grants

Fellowship Interview

by Ramona DeFelice Long
DDoA 2016 banner

Each year, the Delaware Division of the Arts creates a page to highlight the 16 artists who are granted Individual Artist Fellowships. The IAF page features interviews with each artist by Christopher Yasiejko as well as work samples. You can read my interview with Christopher as well as the opening pages of my (then) work in progress, LEST I FORGET.

As always, I am grateful to the Delaware Division of the Arts, the State of Delaware, and the National Endowment for the Arts for their support of my work and the arts community.

On Sunday, April 3, 2016, fellow IAF recipient and poet Maggie Rowe and I will share our work with the public at the Judge Morris Estate, White Clay Creek Park, in Newark, Delaware. Built in the 1790s by the , it was the  home of distinguished federal judge Hugh Morris and is now a showcase in the 600-acre estate. Our reading will begin at 1:00 and will be followed by a reception for our friends and kind listeners.

Continue reading “Fellowship Interview” →

New DDoA Artist Pages Posted

by Ramona DeFelice Long

 

 

iaf-banner-home-2013~

I am happy to share the Delaware Division of the Arts new 2013 Individual Artist Fellowship pages. Take a look at the painters, composers, writers, and musicians selected this year to represent the state’s commitment to supporting and promoting art and artists. I am honored to be among this group of 17 artists selected for 2013.

I had the pleasure of being interviewed (again) for the page by Christopher Yasiejko. Our ar-coverconversation focused on my particular discipline, Creative Nonfiction, which is my writing focus this year as I pursue my grant project on writing about how the various places I have lived has influenced me as a person, a citizen, and an artist. I am enthusiastic about this genre which allows a writer to research like a reporter and write like a novelist.

My work sample is in the interview taken from “Getting to Grand Isle,” a piece published in The Arkansas Review in 2012.

Delaware has a fine track record for supporting the arts. As part of the IAF program, en dach of the artists featured in the pages will give a public performance or viewing of their work. I will be presenting in August, with fellow Delaware writer Russell Reece. Our literary reading will be at the John  Dickinson Plantation in Dover, on August 24. We will read and share a colonial craft and tour of the plantation. We hope this reading at an historical site will be the start of a literary series set at places important to our state’s history.

Individual Artist Fellowship announcement

by Ramona DeFelice Long

I am thrilled to be the recipient of an  Individual Artist Fellowship from the Delaware Division of the Arts for 2013. Seventeen artist grants were awarded throughout the state this year. The State of Delaware’s news release is below.

One part of the fellowship year requirements is a public performance of work. My grant project in Literature-Creative Nonfiction will focus on the places I have lived and how each place influenced me as a writer. I look forward to working and sharing this project in 2013.

Seventeen Delaware Artists Receive Fellowship Grants

The Delaware Division of the Arts has announced the Fiscal Year 2013 winners of its Individual Artist Fellowship (IAF) grants. Seventeen individual Delaware artists are being recognized for the high quality of their artwork in the visual arts, literature, music, jazz performance, choreography, and folk arts. Artists were selected from towns throughout the state including Bear, Dover, Harbeson, Lewes, Lincoln, Milford, Milton, Newark, and Wilmington. Their work ranged from photography and sculpture to playwriting and choreography.

The work of 85 applicants was judged by arts professionals from around the country. Through the IAF grants, the artists’ achievements are affirmed, helping provide the recognition and exposure that artists need to successfully promote their work. The artists receive a financial award—$3,000 for the Emerging category and $6,000 for the Established category—allowing them to pursue advanced training, purchase equipment and materials, or fulfill other needs that allow them to advance their careers. The public will have an opportunity to see the varied artwork by these artists as they are required to have a public exhibit or performance showcasing their work in the upcoming year.

Listed below are the Delaware Division of the Arts 2013 Individual Artist Fellows. Contact information for the artists may be obtained by calling Kristin Pleasanton, the Division’s Art and Artist Services Coordinator, at (302) 577-8284 in Wilmington or (302) 736-7436 in Dover.

