THE DEADLINE TO SUBMIT WAS ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 11 AT 12PM/NOON
Emerging Creators Fellowship
ASC BELIEVES INVESTING DIRECTLY IN CREATIVE INDIVIDUALS MAKES THE CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG CULTURAL COMMUNITY MORE SUSTAINABLE. THE EMERGING CREATOR FELLOWSHIP PROVIDES RESOURCES TO EMERGING MECKLENBURG COUNTY ARTISTS TO MAKE THEIR CREATIVE PRACTICE A SUSTAINABLE VOCATION.
Overview
The Emerging Creator Fellowship provides an investment in early career, vocational creatives looking to establish their creative practice in Mecklenburg County. The fellowship supports creatives that are at a pivotal moment in launching sustainable careers in the creative sector. Fellowship activities must occur between April 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, as determined by the applicant. Examples of fellowship activities include but are not limited to the following:
- Apprenticeships
- Exploration of innovative ideas
- Execution of new or recently begun projects
- Research and/or instruction
- Conferences or retreats
Fellowship activities should outline a timely investment which will advance the applicant’s career. Fellows will be responsible for making all arrangements and/or purchases for fellowship activities. Fellowship funds may not be used for tuition toward degree-seeking coursework.
Compelling applications connect the proposed use of funds to the applicant’s artistic voice and practice. Applicants should consider how the proposed fellowship activities would enhance their creative practice.
Applicants seeking funding for public programming or events should consider the Culture Blocks or Cultural Vision Grant programs.
Who Should Apply
ASC welcomes applications from vocational creatives* across all disciplines who are creating new, original work. Applicants should have 2-10 years’ experience pursuing their creative practice as their primary occupation outside of a degree-seeking program. An applicants’ age or training is not a consideration of the panel.
*ASC Defines vocational creatives as artists whose primary occupation is their creative practice.
How to apply
Applications are due on Monday, December 11 at 12:00pm/Noon. Late applications will not be accepted. Applications must be submitted online.
Application Components
Please review the following application components.
- Applicant Profile: the applicant provides contact information, a demographic profile, and resume.
- Program Narrative: The applicant answers the following prompts to provide details and context for the proposed fellowship.
- Describe your voice as an emerging artist. How do you describe your work? Are there particular subjects or themes you are exploring? (500 words)
- Describe the fellowship and the proposed use of funds. This should include a timeline for the fellowship activities (500 words).
- How might you share insights learned from this experience at the end of the fellowship activities (250 words)
- Letter of Support: Applicants should provide a letter of support from a colleague or mentor.
- Provide a budget for the Fellowship activities.Click here to download budget template.
- Work Samples: Please adhere to the following guidelines for work sample submission. These guidelines are intended to provide equal footing to all applicants through the panel review process. If you do not adhere to these guidelines, your application will not be considered for funding.
Up to 10 images, must be JPEG files- up to 5 minutes of audio/video recording. No more than 5 minutes of material will be reviewed by the panel. Please indicate which 5 minutes you want the panel to review on your work sample list. If no indication is given, the panel will review the first 5 minutes.
- up to 10 pages of written work sample material. You may upload one or more files, but the total submission should not exceed 10 pages. If more than 10 pages are submitted, please indicate on your work sample list which 10 pages should be reviewed. If no indication is given, the panel will review the first 10 pages.
Funding Partners
Emerging Creators Fellowships are funded through the generous support Mecklenburg County, the Infusion Fund, and ASC’s private donors.
Grant Amount
In 2024, ASC will award up to ten $10,000 Emerging Creators Fellowships.
Payments will be made according to a Funding Schedule that will be issued to grantees. Each fellowship recipient will be required to submit an IRS (Internal Revenue Service) W-9 form so that an IRS 1099 income statement can be issued by ASC for the fellows’ tax records. All taxes and reporting of taxes will be the responsibility of the fellowship recipient.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants are:
- Residents of Mecklenburg County, and have been residents for at least three consecutive years at the time of the application.
