GRANTMAKING FROM THE INSIDE

This is a behind-the-scenes perspective on our Grantmaking process featuring the insights and advice of former Program Directors Ken Chu (Visual Arts, Emerging Fields) and Esther Robinson (Film/Video, Performing Arts). Their discussion was moderated by Sean Elwood, Director of Grants and Services. We hope this information will prove useful to grant seekers working on their Creative Capital Inquiry Forms and Applications as well as those of other arts funders.

Click here to download this interview in PDF format (120K bytes)

SEAN ELWOOD: I thought we’d begin by giving a quick once-over of the whole process from beginning to end, from the Inquiry Forms to the announcement of the new grantees. First of all, for those who might be confused by our jargon, could someone please explain what an Inquiry Form is?

KEN CHU: The Inquiry Form is our version of the “letter of inquiry” that is standard in approaching any foundation or corporation; this material provides for an informed and constructive conversation with prospective partners. Our form asks you to identify yourself and your project with basic information, and then asks several questions that help us determine if the project is suited to our mission and if it would make a competitive application. It is an opportunity for you to state your request and build a supporting argument for it. These questions could also serve as a template for composing a press release or conducting a studio visit.

ESTHER ROBINSON: We accept online Inquiry Forms, which are then evaluated by one Creative Capital Program Consultant as well as one outside evaluator from the field [click to view past evaluators]. At this point, we do not ask for work samples, but in mid-summer, we advance up to 300 Inquirers per discipline to the formal application stage. The application includes additional written material, a detailed budget, and work samples. The applications and work samples are also evaluated by a Creative Capital Program Consultant and outside evaluator. Of those, up to 125 per discipline go on to panel review, and we eventually fund approximately 20 per discipline.

SE: Who looks at the Inquiry Forms? Who evaluates them, who reads them, and what are you going to be looking for in terms of that evaluation?

KC: We read the Inquiry Forms for Creative Capital in addition to outside readers from the appropriate disciplines; therefore, each inquiry is read by two people. The feedback we receive from the outside professionals helps us make recommendations regarding artists that should be considered for the application round.

ER: Then we go to the evaluation process of the three hundred applications. Those evaluators are based across the country—there’ll be about ten per discipline, each person being responsible for about thirty applications. In both cases, we ask the evaluators to look at the quality of the project and the background of the artist—has their work in the past been strong, and would it indicate future success? Does the project have a chance of getting made? Are the goals too high? Are the finances too high? Is it feasible? And we are interested in work that is innovative, work that takes a known style or way of working and expands the possibilities of that medium. We’re looking for stuff that pushes the boundaries of both the content and the form, the medium itself.

SE: We try to be pretty clear in the guidelines and with the kind of questions we ask as to what we’re looking for. But can you think of things that an artist might not be aware of, or might do automatically that could hurt their submission?

ER: People often make their case too impersonally, like they’re an institution rather than an artist. It’s really important to have a first person voice, to show you’re an artist compelled to make a work. Why you, why this project, why now? If an artist can say “I have to do this project, I’m qualified in these ways, this is the piece I’m doing. It’s an electrifying idea and I’m capable of doing it and it needs to happen within this timeframe,” that’s a very exciting proposal to read. The proposals that are less exciting are written as if someone’s an institution; they are in the distance, or really academic. I often tell people to show their written material (or, if it’s later in the process, their work samples) to somebody that really likes them but doesn’t really understand what they do. They should ask this person to reflect back what the project is because an artist will often know their project so intimately that they might not be very clear in describing it. With the number of words that we allow, people try to squeeze in too much information and the essentials get lost. So I think it’s very important to be clear, writing as if somebody not from your field could pick it up, understand it, and have the opportunity to be excited by it. Have a passionate voice. I think it’s important for people to recognize that we read thousands of Inquiry Forms annually, and when we encounter an electric idea, we’re excited—it’s like meeting a person. So, as much as you can, convey your genuine excitement. Convey the impulse to make what you’re going to make with as much clarity and passion as you can.

KC: Esther put it very well. I encourage people who are submitting Inquiry Forms to stay honest, not to write a proposal for what you think we want to hear or that we want to solicit from artists. It’s really important for the project and your work to mean something to you first of all. We look at how you are engaged with the project as a person, who your community is, and how this project sits within the context from which it comes. Help us envision the work. We know a lot of the work is a proposed piece that hasn’t materialized, but we are professionals who have the background to conceptualize the work based on how you articulate it. The other point that Esther made is that it really is important for you to be excited about the work. We often get submissions from people who’ve been in the field for a while, and often these submissions are just cut-and-paste inquiries. It’s important for us to get a sense of excitement and your commitment to your work and to the project. I look for an infectious wonder that shows that you’re engaged in and excited by the work that you do and the research that goes behind the work.

