Artists in North Carolina have until Thursday, March 15 to apply for the Mary B. Regan Community Artist Residency, a $12,500 grant designed to support innovative art projects that impact communities.
The funds will support the selected artist’s planning and implementation costs related to the proposed project.
The grant honors Mary Regan’s four decades of leadership as executive director at the N.C. Arts Council and her long-held beliefs in the importance of artists and the transformative potential of creativity to community life.
Artists in all disciplines are eligible to apply for the Thursday, March 15 deadline.
Sculptor and poet DeWayne Barton was the recipient of the 2016-17 award. He is the founder of Hood Huggers International, a tour company that provides walking and bus tours of the Burton Street neighborhood in West Asheville that raises awareness of “Affrilachia”— African-American communities in Appalachia.
Barton’s work focused on the East End and Shiloh neighborhoods in Asheville. He had already transformed the Burton Street Peace Garden into a creative space for art, music, and community. The grant allowed him to improve and expand the area with a performance stage, remodeled greenhouse, gardens, and supporting facilities with the help of local volunteers and crafts people. Partnering with area arts and community groups, Barton culminated the year with a public re-opening of the space, a free event called “Ancestors in the Garden,” that attracted visitors from the neighborhood and other parts of Asheville to enjoy a day of music, theater, and fellowship.
Applicants for the 2018–19 community artist residency may propose an up to one-year project that engages a North Carolina community in a meaningful way by involving targeted groups in extended activities that culminate in public events or the creation of artwork(s) placed in public settings. Projects may address local or regional issues or be exclusively aesthetically focused, but should not focus primarily on school-age children as the audience.
Examples of projects include choreographers working with community members to create a dance work commemorating a local event, public artists designing solutions to environmental issues in partnership with local government, and similar projects.
Initial proposals must demonstrate a clear project idea, articulate achievable goals, and summarize the applicant’s qualifications and interest in the project. Finalists will be invited to interview and will be asked to provide more detailed plans, including proposed partnerships, a timeline and budget for implementation of the project, desired outcomes, and additional sources of support or fundraising strategies, as necessary.
To learn more about the program and to apply for the March 15 deadline, visit https://www.ncarts.org/invest-arts/grants-artists/mary-b-regan-communit…