be possible
The Craft Research Fund was created to encourage, expand and support scholarly craft research in the United States. To learn more about the creation and development of this program read the press release here.
Proposals are welcome from mid-career artists, artisans, designers, makers, sculptures, and so on, who identify their practice within the field of craft. The Center, and by extension this grant, recognizes craft to be a particular approach to making with a strong connection to materials, skill, and process. We believe in empowering artists, makers, scholars, and curators to grow the field, embracing new definitions, technologies, and ideas while honoring craft's history and relationship to the handmade. Craft, in all its forms, demonstrates creativity, ingenuity, and practical intelligence. It contributes to the economic and social wellbeing of communities, connects us to our cultural histories, and is integral to building a sustainable future.
Applicants must be:
Applicants cannot be:
For the purpose of this grant, the Center for Craft understands craft research to be:
Examples of craft research might include:
For the purpose of this grant, the Center for Craft requires that all grant recipients provide financial renumeration to working artists for their time, labor, and services rendered towards the awarded project scope and goals. For renumeration estimates, we recommend consulting the floor wages listed on the Working Artists and the Greater Economy (W.A.G.E.) fee calculator website at https://wageforwork.com/fee-calculator#top
The Center for Craft prohibits discrimination, harassment and retaliation based on sex, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability or perceived disability, age, marital status, gender identity, veteran status, or any other protected category. The Center encourages applications from historically under-represented populations. Submitting an application does not constitute a promise or guarantee of being awarded a grant or fellowship
A panel of reviewers, who are recognized craft artists, scholars, and/or curators, free of any conflict of interest, will evaluate the applications based on the following criteria and a final two Fellows will be selected:
Considerations in final pairing selection:
DEADLINE: The application for Craft Research Fund - Artist Fellowship must be submitted via SlideRoom no later than 11:59pm on October 1, 2020. Notification of awards will be released December 2020 for projects beginning January 2021. Work outlined in the grant request must be completed within 18 months of the award.
NOTIFICATION: Notification of the results will be sent via email in December 2020 for a start date of January 1, 2021. The e-mail address listed on the application form will be used to send out notifications. Please be sure that it is a valid account that you check regularly.
HOW TO APPLY: Applicants must apply using the online application program SlideRoom at http://www.centerforcraft.slideroom.com.
Please review the sample application below before beginning your application.
Please note there is a separate application for each Craft Research Fund category.
All applicants should create a login to be able to partially complete the form and return to finish it at a later date. Before submitting your application, you will be directed to a confirmation page where you will be able to review your form and return to edit or delete your uploaded files as needed. Once you submit your application, you will not be able to access your form again. Applicants will receive a confirmation email once the application form has been successfully submitted.
2021 Craft Research Fund – Artist Fellowship SAMPLE APPLICATION
This is only a sample application, all applications must be completed in SlideRoom.
Proposal to be submitted via SlideRoom as follows:
Cover sheet
Application
Can collectives apply?
We understand that there are many collaborative partnerships in the art world and we encourage you to apply as long as all members of the collective meet the requirements of the application. You can find specific instructions on how to navigate our application as a collective in the application itself. Collectives must demonstrate an extensive collaborative practice.
Where can I find information about previous recipients of the Craft Research Fund Artist Fellowship?
Check out our online Grant Recipient Archive here. You can sort by grant opportunity by clicking on “Grant” or search “Artist Fellowship” in the search Filter.
Does the Craft Research Fund Artist Fellowship support ongoing projects?
The purpose of the Craft Research Fund Artist Fellowship is to support new research projects. Past research in similar subject areas or methodology can bolster and strengthen an application, but is not required for new research project proposals.
If I don’t win the award, can I apply again next year?
Yes, as long as you still meet the requirements for application.
If I win, will I have to pay taxes on my award?
Yes, all cash prizes are taxable income.
May I mail a hard copy of my application materials to the Center for Craft’s office?
No, hard copy submissions will not be accepted. The application must be completed and submitted through SlideRoom.
Can I work on my application and return to complete it at a later date?
Yes, creating a login account will enable you to complete the form in several online sessions.
I just submitted my application but I want to return to it and make an edit. Is this possible?
No, once your application is submitted, you will not be able to return to the form or change any submitted information. The application fee must also be paid at the time of submitting your application as you will not be able to log-in again to access the payment page again.
Do I need to include exhibition costs for the Craft Research Fund Artist Fellowship exhibition at the Center for Craft within my budget?
No. Exhibition costs should not be included in your proposed budget.
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I have a question that wasn’t answered. How can I reach the Center for Craft?
If you have any further questions, please contact grants@centerforcraft.org.
recipients
The Center for Craft is pleased to announce the recipients of 2020 Craft Research Fund Artist Fellowship.
BA Harrington
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$20,000
The body of artwork developed for Suite Américaine will reference three historical American furniture forms designed and built specifically for use by women. It will expand on my previous investigations of a late seventeenth century dowry chest, by adding two additional forms that follow it chronologically, a mid-eighteenth century Queen Anne style lady’s writing desk, and a late eighteenth century federal lady’s worktable. I hope to interpret the three objects as proto-feminist furniture forms, investigating and celebrating a sense of female agency and empowerment they enabled through their function and use. The resulting work will consist of sculptural pieces addressing the social history of the furniture and the expressive work by female hands that it stored and facilitated, while also considering contemporary issues around women’s rights/human rights, gender identity, marriage and family structure, and boundaries and borders. In addition to exhibiting the artwork, I plan to engage the public through programming that includes presentations on the history of my reference material, performances, and hands-on workshops exploring text, language, and embroidery. This work will constitute a first-hand study and re-experiencing of furniture as historical evidence of American History—including and especially the untold, underrepresented, undocumented everyday stories it has to tell.
Learn moreCannupa Hanska Luger
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$20,000
A WAY HOME initiates the long-term project of reestablishing a clay practice with my ancestors of the Mandan people, whose ceramic traditions were destroyed by colonization. Research will occur in museum collections, on-site in North Dakota, with community, and especially with the clay itself. As a Native contemporary artist and craftsperson of North America, I am motivated to reclaim a more accurate and globally relevant version of 21st century Indigenous culture. Through site-based research and materials testing, I hope to understand the limitations and possibilities of creating with our land. With support from the Craft Research Fund Artist Fellowship, I will spend extended periods of time on my ancestral land in North Dakota, where I will hand-dig clay bodies from the earth and test their material nature. A WAY HOME will provide time, space, and experiences with Indigenous people of my heritage to reacquaint ourselves with clay while learning about our lost and stolen clay traditions.
Learn moreclose
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Field Building