Do you love where you live? Are you an artist, a maker, a creative, or a culture bearer with a story to tell about your place? Are you always trying to get people to move to your town? Upstream Initiative announces an open call for the A Care for Place campaign! Supported by Springboard for the Arts, this call will support a cohort of 12 Minnesota artists with $4000 project stipends to create and document work that inspires people to be better stewards of Minnesota’s unique and beautiful natural places.

Deadline to apply is November 3, with an information session on October 26. See more details below and apply at  https://springboard.slideroom.com/#/login/program/69524/Gb2f5uImem 

Timeline

• Deadline to apply is Wednesday, November 3rd, at midnight.
• Panelists from Upstream Initiative select artists.
• Notification by Wednesday, November 16th.
• Artists will sign their contract and receive $3000 of project funds.
• Participate in 4 mandatory cohort meetings (virtually or in-person.
  • Thursday, December 1st, 2022 11AM-1:30PM: Kick Off and Narrative Change
  • Thursday, December 8th, 2022 11AM-1:30PM: Project Idea Share Out and Documentation Techniques
  • Thursday, January 26th, 2023 11AM-1:30PM: Project Check-In: 
  • Thursday, March 16th, 2023 11AM-1:30PM: Debriefing and Closing 
• Upon completion of project final report, no later than March 16, 2023, receive the remaining balance of $1000. 

Artist eligibility

• Minnesota residency.
• 16 years of age and up.
• Artists of all artforms/disciplines, experience levels, and backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
• Interested in a deeper understanding of narrative change strategies and learning about how to share your creative process on social media.
• Mandatory attendance at 4 virtual sessions. 
  • Thursday, December 1st, 2022 11AM-1:30PM: Kick Off and Narrative Change
  • Thursday, December 8th, 2022 11AM-1:30PM: Project Idea Share Out and Documentation Techniques
  • Thursday, January 26th, 2023 11AM-1:30PM: Project Check-In: 
  • Thursday, March 16th, 2023 11AM-1:30PM: Debriefing and Closing 
• If you are applying as a team, all team members must participate in workshops. The lead artist will receive payment and be responsible for disbursement to team members. The lead artist would need to attend all virtual sessions.

Project parameters

• You are not being asked to propose a project yet. If you are selected, you will design your project after the first cohort meeting.
• Projects must occur sometime from December 2022-March 2023.
• Projects must be publicly accessible (whether virtually, in place, or in person). If there are public activities, they must be free to attend.
• Projects do not have to be “new” – they may similar to your existing work or way of working, or they may be newer to you. Examples of projects could be: 
  • Doing your work but with a focus on your family’s favorite scenery and how you care for it
  • Interviewing elders about their ties to place and how they are stewards of it
  • Creating a performance based on your experience of your home, 
  • Trying something new for you in how you love, celebrate or care for our state’s natural places.  
• Complete a short final report at the close of your project

What to expect in the application:

The Application (will be in Slideroom)

1. Cover Sheet 

• Contact information, residential address, artform(s), any websites/social media handles 

2. Narrative

• Who are you? What’s important to know about you? What communities do you identify with, work in, and/or influence? Describe your creative practice(s) or medium(s)
• Where are you? Where do you live/roam? What’s important to know about the place(s) you live & love?
• How might your creative practice help you celebrate your place or help others in your community take better care of their place?
• Are you able to attend all of the virtual sessions? Y / N

3. Work Samples 

Provide up to 2-3 work samples of your artistic practice. Create a work sample list that includes the following information for each sample.

Name of file or link

• Title of work
• Year
• Materials (if applicable)
• Short description

Guidelines for work sample files:

Visual Art: Submit .jpeg images— Images must be under 5 MB. (1 Image = 1 work sample)

You can upload images with any dimensions, as SlideRoom resizes images larger than 1280 x 1280 x 72 ppi.

Text Work: Submit in .pdf format. 1 page = 1 work sample (ex: 3 page file = 3 work samples).

Music, Film, Performance, and/or Sound: Provide full URL links (i.e. YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud, etc). 1 minute = 1 work sample (ex: 3 minute video = 3 work samples).

Have Questions?

Contact Springboard For the Arts’ Community Development Director, Ricardo Beaird (ricardo@springboardforthearts.org) or Rural Program Manager, Molly Johnston (molly@springboardforthearts.org).

Many thanks to Springboard for the Arts for helping with Upstream Artist Fellows!

Photographs by Jaida Grey Eagle and Nemuel Sereti, part of our first cohort of Upstream Photo Fellows.  The Upstream Photos Fellows captured how people across Minnesota celebrate and care for their natural places.