Jenny Hata Blumenfield, “Smoke and Mirrors.” Courtesy of the American Museum of Ceramic Art.
Grant goals
To encourage innovative research on critical issues in craft theory and history
To investigate neglected questions on craft history and criticism
To support new cross-disciplinary approaches to scholarship in craft
The Craft Research Fund was created to encourage, expand and support scholarly craft research in the United States.
- Proposals are welcome from museum, non-profit gallery, and independent curators.
- Grant funds may be used to support research activities including travel for research, commissioning essays for contributors, documentation such as images or rights to use images or text, as part of the research for future exhibitions.
- The grant awards are not for the printing or web-based dissemination of already completed research, exhibition production, installation, exhibition travel or management.
- For museums, galleries, universities, and organizations who are applying to the grant, please limit staffing and overhead costs to 15% of your total budget ask, i.e. if applying for $15,000 in support, total personnel and overhead costs should be a maximum of $2,250.
- For individuals who are applying to the grant, please provide your rationale for your financial determination of your stipend or honorarium in the budget narrative.
- No capital equipment purchases are eligible for support.
- For the purpose of this grant, the Center for Craft requires that all grant recipients provide financial remuneration to working artists for their time, labor, and services rendered towards the awarded project scope and goals. For remuneration 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
- Applicants must be able to receive taxable income in the U.S. for the duration of the grant or a charitable or educational organizations as defined under the appropriate provisions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, and report this grant as income.
- Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
-Applicant cannot be disqualified persons, such as substantial contributors to the Center for Craft as well as current employees, consultants, or board members of the Center for Craft, or immediate family members of such a person.
- This grant is intended to support scholarly research and is not for the creation of artwork.
- Applicants may either apply for the Craft Research Fund Project Grant or the Craft Research Fund Exhibition Grant, but may not apply for both grants in the same year.
Examples of exhibition research might include:
- Addressing work by historically important or contemporary craft artist/s
- Presenting a new understanding of the relationship between hand-made production and digital technologies
- Providing a new contribution to the history of the studio craft movement
- Placing American craft in a global context
- Or other topics that offer fresh perspectives within the field
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.
- Seventy percent of the grant will be awarded upon execution of the grant agreement and receipt of the awardee’s W9.
- Recipients will provide a status report on the project half way through the grant period (September 30, 2022).
- Recipients must provide content for at least one blog post.
- The final thirty percent of the grant will be awarded upon receipt of a final report to include a project narrative, a budget report and two copies of any publication produced as a result of the research grant. Project and final report must be completed in 18 months, with a deadline of July 31, 2023. If there is no publication, then provide a copy of the completed research in full.
-The Center for Craft recognizes that some projects that include publications may take longer than the designated timeframe of the grant award to publish finalized research. The Center will work with the grant recipient to disburse funds at the date of the Center’s receipt of final, published material, even as that date furthers from the original timeline of the grant period.
- Recipients will acknowledge support from “Craft Research Fund Exhibition Grant administered by the Center for Craft” in any publications or presentations resulting from the grant.
- The Center for Craft reserves the right to limit support of a project to a particular portion(s) or cost(s).
Proposals will be reviewed by staff of the Center for Craft for completeness and evaluated by peer-review of readers, who are recognized craft scholars, faculty and/or curators, free of any conflict of interest, based on the following criteria:
- If completed properly, the proposal will advance scholarship and knowledge on craft in the United States
- The plan for dissemination identifies the audience, is reasonable, and has supporting documentation as appropriate
- The project is feasible based on the timeline, expertise, and budget reflected in the application
- The project addresses the goals of the Craft Research Fund
- Representation and/or visibility - priority will be given to those who are underrepresented in the field.
-The project is consistent with and furthers the mission of the Center for Craft.
Considerations in final selection:
The Center for Craft reserves the right to limit support of a project to a particular portion(s) or cost(s).
GRANT ORIENTATION: Thursday, September 9, 3 - 4 pm ET
DEADLINE: The application for 2022 Craft Research Fund - Exhibition grants must be submitted via SlideRoom no later than 11:59 pm EST on October 4, 2021.
NOTIFICATION: Notification of the results will be sent via e-mail by December 30, 2021 for a start date of January 1, 2022. 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.
2022 Craft Research Fund – Exhibition Grant SAMPLE APPLICATION
This is only a sample application, all applications much be completed in SlideRoom.
