NYC Department Of Cultural Affairs & NYC Administration For Children’s Services, 2016 Artist-In-Residence Application
Type
Residency
Category
Activism, Intervention, Mixed Media, Other, Perfor...
Status
Archived
Deadline
March 5, 2016
Application Fee
Not Available
Host
NYCulture
Location
New York City, United States

ABOUT THE PROJECT


The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) and the http://www1.nyc.gov/site/acs/index.page">NYC Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) are partnering in an effort to provide enhanced resources and support for the City’s population of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) in the foster care system.  Specifically, the agencies are seeking an artist-in-residence for the SCO Family of Services’ Group Living for LGBTQ Youth program, to use his/her/their art practice to engage LGBTQ youth, create opportunities for them to express themselves creatively and to experience NYC’s cultural offerings, and further engage them with the services and resources available through ACS.


 


LGBTQ Youth in the Foster Care System and SCO Family of Services
The NYC Administration for Children’s Services contracts with private nonprofit organizations, such as SCO Family of Services, to support and stabilize families at risk of a crisis through preventive services, and provide foster care services for children not able to safely remain at home.  Foster care services provided by SCO include placements in foster homes as well as residential settings.  SCO is the only foster care agency in New York City that has residential placements specifically designated for LGBTQ youth.  SCO’s LGBTQ program is the only foster care residential program in New York City that specifically supports LGBTQ youth.  Their program is comprised of five Agency Operated Boarding Homes (AOBH); four in Brooklyn and one in Queens. The AOBHs are small, family-like residences that each house six (6) youth 16-21 years of age. Youth residing in the AOBHs all have open foster care cases in family court.  They stay in the program for a duration of one to several years depending on their needs and their ability to successfully transition out of foster care to a permanent setting.   


The Project/Challenge
DCLA and ACS are offering an artist-in-residency opportunity for an artist or artist collective to develop and implement a project that specifically engages LGBTQ youth in the SCO program and to the extent possible, the SCO staff.  This is a year-long opportunity starting in April, 2016.  Currently, the SCO program is full, with 30 youth across the five houses.  The project should aim to engage as many youth as possible in the program for the duration. 


The project should aim to address three distinct goals:


Provide opportunities for youth to increase civic engagement and investigate social and political issues relevant to them through collaborative art practice. Provide opportunities for youth to leave their residences and connect with arts experiences and arts professionals across the City. Provide opportunities for youth to express themselves creatively, and to publicly showcase their own talent.


The applicants should keep in mind that there are challenges associated with this project, specifically:


Given the nature of their circumstances and the trauma they have endured, many of the youth present a range of emotional issues. Each home houses 6 youth, and with the exception of two homes close to one another in Brooklyn, the homes are spread out across Brooklyn and Queens. Youth are not required to attend programs and have varied schedules, making it a challenge to ensure regular participation.  Developing incentives for participation will be required.


To address these challenges, SCO will provide transportation as needed, and will make its facility available in downtown Brooklyn for meet ups, as needed.  But most significantly, these challenges necessitate early relationship-building as part of project development.  To that end, once selected, the artist(s) will meet with ACS, SCO, and DCLA staff on a bi-weekly basis to discuss program ideas and format.  Generally, the first three months of residency will be considered the ‘research phase,’ in which the artist(s) spend time with SCO staff and youth participants to understand the operations, challenges, and desires of all parties, and refine their goals for the residency based on the personalities and interests of the participants.  In addition, during the research phase, the artist(s) will work with DCLA staff and consultants to develop evaluation criteria and implementation for the project.  At the conclusion of the research phase, the artist(s) will be required to present a formal plan and budget for residency activities, for the remaining 9 months of the year.


 


PROJECT REQUIREMENTS


Applications for the artist residency will be accepted for projects in any artistic discipline, but socially engaged artists who understand trauma and its effects are preferred. Projects must meet the following requirements:


Project must be cultural in nature, but may be in any artistic discipline. Project must be collaborative, and must specifically be designed as a means to target and engage LGBTQ youth in foster care. Project must create opportunities for youth participants to access cultural activities within New York City (i.e., performances, exhibitions, community events, workshops, classes, open houses, etc.). Project must include at least one public participant-led event during the course of the residency. Project activities must take place between April 11, 2016 and April 10, 2017. Altogether, the project must provide a minimum of 280 contact hours of activity with foster care youth and of planning projects and coordinating with DCLA, ACS, and SCO staff during the residency period.