- Creatives with 3-10 years of experience pursuing their creative practice as their primary occupation.
- Creating original work, rather than interpreting or curating the work of other artists.
Applicants will be disqualified if:
- They are not residents of Mecklenburg County.
- They are a previous recipient of the Emerging Creator Fellowship or the Creative Renewal Fellowship.
- They also apply to the Creative Renewal Fellowship.
- They are full-time employees of a cultural organization.
- They are enrolled in a degree seeking program at the time of or during the fellowship.
It is not a priority of this program to fund creatives working in an academic or educational setting. Creatives working in an academic setting are considered eligible if the proposed use of funds is related to their creative practice rather than their academic research or work in the classroom.
Evaluation Process and Selection Criteria
A panel of past recipients and arts and culture workers across the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community review applications and select the 2023 class of Fellows. Panelists will review the application materials including work samples/documentation and will evaluate:
- Evidence of a vibrant, vocational creative practice
- The strength of the proposed Fellowship activities
- The potential impact on the applicant’s creative development
A variety of disciplines will be represented in the Fellows chosen.
Applicants will be notified of the status of their applications the week of January 29.
Expectations of Emerging Creator Fellows
- Completing Initial Paperwork: each member of the 2023 class of Fellows must execute a Signed Grant Agreement and Electronic Funds Transfer Form. ASC processes all payments via direct deposit.
- SEED Grants: Each Fellow will submit a SEED Grant nomination to ASC staff. Please see the SEED Grand description below for more details.
- Final Report: At the conclusion of the fellowship activity, the Fellow should send a summary of their experience to the Grants & Services team at ASC to close their grant.
- ASC will also convene the Fellows for occasional meetings.
Seed Grants
In 2022, ASC piloted the SEED Grant funding opportunity. The previous 60 Fellows nominated creatives across Mecklenburg County for a $3,000 award celebrating their contributions to the local cultural community. Recipients invested these funds in their own creative practice.
Each member of the 2023 class of Fellows will extend a SEED Grant to another Charlotte-Mecklenburg artist. The Grants & Services team will review the eligibility guidelines with the Fellows and facilitate the grant process.
Thank you to Mecklenburg County for supporting ASC’s SEED Grant funding opportunity.
Acknowledgement: ASC’s Grants & Services team would like to acknowledge the innovative work of the Jerome Foundation and the Indianapolis Artis Council, whose fellowship programs have helped inform and shape the fellowships ASC is offering this year.
info sessions
- Monday, October 30 at 1:00pm via Zoom:
- Thursday, November 2 at 11:00am via Zoom:
- Wednesday, November 29 at 1:00pm via Zoom:
Grant Application Resources
2023 Emerging Creators Fellowship Recipients
Teil Buck
A musician and founder of the Phoenix Down RPG ensemble, Buck will use her fellowship to explore the innovative combination of music, gaming and collaborative storytelling highlighting local creators in Charlotte.
Hector Vaca Cruz
A Latino documentary photographer, Cruz will establish himself as a full-time documentary photographer and filmmaker through the fellowship.
Kerra Don
Don will use her fellowship to support the bolstering of her professional acting ability and learning current industry practices.
Maria Frey
A full-time studio potter, Frey will use her award to build a soda kiln that will further exploration of the soda-firing process and equip her with the means to fire a sustainable amount of work.
Amber Johnson
A Charlotte-based dance artist, Johnson’s fellowship will support the exploration of the gender binary in narrative ballet form through the creation of a new work.
Jamie McGhee
An Afro-Caribbean writer, McGhee plans to use their fellowship to take a research trip to Brazil and attend an artist residency near the Brazilian Atlantic Forest in order to complete a historical fiction novel.
Maurice J. Norman
A writer and spoken word performer, Norman’s fellowship will support artistic development in the creation and performance of a new spoken word album.
Lucy Phung
A painter and traditional/digital illustrator, Phung plans to use her fellowship to travel to Vietnam and explore heritage and identity.