MUSEUMS: Art Works

Introduction | Deadlines (March or August) | Project Reporting and Evaluation | Application Review | Contacts | If you wish to apply | Grant Amounts & Matching Funds

Introduction

The guiding principle of "Art Works” is at the center of everything we do at the NEA. "Art Works” refers to three things: the works of art themselves, the ways art works on audiences, and the fact that art is work for the artists and arts professionals who make up the field.

To make "art work," the NEA has included the advancement of innovation as a core component of its mission as a way to ensure the vitality of the arts. We recognize that arts and design organizations are often in the forefront of innovation in their work and strongly encourage innovative projects which are characterized as those that:

• Are likely to prove transformative with the potential for meaningful change, whether in the development or enhancement of new or existing art forms, new approaches to the creation or presentation of art, or new ways of engaging the public with art;
• Are distinctive, offering fresh insights and new value for their fields and/or the public through unconventional solutions; and
• Have the potential to be shared and/or emulated, or are likely to lead to other advances in the field.

Through the projects that we support in the Art Works category, we want to achieve the following four outcomes:

• Creation: The creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence,
• Engagement: Public engagement with diverse and excellent art,
• Learning: Lifelong learning in the arts, and
• Livability: The strengthening of communities through the arts.

 Please note:      

• Partnerships can be valuable to the success of projects. While not required, applicants are encouraged to consider partnerships among organizations, both in and outside of the arts, as appropriate to their project.

• American arts and design organizations must be inclusive of the full range of demographics of their communities, as well as individuals of all physical and cognitive abilities. Toward that end, we encourage projects for which NEA support is sought to strive for the highest level of inclusiveness in their audiences, programming, artists, governance, and staffing. We also welcome projects that will explicitly address the issue of inclusion.

• We are interested in projects that extend the arts to underserved populations -- those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. This is achieved in part through the use of Challenge America funds.

• The Art Works category does not fund direct grants to individuals. Direct grants to individuals are offered only in the category of Literature Fellowships.

Grants generally will range from $10,000 to $100,000. Grants of $100,000 or more will be made only in rare instances, and only for projects that the Arts Endowment determines demonstrate exceptional national or regional significance and impact. In the past few years, well over half of the agency's grants have been for amounts less than $25,000.

Deadlines [Back to Top]

Art Works applications will be accepted under two deadlines: March 7, 2013, and August 8, 2013. Apply under the deadline with the NEA outcome (in bold below) and project example that most closely corresponds to the primary focus of your proposed project. You will be asked to indicate the outcome that is most relevant to your project in your application and on the application form (you also will be able to select a secondary outcome).

March 7, 2013, Application Deadline
January 1, 2014, Earliest Beginning Date for Arts Endowment Period of Support

Creation

• Commissions or public art.
• Residencies where the primary purpose is to create new art.
• Innovative uses of technology or new models in the creation of new work.

Engagement

• Exhibitions including planning, implementation, public programs, education, and production of catalogues.
• Services to the field.

August 8, 2013, Application Deadline
June 1, 2014, Earliest Beginning Date for Arts Endowment Period of Support

Engagement

• Conservation.
• Documentation.
• Provenance research.
• Collections management.
• Reinstallation of collections.
• Community outreach activities.
• Permanent collection catalogues.
• Technology projects that provide online or in-museum access to collections, exhibitions, organizational history, and other programming information.
• Innovative uses of technology to exhibit new work or improve audience outreach.

Learning

• Public programs such as lectures and symposia.
• Education and related activities for youth, adults, intergenerational groups, and schools. (If your project is for youth, see "Choosing the Right Discipline for Youth Projects" to help you in your discipline selection.)
• Teaching residencies.

Livability

• The enhancement of public spaces through commissioning and/or installation of art works.
• The creation of public spaces such as sculpture parks or gardens to house works of art. Arts exhibitions, festivals, artist residencies, and other activities in public spaces that are intended to foster community interaction and/or enhance the unique characteristics of a community.

(Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact staff if they are considering Livability as a primary outcome.)

Project Reporting and Evaluation [Back to Top]

We ask all applicants to define what they would like to achieve, how they will assess the degree to which it is achieved, and, upon completion of the project, what they have learned from their experiences. Such feedback need not entail large-scale or expensive evaluation efforts. You should do what is feasible and appropriate for your organization and project. When a grant is completed, you must submit a final report and answer questions on your achievements and how these were determined. Arts Education grantees will be required to describe the assessment methods used to assess learning, and they will be required to submit any tools used to assess learning with their Final Report. (Please note that assessment tools may be shared publicly. If your tools are proprietary and have copyrights or trademarks attached, you will be asked to note that in your application and Final Report.) Before applying, please review the reporting requirements for the outcome that will be selected for the proposed project: Creation, Engagement, Learning, or Livability.

Beyond the reporting requirements for all grantees, selected Art Works grantees will be asked to assist in the collection of additional information that can help the NEA determine the degree to which agency objectives were achieved. You may be contacted to provide evidence of project accomplishments including, but not limited to, work samples, community action plans, cultural asset studies, programs, reviews, relevant news clippings, and playbills. Please remember that you are required to maintain project documentation for three years following submission of your final reports.

Application Review [Back to Top]

This category uses the agency's traditional method of application review. Applications are submitted to the Museums staff and are reviewed by a diverse group of experts in the museum field.

Applications are reviewed on the basis of artistic excellence and artistic merit. For more detailed information on how artistic excellence and artistic merit will be evaluated, see the "Review Criteria." You can find additional information in the "Application Review" section of the "Frequently Asked Questions." See the "Application Calendar" for information on when we expect to announce grant awards and rejections.

Contacts [Back to Top]

Museums Specialist: Wendy Clark, clarkw@arts.gov or 202/682-5555

If you wish to apply:

CFDA No. 45.024
OMB No. 3135-0112 Expires 11/30/2013
January 2013

National Endowment for the Arts · an independent federal agency
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20506