In critical dialogue with the celebration of the 2020 Women’s Suffrage Centennial, this year’s edition of WALL\THERAPY was going to invite a group of female, femme, and non-binary artists to bring their work to Rochester. Given the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which have made safe travel and in-person interactions practically impossible, we have had to rethink how we can utilize our resources to make a positive impact in our local community.

We were recently awarded a $5000 grant from the Avangrid Foundation to support this year’s festival.  Together with the Avangrid Foundation, we have decided to break these funds up into 10 mini-grants of $500 each, available to artists in the Rochester, NY region. (We’ll have a separate post about that Avangrid award!)

In keeping with our intended curation for the year, we will only be considering applications from artists who self-identify as female, femme, and non-binary for these grants.

We are using this opportunity to move beyond our traditional focus on mural making, embracing ALL manner of creativity. We are looking for local artists to create little pockets of impact throughout the city using the tools you know best. This call is open to ALL qualifying artists across all the creative fields—visual, auditory, performance, etc—who meet the eligibility requirements! You don’t have to consider yourself a professional artist, either; we want to hear what you would create to inspire/improve your local area!

Rules and Eligibility Requirements

1. The application period begins on Wednesday, May 27, 2020 and ends on Wednesday, June 24, 2020 at 11:59pm.

2. Qualified applicants must self-identify as female, femme, or non-binary, as we wish to stay true to our intended curation for 2020.

3. The artist must reside and actively make work in the Rochester, NY region (focusing on Monroe County, but closely neighboring counties will also be considered.)

4. Applicants are asked to propose projects that positively impact/inspire/help a Rochester, NY neighborhood/community, working creatively within the restraints of social distancing. Keep it local, keep it safe!

5. The project can be of any creative discipline.

6. The project should be completed by August 15, 2020.

7. Applicants may submit up to three (3) different project proposals, but they must be submitted either as separate PDF files or links to self-hosted videos through your single application.

8. We ask that grant recipients document their project so that we can share the word of what you are creating. We have a team who can help safely document your project.

9. A total of 10 projects (no more than 1 per artist) will be selected for a $500 grant.

10. The grant will be disbursed in two payments:
a) 1x initial award of $350 to be disbursed by July 1, 2020.* This money is to be used toward the project.
b) 1x final award of $150 after the project is completed and documented. This money is for the artist as a stipend.

11. Grant recipients will be selected by a committee of our year-round WALL\THERAPY staff members.

12. Artists retain all rights to the idea/proposals presented, whether they are selected for a grant or not.

13. To expand opportunities to new artists, proposals by artists who have participated as part of a previous WALL\THERAPY festival will not be considered.

*Assuming recipient has submitted all necessary contact information after being notified of their award.

Proposal Requirements

We aren’t asking you to overthink this one! We’ve filled out grants before and know how much of a pain they can be!

We’re just looking for a 1 to 2 page document that gives us a sense of what you’d like to do. You can always fine-tune the details as long as you stay true to the intent of the original proposal—we’re focused on the ideas first! Please include all the requested details and photos in one single PDF per project idea. You can submit up to three separate proposals simultaneously.

Alternatively, we’ll also accept proposals submitted as 1 to 2 minute videos. You can share a private video link (via YouTube or Vimeo) through our online application.

Details we’re looking for:
• Summary of the project
• Approximate supply list (if we have something in our current supply stock, we may be able to help with some of your supplies)
• Approximate timeline for completion. Show us that you’ve thought about what it would take to pull off your idea!
• Got sketches? Include those! They can even be rough thumbnails as they help get your idea across to us.
• Samples of your own work that might help show what you are trying to do.

NOTE: While we welcome proposals that have taken inspiration from other people’s projects or ideas, we want these projects to be your own creative expression. Proposals that are direct copies of another project will be deemed ineligible.

Please feel free to contact us at WALLTHERAPYNY@GMAIL.COM if you have questions about the application or your project! Otherwise, click the button below to apply!

These mini-grants are made possibe thanks to The Avangrid Foundation $5000 grant to support WALL\THERAPY (a Synthesis Collaborative Project), in partnership with RG&E.

Overview of  #AVANGIVES

AVANGives is the Foundation’s flagship open call for employee-nominated grants, and one of its most uniformly engaging community initiatives. Launched in 2019, the program sought to recognize outstanding organizations our employees dedicate their time and talent to, or are personally touched by, that are making a real difference in our communities. The focus in its inaugural year was on youth, with 10 organizations chosen for $5,000 grants. You can view their stories – and those of the 2019 nominees – here: https://www.avanewsblog.com/avangives.

This year in 2020-2021 series called for nominations of qualified nonprofits working for women, diversity and inclusion – and received response from employees at all levels of the company and across all geographies. In March, the Foundation announced expansion to include 12 nonprofits. Each will each receive a $5,000 gift to further their work to advance equality and serve women, girls, and diverse groups in our communities – spanning from Portland, ME to Portland, OR.

Their stories, which will be told throughout the year, will speak to female leadership, advocacy for women’s rights, health & safety, empowerment – and so much more.

You can find a list of all the AVANGives 2020 grantees (including WALL\THERAPY!) here: https://www.avanewsblog.com/agrfoundation/womens-history-voting-anniversary