The Art of Action: Shaping Vermont’s Future Through Art

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REQUIREMENTS:

Images: 9

Introduction:
Vermont philanthropist and visionary, Lyman Orton, is collaborating with the Vermont Arts
Council and the Vermont Council on Rural Development [VCRD] to commission two-
dimensional works of art that reflect or respond to issues and challenges facing our state. The
intent is that the project and the work created will raise awareness and inspire a vision that
will shape Vermont’s social, political, environmental, and/or economic future.

Twenty artists from across the United States will be selected to make a presentation on a topic
or topics related to Vermont’s future. From these, ten will be selected to develop their concepts.
Commissions will range from $10,000 to $40,000 and average $25,000.

Selected artists will be commissioned to create two-dimensional works of art in media of the
artists’ choosing (oils, acrylics, ink, mixed media, etc.) that reflect various topics that emerge
from VCRD’s Council on the Future of Vermont’s statewide process of engaging Vermont
citizens in exploring the state’s future. For additional information, please click here.

The context as identified by VCRD’s Council on the Future of Vermont [CFV] is as follows:

Economic, social, and environmental challenges facing Vermont have the potential to
undermine traditional land use patterns, the economy, and the strength and unity of
communities. These challenges are compounded by Vermont’s demographic pressures, an aging
population, social, economic, and cultural divisions, and the need for affordable housing,
government services, public safety, and transportation. Positive trends in health, education,
mobility, and the technology-driven access to broader communities and trade also offer future
opportunities. What do these challenges and opportunities mean to Vermonters, and what will
we need to do to shape the future of Vermont?

Project Description:
The intent of The Art of Action: Shaping Vermont’s Future Through Art is to raise awareness
and inspire citizen action around issues and challenges facing Vermonters. Artists will explore
the issues identified in the Council on the Future of Vermont’s public process to create thought-
provoking and perhaps even challenging work, along with artists’ statements and other
contextual documentation.
The goals for the project are to:

1. Help Vermonters comprehend what the future may bring given current forces and
trajectories, and to articulate a desired vision.
2. Demonstrate how art is able to frame societal issues and engage people in dialogue and
action.
3. Cause more art of this type to be created as a result of this project.
4. Create a national market for Vermont art and position the State as 'the place to be' for
creative and entrepreneurial leaders.

Opportunities for dialogue and action will result from the creation and/or presentation of the
Works in a variety of settings and contexts. Funded Works will demonstrate potential for action
or change around the selected issue[s] or challenge[s]. The selected artists will be enthusiastic
and motivated by the potential of art as a means of investigating issues of statewide
importance, exploring opportunities for the future, and instigating change. Each artist’s Work
will provoke and/or inspire social awareness of, public engagement in, and action around the
selected topics.

Orton intends to retain one piece from each artist; the remaining pieces will be offered to the
public at a major auction event. Proceeds from the auction will be used to seed another round
of commissioning in order to continue to build the market. Some portion of auction proceeds
will also be returned to the artists - in addition to the commission amounts – as a means to
demonstrate the market success to the artists.

Selection Process:
A Project Review Committee [“Committee”] will be responsible for the selection of artists and
artwork for the Project. The Committee will consist of people knowledgeable about various
artistic disciplines as well as people knowledgeable about the various issues and challenges
facing the future of Vermont.

Step 1: Artist Selection: Artists submit their qualifications for consideration for the project by
the deadline. The full Call to Artists is available for review on the Vermont Arts Council
website. The deadline for Responses to the Request for Qualifications is August 28, 2008. The
Committee will evaluate these submissions and narrow the pool of artists down to a group of
approximately 20 Artist Finalists, who will be selected according to the following criteria:

High artistic quality of past work;

Experience and ability to work effectively with various communities or groups;
Ability to communicate effectively;
Ability and willingness to attend occasional meetings in Vermont;
Willingness to become familiar with the VCRD research;
Ability to access additional resources when necessary;
Willingness to share their work on a statewide level; and
Demonstrated desire to engage in transformational work.

