Artist Documentation
Artist & Organization GuidelinesArtists and the organizations that involve artists in their applications must submit artistic documentation. Follow these guidelines and remember to include an appropriately sized, self-addressed mailer with correct postage for return of documentation.
General InformationArtistic documentation submitted for review is an important component of your application. Review panels are instructed to base their decisions only on the material included in the application packet. Be sure to select material which best portrays artistic strengths.
- Submit samples of your most recent work that are consistent with and useful in accomplishing your application proposal. Panelists will look for connections between your work samples and your artistic direction.
- A self-addressed, stamped mailer must be submitted if you would like your artistic documentation returned. If you wish to pick up these supporting materials at the State Arts Council office, you must do so within 30 days after the grant announcements.
If you have any questions about the acceptability of support materials, call the Council office.
DanceDance includes choreography and performances in ballet, modern, jazz, tap and traditional dance.
Applicants must submit a DVD, 10-15 minutes in length, clearly labeled with the names of the performers, title and choreographer, duration of each work, date and location of taping. Review panels will view the submission from the beginning of the DVD; therefore, submitting edited material will allow panelists to view your most representative work.
Up to five pages of supporting print materials including but not limited to printed reviews, newspaper feature stories, letters of support, etc. may also be included.
Design ArtsDesign Arts include architecture, landscape architecture, product design, graphic design, urban design, historic preservation and community planning.
Applicants may submit digital images on a CD. Follow the labeling procedures listed under the Visual Arts documentation section. Documentation may consist of drawings or proposals not yet realized as well as work that has been produced. Provide information describing the project(s) and the applicant’s artistic role.
Up to five pages of supporting print materials including but not limited to printed reviews, newspaper feature stories, letters of support, etc. may also be included.
Traditional ArtsTraditional arts are artistic practices which have emerged and are shared within various groups or communities: ethnic, occupational, religious, family and regional. Expressing aesthetics of a group or community, traditional arts include language, literature, visual art, crafts, architecture, music, pageantry, dance, drama and ritual. Traditional arts are mainly learned orally, by imitation, or in performance, and are generally maintained without formal instruction or outside institutional direction. Traditional arts are perpetuated informally within the community or group.
Applicants should refer to requirements in dance, music, visual arts, or other disciplines as appropriate for applicable documentation of a particular traditional art.
Up to five pages of supporting print materials including but not limited to printed reviews, newspaper feature stories, letters of support, etc. may also be included.
LiteratureLiterature includes poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction, plays and screenplays.
Submit all material on 8 1/2” x 11” paper. Number the pages of your work samples in the upper right-hand corner and paper clip each copy. Use a readable, 10 point or larger font for all submissions. Prose selections must be double spaced.
Applicants must submit clearly reproduced and properly collated manuscript material. “Typescript” means material produced by a typewriter or a “letter quality” printer. Clear photocopies of this typescript material are acceptable.
A cover page should list the legal name and address of the applicant and the title(s) and date(s) of the work(s) submitted. Titles of poems, stories, or novels should appear at the top of every page.
Poetry
Submit one copy of representative poems, or one narrative poem (or section of narrative poem) not to exceed 15 pages.Prose
Submit one copy of a minimum of 10 to a maximum of 30 pages (5,000 to 7,500 words) of short fiction, short stories, plays or screenplays, creative non-fiction or a novel excerpt in typescript, double-spaced. Applicants submitting novel excerpts may include one additional page at the beginning of their submissions in which they set the scene or offer a plot synopsis.
Up to five pages of additional supporting documentation including but not limited to CD, printed reviews, newspaper feature stories, letters of support, etc. may also be included.
Media ArtsMedia Arts include DVD, but not photography, holography or digital art, which are referred to the Visual Arts Panel.
Applicants may submit no more than two works on DVD. An outline and description of a longer work may be included. Sample materials should include title, length, date made, technique, original format, experimental or documentary, and specific role of applicant in creating submitted work.
Limit your submission to no more than 15 minutes. Review panels will view the submissions from the beginning of the recording; therefore, submitting edited material will allow panelists to view your most representative work.
Up to five pages of other supporting print materials including but not limited to printed reviews, newspaper feature stories, letters of support, etc. may also be included.
MusicThe music category includes performance and composition in classical, traditional, choral, jazz, contemporary, experimental, popular music, and opera.
Performance
Submit a 10-15 minute sample of your work or performance on a CD or DVD. Clearly label the submission with the name of performers, instruments (voice or otherwise) name of works and composers, duration of the piece and date of taping and/or composition. Be sure to indicate the track that is to be played. Call the SDAC office if you have questions about your performance sample.Composition
In addition to CD or DVD (described above), composers may submit up to 3 different scores, up to 20 pages each. Scores should be titled and orchestrated, and include date of composition. When possible, provide scores to accompany submitted samples. For electronic compositions for which there is no score, send a description of the equipment and techniques used.
Up to five pages of other supporting print materials including but not limited to printed reviews, newspaper feature stories, letters of support, etc. may also be included.
TheaterTheater includes production and performances in classical and experimental theater, mime, puppetry, storytelling, musical theater and theater for young audiences.
Applicants must submit a DVD, 10-15 minutes in length, clearly labeled with the name of the performers, title and creator of the work, duration of each work and date of taping, and the applicant’s artistic role. Review panels will view the submission from the beginning of the recording; therefore, submitting edited material will allow panelists to view your most representative work.
Up to five pages of other supporting print materials including but not limited to printed reviews, newspaper feature stories, letters of support, etc. may also be included.
Visual ArtsVisual Arts include drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography and holography, digital art, crafts, and mixed media. Applicants may submit 10 digital images.
Digital Images must be:
- a JPG file.
- 300 ppi, (5” X 7”).
- formatted to open in the correct orientation (vertical or horizontal and right side up).
- saved at the highest quality available on your software on a PC formatted CD.
- saved and numbered in the viewing order you intend. (If you have detail images, keep them in sequence with the image of the complete work.)
- labeled with applicant’s lastname, firstname, and the image number; e.g. DoeJane1.jpg, DoeJane2.jpg etc. (Numbers on the application’s Artistic Documentation Form should coincide with the image numbers.)
- If possible, preview your images on a different computer once they are saved to the CD to make sure the images open and appear as you intend. Images that do not open or are improperly formatted will not be viewed.