2013 INDIVIDUAL ARTIST FELLOWS

Established Professional ($6,000 award)
Name Community Artistic Discipline
Linda Blaskey Lincoln Literature: Poetry
Anne Colwell Milton Literature: Fiction
Scott Davidson Wilmington Jazz: Solo Performance
Ann Jenkins Milford Folk Art: Visual
Ramona Long Newark Literature: Creative Nonfiction
George Lorio Dover Visual Arts: Sculpture
Augustine Mercante Wilmington Music: Solo Recital
Aina Nergaard-Nammack Lewes Visual Arts: Painting
Karin Snoots Harbeson Visual Arts: Painting

 

Emerging Professional ($3,000 award)
Name Community Artistic Discipline
Alex Buckner Wilmington Choreography
Teresa Clifton Milford Literature: Fiction
Knicoma Frederick Wilmington Folk Art: Visual
Jerry Gordon Wilmington Visual Arts: Painting
Andre Jones Wilmington Literature: Playwriting
Michele McCann Newark Folk Art: Music
Marjorie Weber Lewes Literature: Creative Nonfiction
William Wolff Bear Visual Arts: Photography

 

Honorable Mentions
Name Community Artistic Discipline
Thomas Del Porte Wilmington Visual Arts: Painting
Dennis Lawson Newark Literature: Fiction
Georgia Leonhart Rehoboth Beach Literature: Creative Nonfiction
Robyn Phillips-Pendleton Newark Visual Arts: Painting
Russell Reece Bethel Literature: Fiction
Vanessa Simon Magnolia Visual Arts: Photography
Michele Xiques Milford Choreography

The next deadline for Individual Artist Fellowships applications is August 1, 2013.

The Delaware Division of the Arts is an agency of the State of Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support artists and arts organizations, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Funding for Division programs is provided by annual appropriations from the Delaware State Legislature, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Kick-Starting Your Writing in November, A Guest Post by Gigi Pandian

by Ramona DeFelice Long

Note: November is a month for giving thanks. I have been the fortunate recipient of of writing grants and fellowships, and for this, I am grateful. Today, I am happy to welcome another writing grant recipient, Gigi Pandian, as she discusses what can make a writer thankful in November. 

KICK-STARTING YOUR WRITING IN NOVEMBER

by Gigi Pandian

The month of November is a great month for writers—especially mystery writers. Continue reading “Kick-Starting Your Writing in November, A Guest Post by Gigi Pandian” →

How To Write an Artist Statement

by Ramona DeFelice Long

What is an Artist Statement?

 An Artist Statement is a group of “I sentences” that explain your artistic hopes, dreams, ambitions, philosophy, direction, growth, and evolution. If part of an application for a fellowship or grant, the Artist Statement will demonstrate how the award would patently help you reach your artistic goals.

Artist Statements are meant to inform grant administrators and fellowship jurors what your hope is for this project, how you will be affected by working on the project, and how the support of the grant will help you toward those ends.

What is an Artist Statement not?

~ It is not a resume or CV

~ It is not a list of published words

~ It is not a list of awards, honors, or degrees

~ It is not your personal background

~ It is not a project description.

If it is not all of those things and can’t include those things, what does go into an Artist Statement?

First, understand the purpose. While not all grants are administered in the same way, in general, the granting agency (state division of the arts or arts council, or private foundation/organization) will employ a judge or judging panel to read and score the work samples. The Artist Statement is a document the granting agency uses to allow the artist to give voice to how the grant will help their career or work. It is also often used as a PR tool. This means, what goes into your Artist Statement is your vision of yourself as an artist—how you came to create art, what is means to your life, what you try to express via your work, how (if applicable) you see yourself as a member of the artistic community.

How do you put together an Artist Statement?

An Artist Statement for a specific purpose will probably have a limit. In the space/word count allotted, include some/all of the following:

….What is your philosophy as an artist, in relation to this particular project? For instance, if this is a family memoir, do you believe that art is a means of examining and exploring your personal history? Is it a way to heal, or celebrate? Is this work meant to be a tribute, to set the record straight, to capture for posterity events that have impacted you and yours?

….How will you grow as an artist through this project? Are you trying a new medium? A new voice? Fictionalizing reality? Creating an entirely new world? How is this project different from your prior work?

….What message are you trying to convey?

….How is your work, and this project in particular, a reflection of you? If you are writing about a culture, are you tied to it? Is the project trying to satisfy a curiosity? Trying to recapture or examine something you have lost?

….What is your goal, specifically, for this work? Do you plan to complete a novel? Write X number of short stories?

