Read the Overview of Artists Fellowships for general eligibility criteria, a description of program goals and requirements and a selection process schedule.

Eligibility

This category is open to:

• Filmmakers
• Video artists

Applicants must have completed at least one film, which should be documented on their résumé.

Please note: Artists working experimentally with media (e.g., in installations or other non-traditional presentation formats) may apply in the visual arts category. However, artists may apply in only one fellowship category per year. Collaborators should submit only one application.

How to Apply

You will submit your application electronically using Arts Grants Online (AGO), a comprehensive electronic application website. The system will accept all of your application materials, including most work samples (see Work Samples section below for more information). No hard copy of the application is required. Online submissions will be due by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011.

The AGO site includes step-by-step instructions on how to apply. However, we have highlighted a few important points below that you will want to consider.

AGO works best if you use Mozilla Firefox as your browser, though other browsers, including Internet Explorer, are also functional. If you don’t have a computer at home, all public libraries have computers available for public use. Click here for the statewide library directory.

A complete fellowship application will have five components:

• Applicant profile
• Narrative
• Résumé
• Work samples
• Work sample descriptions

Applicant Profile
This page provides us with your basic information, such as your name and ways to contact you during and at the conclusion of the process.

If you are new to our online application system, you will need to create a profile. Make sure to check “Individual” when creating your profile. In the Primary Contact Information fields, enter your name the way you would like to be listed on our database and in our application records. If you go by your middle name, you may enter it in the field for middle initial.

If you have applied previously using the AGO online system, please review your profile and update information, as needed. Should any of your contact information change during the course of the review, please correct your profile in AGO and let us know so we can update your records on our database.

At the bottom of the profile on the Web Address line, enter your own website address, if you have one; otherwise, leave it blank.

Once your profile is complete, go to Current Programs and Applications and click on Start Application below the heading for N.C. Artist Fellowship 2012–13.

Narrative
Before you answer the narrative questions, you will select the discipline panel you want to review your application. The discipline does not have to coincide with how you have identified yourself in the profile, though it should be reflected in the work samples you submit.

You will also indicate if your application is a collaboration with one or more other artists. Only one member of an artist team should submit an application for the group. Work samples should represent work by the current members of the collaborative team and, ideally, work done as a team. Members of a team may not also submit separate fellowship applications to support their own work. Eligibility requirements apply to all members of the team.

Your narrative will address the following questions:

• How do you plan to use the fellowship?
• How will receiving a fellowship affect your artistic development?
• Why is it important that you receive a fellowship at this time?

Each question will be answered in a separate text box, with a specified character limit, but the total space required to respond to all three questions is roughly one typed page. A budget page is not requested with your narrative.

The narrative is an essential part of your fellowship application. In responding to the questions, you will want to consider what a panelist, who has seen the work samples you submitted, will want to know about the direction and ambitions you have for your work.

Résumé
You will upload a PDF of your typewritten résumé with information about your education, employment and accomplishments, with an emphasis on art-related activities. Include any other pertinent biographical details. You should also include information about your filmography, screenings and honors and provide a select bibliography of articles and publications written about your work. We recommend that you limit the length of your résumé to no more than five pages.

Work Samples
Work samples are the most important part of your fellowship application. Fellowship awards are made primarily on the basis of artistic merit and your work samples are the only means panelists have to assess it. In order to give yourself the best chance for a competitive application, you will need to be thoughtful about the selection of your work samples and spend the time necessary to prepare them to be viewed by the panel.

Samples should represent the best of your creative ability and be of the highest possible viewing quality. Work should have been completed within the past five years. Generally speaking, it is preferable to show a coherent body of work.

Your primary work sample is a 10-minute presentation which may represent one or more complete works, a segment or segments of longer works, or some combination. You will upload the 10-minute sample to AGO using the size and format requirements of the electronic application, or provide a link(s) to a work(s) on the Web using the Web Link Collection Form (a link is provided on the Work Sample Selection page). For uploaded video samples, use MP4 format. Total viewing time should not exceed 10 minutes. Applicants are limited to 500 megabytes for all uploaded files.

Applicants may also submit an optional complete work in addition to the 10-minute sample. If the complete work exceeds 500 megabytes (or makes the total file size of all uploads exceed 500 megabytes), the complete work may be submitted on DVD. Four copies are required. Please label each DVD with your name and the title and running time of the work.

The work samples you submit should be original, independent work and represent your skills as the primary filmmaker. Samples of work made for hire, educational pieces and promotional footage tend to be less competitive. Do not submit trailers. Work completed as part of an academic requirement should not be submitted.

Work Sample Descriptions
When you upload video to the AGO site, you will have the opportunity to provide descriptions of your work. There are text boxes for the title, year completed, and total time of work and running time of segment, all of which you should fill in, as appropriate to the sample. You do not need to fill in the Artist Name text box, as that is understood. Please ignore the drop-down that says you may submit a maximum of 5 minutes per upload. Uploads are limited only by the 500 megabyte maximum per applicant.

In the description box, clearly label which samples are intended as the primary 10-minute presentation and which are the optional complete work.

In addition to uploading your work samples, all applicants should also fill out the work sample description forms which you can find on the Work Sample Selection page. For each work, in addition to identifying information, provide a brief plot summary, specify your role and the roles of other key people, and describe any relevant technical considerations that panelists should be aware of (e.g., it’s a work in progress). For Web link submissions, you may provide this descriptive information on the Web Link Collection Form.

Submitting Your Application Package

When you have completed your application on the AGO site, you will submit the electronic version online no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011. It is recommended that you print out a copy of the PDF of the application for your records, but you are not required to mail a hard copy to the Arts Council as part of your submission.

If you submit your optional complete work on DVD, it must be postmarked by the deadline. Include four copies of the work sample description form along with four copies of the DVD. Send them to:

Artist Fellowship Grants
North Carolina Arts Council
4632 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-4632

What Happens Next

When you hit the submit button, you will receive an automatic email confirming the electronic receipt of your online application.

Arts Council staff reviews all of the applications for eligibility and completeness and prepares them for panel review, a process that can take several months, depending on the number of submissions. Discipline-based panels are assembled to review the applications and recommend the artists they consider most deserving of a fellowship. We then submit the panels' recommendations to the Secretary of Cultural Resources for approval. We send letters to all of the applicants as soon as possible after approval is given, and in any case no later than midsummer, after the legislature passes a budget for the Arts Council.

Helpful Links

Artist Fellowship Application

Artist Fellowship Overview

FAQ Sheet

Film/Video Artist Tip Sheet

Web Link Collection Form

Work Sample Description Form (10-Minute Sample)

Work Sample Description Form (Full Work Sample)