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About the NEA Big Read Grant: Great Lakes Bay Region
The National Endowment for the Arts Big Read is designed to broaden our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum is one of 61 nonprofit organizations to receive a grant to host a Big Read project. The timeline of this grant is September 2021 to June 2022.
The NEA Big Read: Great Lakes Bay Region is not just a book club, but a series of programs and events centered around one book and its themes with the goal of bringing people together from our neighboring counties: Bay, Midland, and Saginaw. The partner organizations in these counties have selected the book ‘The House of Mango Street’ by Sandra Cisneros in part because it is accessible to a wide range of ages and abilities and has a children’s companion book called ‘Hairs/Pelitos’ that helps to ensure everyone in the community can connect around the stories and themes, including ‘neighbors and neighborhoods.’
Program partners include: Creative 360, Studio 23, Saginaw Art Museum, Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, Bay County Library System, Public Libraries of Saginaw, Delta College Public Media, Grace A. Dow Memorial Library.
Funding for the “NEA Big Read: Great Lakes Bay Region” comes from, the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read program in partnership with Arts Midwest, the Hemlock Semiconductor Community and Regional Empowerment Fund, the Bay Area Community Foundation, the Saginaw Community Foundation, and the Midland Area Community Foundation; who provides philanthropic leadership to strengthen our community by fostering collaboration and giving today and in the future.
About the NEA Big Read Public Art Program
The book's themes, particularly neighbors and neighborhoods, will be the basis for three community artmaking projects from the following three counties in the Great Lakes Bay Region: Bay, Midland, and Saginaw Counties. Working with the Marshall M. Frederick Sculpture Museum (MFSM) and our Big Read arts partners, each of the three counties will select and hire a local artist from their particular county to facilitate county residents in the making of a shared community artwork. For example, the artist selected to lead the art project for Saginaw County must be a current resident of that county.
Everyone, regardless of age or ability, will be able to come together to create a shared community artwork they can take pride in. It is special experiences like these that provide high quality of life in the region.
Eligibility/Guidelines/Work Specifications
ENTRY PROCEDURES & SUBMISSION MATERIALS
The following materials will be required for submission online HERE:
Timeline
Responsibility/Liabilities
The National Endowment for the Arts Big Read is designed to broaden our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum is one of 61 nonprofit organizations to receive a grant to host a Big Read project. The timeline of this grant is September 2021 to June 2022.
The NEA Big Read: Great Lakes Bay Region is not just a book club, but a series of programs and events centered around one book and its themes with the goal of bringing people together from our neighboring counties: Bay, Midland, and Saginaw. The partner organizations in these counties have selected the book ‘The House of Mango Street’ by Sandra Cisneros in part because it is accessible to a wide range of ages and abilities and has a children’s companion book called ‘Hairs/Pelitos’ that helps to ensure everyone in the community can connect around the stories and themes, including ‘neighbors and neighborhoods.’
Program partners include: Creative 360, Studio 23, Saginaw Art Museum, Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, Bay County Library System, Public Libraries of Saginaw, Delta College Public Media, Grace A. Dow Memorial Library.
Funding for the “NEA Big Read: Great Lakes Bay Region” comes from, the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read program in partnership with Arts Midwest, the Hemlock Semiconductor Community and Regional Empowerment Fund, the Bay Area Community Foundation, the Saginaw Community Foundation, and the Midland Area Community Foundation; who provides philanthropic leadership to strengthen our community by fostering collaboration and giving today and in the future.
About the NEA Big Read Public Art Program
The book's themes, particularly neighbors and neighborhoods, will be the basis for three community artmaking projects from the following three counties in the Great Lakes Bay Region: Bay, Midland, and Saginaw Counties. Working with the Marshall M. Frederick Sculpture Museum (MFSM) and our Big Read arts partners, each of the three counties will select and hire a local artist from their particular county to facilitate county residents in the making of a shared community artwork. For example, the artist selected to lead the art project for Saginaw County must be a current resident of that county.
Everyone, regardless of age or ability, will be able to come together to create a shared community artwork they can take pride in. It is special experiences like these that provide high quality of life in the region.
- The artist selected for each county will receive a stipend of $6,000 plus an additional $1,000 to cover any additional supplies.
- Payments will not be awarded until after selected applicants sign the agreement provided by the property owner of that county’s corresponding site.
Eligibility/Guidelines/Work Specifications
- Residents of Bay, Midland and Saginaw Counties, regardless of any age or any abilities, may apply for the art project to occur in their home county only. “Home county” is defined as the artist’s current place of residence.
- Proposals must articulate how the artist will include the incorporation of community members participation in the development, creation, and/or installation of the artwork. Participation opportunities must be available for all community members regardless of age, identity, and/or ability.
- Each entrant may enter up to three proposals by completing the entry form procedures as stated below.
- All submitted proposals must be able to be displayed on either a temporary or permanent basis (depending on that county’s space) so the public art can be viewed by the public free of charge.
- The public art should be comprised of sound design, safe for viewing audience, and suitable for long or short-term indoor or, if for outdoor public display, suitable to withstand all types of weather.
- Entered artwork concepts may include, but are not limited to free-standing sculptural work, mural, sound or other installation works, or other public art concepts.
- The book's themes, “neighbors” and "neighborhoods" should be articulated in the proposal.
- Works requiring electricity, water or other utilities will not be considered.
- A professional selection committee comprised of Big Read Partnered Arts Organizations will jury the entries.
- Proposals will be judged based on the following primary criteria: artistic merit, tie-in to the neighbors and neighborhood theme, incorporation of community member participation in the development, creation, and/or installation of the artwork, overall durability, and community appeal.
- Deadline for entries is April 15, 2022. Announcements are expected to be made around late April.
- The artworks must be installed in or before June 2022 to allow for formal dedication events to be scheduled in June 2022.
ENTRY PROCEDURES & SUBMISSION MATERIALS
The following materials will be required for submission online HERE:
- COMPLETE ONLINE APPLICATION INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
- Contact information: full name, address, phone, email, and website (if available).
- Short narrative biography about yourself (maximum 1500 characters).
- One-page resume (maximum 2500 characters).
- Detailed statement about your proposed public artwork discuss:
- its meaning,
- how it relates to the theme,
- why you proposed this design,
- and how community members will be able to contribute to its development, creation, and/or installation.
- Any information that may be helpful to create an interpretive label to be displayed near the public artwork and/or on the project’s website (maximum 2000 characters).
- Public Art Specifications: Include approximate finished size and media as well as any installation or other needs (for example: does the artwork need to be attached to anything; does it require a base or cement pad, etc.)
- Upload three to four detailed sketches or small-scale 3-D rendition (Maximum image six 10 MB).
Timeline
- April 15, 2022 by 11:59pm EST – Submission Deadline.
- Late April – Announcement of winners expected.
- May – Artists work begins.
- June 2022 – Public Art Dedications.
Responsibility/Liabilities
- Applicants must sign an agreement provided by the property owner of that county’s corresponding site
- Winning artists must be able to work closely with the NEA Big Read: Great Lakes Bay Region and MFSM.
- Artist will be expected to maintain artwork as needed for the first year
- Selected artists may be asked to participate in programming opportunities coordinated by MFSM.
- The finished and installed Public Artwork will become the property of the property owner of that county’s corresponding site.
- The property owner and MFSM retain the right to use images/videos, etc. in documenting, educating the public, and publicizing the artwork.