….Stylistically, what is special about this project? Is this a departure for you? A new venture into an entirely new genre?

That’s a lot to cram into the small box on the grant app. What is comes down to is explaining what you want from this particular project, and how it fits into your goals as an artist. The Artist Statement is your way to make the grant people understand you. It gives you a chance to express your heart.

A perk to writing the Artist Statement is how it makes you think about the questions above. In your daily life as a writer, how often do you think, concretely, about your goals as an artist? Do you ever stop to recall just how you chose this medium, and how it has impacted your life?

The Artist Statement makes you examine yourself as an artist. Who are you? What do you want? What are you trying to say through your art?

It’s that simple.

Hot Off the Press

by Ramona DeFelice Long

Ramona DeFelice Long Awarded Fellowship by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation
and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts

(Amherst, VA) – Ramona DeFelice Long of Newark, DE, has been awarded a Creative Fellowship to the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA). The fellowship is made possible by a grant from Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation as part of its ongoing efforts on behalf of working artists.

The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in rural Virginia. Ramona DeFelice Long will be in residence with approximately 25 other artists focusing on their own creative projects at this working retreat for visual artists, writers and composers.

A typical residency ranges from two weeks to two months. An artist is provided with a comfortable private bedroom, a private studio and three prepared meals a day. Beyond the breakfast hour and the dinner hour, there are no schedules or obligations. This distraction-free atmosphere, as well as the energy that results from having 25 artists, writers and composers gathered in one place, enables artists to be highly productive.

Serving more than 350 artists a year (more than 4,000 since its inception), the VCCA is one of the nation’s largest year-round artists’ communities. VCCA Fellows have received worldwide attention through publications, exhibitions, compositions, performances, and major awards and accolades, including MacArthur grants, Pulitzer Prizes, Guggenheim fellowships, National Endowment for the Arts awards, Rome Prizes, Pollock-Krasner grants, National Book Awards, Broadway and O!-Broadway productions, and Academy Award nominations.

A nonprofit organization founded in 1971, the VCCA is supported in large part by grants and private donations.

The Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation was established in 1979 to promote and support multi-state arts programming. The Foundation serves the states and territories of Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the US Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia. Additionally, the Foundation engages in national and international work focused on performing arts touring, jazz, and independent filmmakers.

Advice Among the Accolades

by Ramona DeFelice Long

Last week, in jest, I posted about Helena Bonham Carter’s  mismatched shoes at the Golden Globe Awards.  This week I invoke HBC again, because her daring choices remind me of a nugget of writing advice that has both bothered and benefited me. It came via an anonymous judge for a writing fellowship, and I keep it posted on a yellow sticky note stuck to the side of my desktop:

“This writer should resist clichéd thinking that forces a story into a contained shape.”

Continue reading “Advice Among the Accolades” →

Q & A with Kimberly Gray

by Ramona DeFelice Long

Last September at the Seascape Writers Retreat, I had the pleasure of meeting Kimberly Gray, who had been awarded a major grant for aspiring mystery authors. Kim has graciously agreed to answer a few questions about her work and what winning the grant has meant to her career.

First, about the grant she won: The William F. Deeck – Malice Domestic Grants for Unpublished Writers. Founded in 1993 and sponsored by Malice Domestic, Ltd., the grants are presented annually at the May conference. The grants recognize promising works in fiction and nonfiction which demonstrate commitment to  the “traditional mystery” style (no excessive gore, gratuitous violence, or explicit sex—think Dame Agatha) that is known as malice domestic.

The awards consist of $1,500 to allow recipients to attend a writers’ conference or workshop. For nonfiction, the grant may be used to offset research expenses. It also comps the recipients’ attendance and lodging at the annual conference in Bethesda. The grant period is currently in progress; the deadline is November 15. More details may be found at the MD site.

Kim Gray was awarded the grant in May, 2009. She’s here to share a bit about herself and to help promote the  Malice Domestic grant program by encouraging other writers to apply.

RDL: Kim, what is your writing background?

KG: I love mysteries! About 12 years ago I took a writing workshop with author Barbara Lee. She encouraged me to write what I loved to read. Up until that point I was writing essays and poetry. I had a few poems and essays published in college and high school magazines

RDL:  Tell us about your grant-winning project.