SE: But what if an idea is abstract, or if the project is so far away that the artist is still in the process of developing ideas? How would you suggest someone describe it?

ER: I think that the easiest way to help somebody envision an abstract piece is for the artist to draw upon past work which is finished, and which may have a body of writing about it. Never underestimate the power of your community to help you articulate what it is that you do. Obviously, some will get it wrong, but you can use your community of friends and artists to help you see what it is about your work that can be articulated. Then say “for this new piece, these are my interests, and this is the research I’m doing or the influences I’m drawing upon or the formal concerns that I have.” Help us use your past work and your thought processes as clues to help us envision what you’re going to do next. I think even the most abstract concepts can be articulated. Maybe it’s a series of statements like “these are the questions I’m looking at, and these are the tools I’m using to address those questions,” not “this is what I’m making.” You have to have confidence in the fact that the evaluators have strong abilities to envision, and have years of experience looking at work in its development phase and seeing how it finally comes together; we’re able to both embrace and be excited about even the difference between first articulation and final product.

KC: The Inquiry Form is a tool. The questions we’ve set up are there to help you assemble a strong proposal and to present supporting arguments for your project. This process is not unique; if you’re in science, you submit an abstract of the ideas and research that you want to pursue, and then people evaluate that abstract based upon your past work and how feasible your Inquiry is. That’s basically what we’re asking artists to do. It is critical because it gives you an opportunity to place your work into the context within which you want us to evaluate it. We’re a national organization. We fund artists across the country. Thousands of proposals will come in, and while we don’t claim to be expert in every medium or have the background to locate the genesis of every idea, we do ask you to help us with that, to explain the context you want us to look at, to give us references that we might follow up to help us conceptualize the piece. Just referencing your past work would be very helpful. And if you’re moving away from that style or genre, you can cite other artists or other work that’s closer to how you’re envisioning your future work might be. We’re also very aware that you may submit a proposal for a very specific idea now, but we know that projects evolve. We recognize that, and we compensate for that in the way we evaluate the proposals.

SE: In general, is there anything about the process, about being an artist, or even about the times, that impacts the way we will evaluate these proposals?

ER: This is a very difficult and challenging time for most people, including artists. But I challenge people in the field to embrace that and to ask “how am I going to make a lifetime of work? How does this application or all the challenges that I face as an artist in terms of workload, second jobs, and all this stuff—how in the face of all that, do I remain hopeful and passionate about my work?” And in relationship to Creative Capital, I think it’s important for people to remember that because of the level that we’re capitalized at, we’re not able to fund all the great and magic variety of work that’s excellent, that’s feasible, that’s well thought out, that’s beautifully articulated. Our numbers fall far short of the numbers of projects that fit under those headings. As you go through this process, safeguard yourself to the degree that you can be passionate and excited. In terms of maintaining the right mental framework, try to see the Inquiry Form as a chance and an opportunity to better articulate your project and your ideas about your work. We’ve structured the questions so that they would be the kind of questions you’d want to answer in your day-to-day life and in other application situations. So do it on those terms and don’t create a situation where you’re debilitated, because it’s hard enough right now making the work.

KC: There are no trick questions in our process. Creative Capital is truly committed to the open submission process, and we want to keep it as democratic as possible. Our open evaluation process allows artists who are not actually on anybody’s radar to have a good chance to compete with their peers. The process we have designed brings the focus back to the artist. We want to look at the artist in a comprehensive way so it’s not just about the work (which is primary), but we also want to see the thought process and that we are working with human beings with real needs.

ER: Because we see such an overwhelming number of strong proposals and strong artists, we have had to narrow it down, and one of the ways that we do this is by asking that both the proposal and the artist be at a catalytic moment—that they’re ready to take their work to the next level. We’re looking for the projects and the people who are making a strong commitment that’s going to pay off for them. And I don’t mean financially, I mean artistically—that they are making a piece and this piece is the right piece for right now and it’s going to lift them higher, because with the limited amount of money and the kinds of services we offer that are non-financial, it’s work that really gains the most assistance from our process. If you have a lot of different pieces, I counsel you to apply with the one you’re most passionate about, but also the one that emphasizes how your artistic life is growing.

SE: Thank you all. I think that was good advice and good information. I hope grant seekers will browse the different sections of our website, including the Creative Capital Channel which highlights funded projects. Although there’s no guarantee we’ll fund those kinds of projects again in the future, perusing the variety of projects we’ve supported in the past may give a more complete perspective on us.