Step 2: Research & Project Development: Artist Finalists will each receive an honorarium of
$2500 and will agree to:
 Familiarize themselves with the VCRD Council on the Future of Vermont process, input
sources, and research, as well as conduct independent research as necessary.
Attend an orientation and a conference sponsored by the VCRD on the Future of Vermont.
These events are anticipated to take place in late fall of 2008 and spring of 2009.

Artist Finalists will choose a topic (or topics) of interest and will each prepare an oral
presentation to be given to the Committee. In addition they will be asked to supplement this
oral presentation with a written proposal for their proposed work. Written proposals may
include project description, budget, timeline and drawings, maquettes, and other prototypes as
appropriate.

Step 3: Project Selection: Once the oral presentations are completed, the Committee will
choose up to ten artist proposals for implementation. These chosen artists will be awarded
commissions ranging from $10,000 to $40,000, and likely average around $25,000. Artists will
have up to eight months to complete their projects.

Artists will be selected according to the following criteria. Finalists’ proposals must:
be of high artistic quality;
address one or more issue, challenge or vision specific to the state of Vermont identified by the
work
of the CFV;
engage Vermonters around the issues – either during the creation or presentation of the art work;
stimulate action - either through changed behaviors and/or raised awareness about an issue;
articulate goals relevant to action/proposed changes, and demonstrate a method or means to
measure how well the project has met those goals;
result in a series of marketable works of two-dimensional art (paintings, drawigs, mixed media,
etc.);
have a reasonable budget;
be clearly planned and presented;
demonstrate that the artist has the ability to carry out the project as proposed.

Timeline:
Jul 16, 2008 - Call to Artists posted on Vermont Arts Council and CaFÉ™ websites.
Aug 28, 2008 - Deadline for Artists’ Submissions through CaFÉ™ online application process.

The following estimated timeline is subject to adjustment:

Sep 2008 - Committee meets to review submissions and select 20 Finalists
Oct 2008 - Finalists Orientation Meeting (required attendance)
Jan 2009 - Artist Finalists’ presentations made to the Committee
Feb 2009 - Selected Artists’ projects implementation begins
Mar 2009 - Attendance at VCRD conference (required)
Sep 2009 - Deadline for completion of artwork
Oct/Nov 2009 - Additional presentation of artwork as appropriate

Expectations:
Artists whose Work is funded will be expected to sign a contract with the Arts Council that
reflects the intentions of this Call to Artists. Artists will further be required to participate in
activities that promote and document their Work. Such activities will include, but not be limited
to, video interviews, blogs, and other marketing and promotional tools. Works created by
Artists in the context of this project will be considered “Works for Hire” and they and all their
associated use and reproduction rights will become the property of Lyman Orton upon delivery.
Artists will, of course, be appropriately credited in all exhibitions, publications, and other
documents pertaining to the marketing and promotion of the Works.

Eligibility:
Visual artists who are citizens or legal residents of the United States, and at least 18 years of
age are eligible to apply. Arts Council staff and Trustees, any Orton-Izzi-Byrne enterprise staff,
VCRD staff, and their family members, are not eligible to apply.

Materials To Be Submitted:
All materials must be submitted via the CaFÉ™ website (www.callforentry.org) only. There is
no application fee to apply or to use the CaFÉ™ online application system.

9 Digital Images – In order to be considered for this project, the applicant must submit nine
digital images of previously completed artwork electronically through the CaFÉ™ system.

Statement of Interest – Please submit a statement of interest via CaFÉ™ of no more than 4000
characters that briefly outlines your qualifications and experience and how they relate to this
project.

Résumé – Submit a current résumé of one or two pages via CaFÉ™ that outlines your
professional accomplishments as an artist. Résumés over two pages in length will not be
downloaded. Only upload Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat PDF file types.

For More Information:

Visit the Vermont Arts Council website or contact project director John Zwick, by email
jzwick@vermontartscouncil.org or phone 802.399.8925 for information about The Art of
Action. For Tech Support with CaFÉ™ system requirements, please email cafe@westaf.org.