KG: My project that won the grant has the working title of Ghost Of A Chance. It is a paranormal mystery set in Baltimore City. The story revolves around Lottie Gershwin and her mother-in-law, Margot. Together they need to solve a murder… Margot’s.

RDL: What’s the status of the story now?

KG: The book is finished and is in the process of revision now.

RDL: How did you use the Malice grant?

KG: The grant gave me the means to attend a few workshops I would never have been able to afford. One in particular was Seascape, where I had the opportunity to work with many talented published and non-published writers.

RDL:  How did winning the grant affect your career?

KG: Winning the grant has opened doors to editors and agents a little easier. It has helped to give me faith in my talent and encouraged me not to give up on my dream.

RDL: Thanks, Kim! Best of luck with Ghost of a Chance.

Kim Gray is a writer and artist. In addition to her promising new work in the mystery genre, Kim also writes essays and poetry. When she’s not writing, cooking, traveling or listening to local bands, she’s working at Studio C .

You may (try to) follow her on Facebook–if you can keep up with her.

The Art of the Artist Statement

by Ramona DeFelice Long

….wherein I explain what the heck it is, and how the heck to write one.

Not long ago, a fellow writer asked me about the benefits of applying for a literary grant. It’s not the same as being published, he claimed, so if you have limited writing time, wouldn’t you be better off focusing on your work, instead of spending valuable writing time filling out a long, complicated grant application?

I agree that writing time is a precious commodity not to be wasted. (Have I mentioned I finally gave in and became a Facebooker this week?)  However, the idea that applying for a grant is a waste of time, I do dispute.  I’ve posted previously about the value of entering contests, so this is a close cousin to that:

Winning a literary grant is good because:

…..It validates you as an artist.

…..It supports you/your work on a particular project.

…..It offers an opportunity for public performance.

…..It supports the grant system to aid and abet artists.

…..How can I put this? Oh yeah–

As in my prior post, winning is best, but applying is good, too:

….Applying forces you to prepare a polished work sample.

….Applying makes you to update bio and resume information.

….Applying makes you develop a project description.

….Applying gets you to write an artist statement.

….Applying doesn’t cost any of this:

All that being said, one of the bugaboos I hear from writers who avoid the grant process is that numbers 2, 3 and 4 above are tedious. This is true. Most writers I know hate writing about themselves. On the other hand, you have to put on your big girl (or boy) panties (or boxers) and master the boring stuff in order to give your work the exposure it deserves.

So, lesson #1: How to Write an Artist Statement.

First, let’s define the term. An Artist Statement is a group of “I sentences” that explain your artistic hopes, dreams, ambitions, philosophy, direction, growth, evolution, plus how this grant will patently help you to achieve all of that. More simply, and practically, put, the Artist Statement tells the grant administrators what your hope is for this project, how you will be affected by working on the project, and how the support of the grant will help you to achieve that.

Second, let’s talk about what an Artist Statement is not. It’s not your resume or CV; it’s not a  list of publications, awards, honors; it’s not your personal background; it’s not a project description.

Third, let’s figure out the purpose of the Artist Statement. While not all grants are administered in the same way, in general, the grant agency (state division of the arts, or arts council) will employ an out of state judge to read and score the work samples. The Artist Statement is a document the grant agency uses to allow the artist to give voice to how the grant will help their career or work. It is also often used as a PR tool.

Fourth, and finally, how do you write one? Here we go:

An Artist Statement can be from 500-1,000 words, or so. In that space, include some/all of the following:

….What is your philosophy as an artist, in relation to this particular project? For instance, if this is a family memoir, do you believe that art is a means of examining and exploring your personal history? Is it a way to heal, or celebrate? Is this work meant to be a tribute, to set the record straight, to capture for posterity events that have impacted you and yours?

….How will you grow as an artist through this project? Are you trying a new medium? A new voice? Fictionalizing reality? Creating an entirely new world? How is this project different from your prior work?

….What message are you trying to convey?

….How is your work, and this project in particular, a reflection of you? If you are writing about a culture, are you tied to it? Is the project trying to satisfy a curiosity? Trying to recapture or examine something you have lost?

….What is your goal, specifically, for this work? Do you plan to complete a novel? Write X number of short stories?

….Stylistically, what is special about this project? Is this a departure for you? A new venture into an entirely new genre?