SELECTION PROCESS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA
Artists will be selected after a competitive review process.  A panel of representatives from DCLA, ACS, SCO, and invited professionals with expertise in the use of art in social interventions will review applications for completeness, eligibility, highest quality, and feasibility.  Additional evaluation criteria will include (in no particular order):


Artistic merit and artistic excellence of the proposed project Clarity and detail in the project proposal Quality of and relevance of the applicant’s prior work Potential impact on participants Project feasibility, taking into consideration budget, timeline, available resources, and stated goals Evidence of experience creating socially engaged art Evidence of experience working with vulnerable populations through art and other techniques Evidence of experience engaging a cross-section of stakeholders that have multiple issues and interests Evidence of experience developing and engaging in a collaborative process with public agencies with a high level of scrutiny Prior experience as a teaching artist, artist-in-residence, and/or working with LGBTQ youth is a plus.  


Finalists will be asked to interview with the panel prior to final selection.


ARTIST STIPEND
Funding in a total amount of up to $36,500 will be available for this residency.  The selected artist(s) will receive an amount not to exceed $20,000 from DCLA for the research phase.  The artist will enter into an agreement with ACS for the subsequent phase in an amount not to exceed $16,500. Funding is inclusive of related project expenses (e.g., printing, materials, equipment, video production, etc.).   The selected artist(s) will be responsible for managing the project budget and submitting [monthly] invoices. No additional funding will be provided.  


The artist(s) will also have access to materials/supplies of their choosing fromhttp://www.nyc.gov/html/dcla/mfta/html/home/home.shtml">Materials for the Arts.


 


APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY
The artist-in-residence would have experience working collaboratively with communities. The ideal artist(s) works in the intersection of art and politics and utilizes art for social change. The selected artist(s) should be interested in LGBTQ issues, have demonstrated experience with social interventions through artistic practice, and have a desire to work specifically within the framework of the foster care system.  


In addition: Applications will be accepted from individual artists or artist collectives only (artists cannot apply for or receive funds on behalf of a non-profit organization or a for-profit entity).  Artists can apply directly without a fiscal sponsor.  Artists must be 18 years of age of older and a resident of New York City



KEY DATES





























Application Deadline: Sunday, March 6, 2016
Applications must be submitted online by 11:59 pm 
on Sunday, 2/29/16
Artist Finalist Interviews: Week of March 21 – 25, 2016
To take place at one of the proposed project 
locations
Artist Selection/Notification: 
Friday, April 1, 2016
Artist Clearance Process: 
Monday, April 4 – Friday, April 15, 2016
Residency Start Date: Monday, April 18, 2016
Residency End Date: Friday, April 18, 2017


RESIDENCY AWARD REQUIREMENTS

The artist-in-residence award is a contract for arts services; selected artists will be subject to the following requirements:


Sign and return Artist-in-Residency Agreement Submit to a clearance from the State Central Register to determine whether they have been the subject of a child abuse and maltreatment report Submit to a Criminal Background check. Complete and sign a Confidentiality Agreement affirming that they will respect and safeguard the confidential nature of the information obtained or learned regarding the youth residing in the SCO LGBTQ program. Submit monthly invoices that track hours worked, including time spent planning as well as contact hours with participating youth Work with DCLA and ACS to implement evaluation methodology, as determined in the residency phase Attend bi-weekly check-in meetings (either in person or by phone) and periodic progress meetings After the initial research phase, submit a formal plan and budget for project implementation Submit final report on a timely basis after completion of all project activities Include funding credit and logos on and/all marketing and event materials, print and electronic


Failure to comply with the requirements will jeopardize funding status and future grant consideration.


INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
DCLA understands the importance of intellectual property rights to artists who participate in the residency program.  Artist(s) will maintain rights over artistic works developed during the program (such as visual art, performances and literary materials), subject to the City’s rights to use such materials.  Materials developed specifically for City purposes (such as reports and promotional materials) will be owned by the City.


APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Interested artists must submit the following application materials online as described below: 

Application Packet:


Statement of Intent (500 words) Provide a statement on how your art practice and process of collaboration can be translated to this residency. How have you used art to build, empower and advocate for communities in the past and how will you continue and reshape those efforts in this residency with LGBTQ youth?  Describe any prior experience or training working with LGBTQ youth, youth in foster care, or other vulnerable populations.


Artist Statement (250 words) Provide a statement pertaining to the submitted work samples.


Resume or CV.  Provide a resume or CV, highlighting artistic excellence and any teaching experience, community engagement work, experience working with multiple stakeholders, and/or work with LGBTQ youth populations.  Indicate foreign language skills, if any.  Also indicate if you already have current State Central Register clearance.


References.  Provide the name, phone number and email of two (2) professional references. Please indicate your relationship to each reference.


Work Sample. Provide up to 10 digital images of recent works and/or up to 3 links to video or audio with maximum lengths of 5 minutes.  For literary projects, submit samples no longer than 5-10 pages of scripts, poetry, prose or other relevant materials.


Work Sample List.  Provide a list of submitted work, including title, date, materials and dimensions, or running times.  Include 1-2 sentence descriptions as needed.


If you have questions, please contact Diya Vij at dvij@culture.nyc.gov.