Cover sheet
1. Name (applicant/s and/or organization)
2. Your Title
3. Your Personal Website or Project Website
4. Grant Amount Requested (up to $15,000)
5. Are you over 18 years old (yes or no)
6. Are you able to receive taxable income in the U.S. for the duration of the project period (yes or no)
7. Please provide a project title (up to 15 words, 85 character limit)
8. Please provide a summary of your research proposal (no more than 50 words, 300 character limit)
Application
1. Please summarize the following (500 words/ 3,000 character limit):
2. Please provide a historiography for the ideas central to this exhibition. Identify three other scholars who have written significant works on/around your topic, and describe how your work parallels and pushes the topic forward (500 words or less/ 3,000 character limit).
3. Please provide a timeline for completing the project. All projects must be complete by June 30, 2023 (18 months from start date). 3,000 character limit
4. Please complete this budget Expense Form for your proposal (Provided in SlideRoom).
Examples for Expenses: Support Stipends/Honoraria (List research assistants with names); itemized by location- Travel/Expenses (include lodging and meals); Contracted Services (such as photography); Materials/Equipment. The minimum budget request should be $5,000; the maximum budget request should be $15,000. Projects may exceed $15,000 if other support is listed in the budget. Please list no more than 30 items
5. Please complete this budget Income Form for your proposal (Provided in SlideRoom).
Please list the total amount requested from the Craft Research Fund here. If you have additional sources of secured or anticipated (prospected) income, please list them here. Examples for Income: other grants secured/prospected; support from institutions (school or university support); in-kind support (for example: percentages of salaries or hourly rates for time commitments). Please list no more than 10 items.
6. Please provide a budget narrative if necessary. (1,800 character limit including spaces and punctuation)
7. CV of relevant education and experience (no more than 2 pages).
8. The exhibition description (no more than 5 pages, in no less than 12 point type).
9. A bibliography of at least ten sources. (6,000 character limit)
10. Requested through SlideRoom: One letter of support from the hosting institution that includes why this exhibition is supported.
11. Attachment: Optional page (PDF or JPEG) for image/s that compliment or add clarity to the proposal.
What is the final deadline for submitting my online application form?
The application for 2022 Craft Research Fund - Exhibition grants must be submitted via SlideRoom no later than 11:59 pm EST on October 4, 2021.
Where can I find information about previous recipients of the Craft Research Fund Exhibition Grant?
Check out our online Grant Recipient Archive here. You can sort by grant opportunity by clicking on “Grant” or search “Exhibition” in the search Filter.
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.
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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 2021 Craft Research Fund grants. This year 10 organizations, curators, scholars, and graduate students will receive a total of $96,291.50 to support craft-centered research, exhibitions, catalogs, and projects in the United States.
3 out of 22 Exhibition Grant proposals were awarded.
Metal Museum
,
Divine Legacies in Black Jewelry
$10,000
Coupling physical objects with public archives ephemera, the exhibition "Divine Legacies in Black Jewelry" contextualizes the history of Modern Black American Jewelry production during the 20th century. The exhibition, on view July 17 - Sept. 11, 2021 will expand understanding of Black jewelers and their work and provide a launch pad for further research.
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American Museum of Ceramic Art
,
Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay
$15,000
To support research for the exhibition "Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay" and accompanying catalog, the first to chronologize the evolution of ceramic art in California, to the present day, solely through the work of women artists. Essays by Jo Lauria and Edith Garcia.
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Craft Contemporary
,
Diedrick Brackens: heaven is a muddy riverbed
$8,000
This proposal supports research and catalog production costs for the exhibition, "Diedrick Brackens: heaven is a muddy riverbed." The accompanying publication will be Brackens’ first exhibition catalog, and this will also be the first project to formally include the artist’s poetry with his textile works.
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In order to increase the value and relevance of craft to society, the Center works to advance the understanding of craft in higher education, museums and cultural institutions, and across disciplines. Field building strategies include convening thought leaders, creating, documenting and disseminating research, and launching innovative leadership initiatives. We provide grants and fellowships to emerging and established craft artists, curators, and scholars in order to build a future for the field of craft.
Recognizing that Asheville and the surrounding area has been a bastion for craft in the United States dating back to the Cherokee, the Center is actively working to preserve and advance the craft legacy of Western North Carolina through the development of our property in downtown Asheville, North Carolina and through a series of exhibitions and community-focused initiatives.
67 Broadway St, Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 785-1357 | info@centerforcraft.org
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