That’s a lot to cram into the small box on the grant app.What is comes down to is explaining what you want from this particular project, and how it fits into your goals as an artist. The Artist Statement is your way to make the grant people understand you. It gives you a chance to express your heart.

What’s so great about writing the Artist Statement is that it makes you think about the questions above. In your daily life as a writer, how often do you think, concretely, about your goals as an artist? Do you ever stop to recall just how you chose this medium, and how it has impacted your life?

The Artist Statement makes you examine yourself as an artist. Who are you? What do you want? What are you trying to say?

It’s that simple. Really.

Bonne chance~

Ramona

P.S. As mentioned above, find me on Facebook.

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The Envelope, Please!

by Ramona DeFelice Long

….wherein I end my year as an Artist Fellow with some thoughts about winning grants, applying for grants and  why it’s true that just being nominated (or applying) makes you a winner.

This time last year, I spent many minutes watching for my mailman. End of December is when the Delaware Division of the Arts, and many of its counterparts in other US states, sends out notifications about artist grants awarded for the upcoming year.

In Delaware, individual artist grants come in three sizes–Emerging, Established and Master–and in five disciplines–Visual, Performing, Media, Folk and Literature. Back in August, I  completed the easy (really, it is!) online application and then did what writers are advised to do about submissions:  Hit SEND (or shove the envelope in the slot) and forget about it.

Until Christmas. Because mixed in with gift boxes and holiday cards would be The Envelope.

This is one of those times when size is important. An over-sized manila envelope means you have to fill out various forms and follow certain instructions because, yes, you were awarded a grant! A slim white business envelope means thank-you-for-trying–better-luck-next-time-please-try-again.

I’ve been on both sides of the envelope, as it were. Last year, happily, my envelope was a fattie.

Ten Delaware artists received fellowships in 2009.  Here are my fellow Fellows.

So, what does it mean to be an Artist Fellow?

In practical terms, it means that you are awarded a sum of money (thank you, taxpayers of Delaware!) that allows you to set aside time and resources to focus on a particular project.

In outreach terms, it means your work is showcased in a couple of ways. The Artist Pages noted above is a new venture put up by the DDOA, with narratives written by local writer Christopher Yasiejko

Also, in July, an exhibit of works by Fellowship winners opened at the Biggs Museum of American Art in Dover and ran through September.

In performance terms, it means you give a public reading. This is the fun part. I was very fortunate to know two other Artist Fellows, and it was extra fortunate that our awards happened to cover the three literary disciplines: Robert Hambling Davis in Creative Non-Fiction; Abby Millager in Poetry; and yours truly in Fiction.

We combined our literary forces and chose to have our public event at the historic Deer Park Tavern (historic because it was cursed by Edgar Allan Poe.) Bob read excerpts from his memoir about growing up in rural Delaware. Abby read a selection of poems both amusing and moving. I read from a short story based on my French Catholic family in Louisiana.  Then we hosted an open mic, and enjoyed the work of other artists brave enough to stand before a crowd and read. Which, if you have ever done it, is no small thing, to share your work live and see/feel/hear the reaction.

Those are the concrete ways a grant helps an artist, but there is also the less  tangible. Receiving a grant is different from being published. Seeing your work in print is a great thing; it means you’ve met the standards and your work has been found worthy of sharing with the public. Sometimes there is even a paycheck involved, but pay or no pay, your name in print is a good, good thing.

A grant is a different type of affirmation, because it’s awarding support before the work is done. It tells you that your idea or project has artistic merit; it also tells you that, in this case, the state of Delaware believes in art and artists and shows that by supporting YOU and your fellow Fellows for the year.

Which brings me back to my “wherein” statement posted at the top. Everyone, in every state, should apply for a grant. First, because it supports the grant system and the organizations that function to assist and promote artists. Second, because the process itself is a boon to you, the artist. How?

1. You will have to focus on a project (a good thing) that you vow to work on for a year.

2..You will have to write a biographical statement (another good thing) that highlights your study or achievements in your field.

3. You will have to develop an Artist Statement (a really good thing) that expresses in writing how this particular project will help you to grow and learn as an Artist.

So, even if the envelope may be small this time, the fact that there’s one in the mail means you helped yourself by applying. Like they say on the Red Carpet, it’s an honor just to be nominated. In this case, it benefits an Artist to give a grant a try.