The Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) has released a Request for Pre-proposals (RFPP) for Artist-in-Residence (AiR) programs. This opportunity will support development of Artist-in-Residence programs in 2023 and 2024 that recruit artists to use scientific data, cultural trends, or historical facts to interpret natural resources in the Lake Champlain basin.
The LCBP will accept proposals for up to $40,000 for a two-year program and anticipates awarding three grants to support work in New York, Québec, and Vermont.
The projects awarded from this opportunity will encourage artists to inspire and inform citizens about the lake environment, cultural heritage, or social concerns using a variety of creative media. They will continue the goals of current artist-in-residence programs supported by the LCBP.
The Friends of the Winooski River, based in Montpelier, VT, recently hosted a residency program for two artists to work with students at Champlain Elementary School in Burlington, South Burlington High School, and Harwood Union Middle and High School, in Moretown, VT. Students developed streamside signs that interpret the Mad River watershed on a trail behind the Harwood school and interpreted some of the Basin’s environmental challenges using the 2021 Lake Champlain State of the Lake Report as a prompt.
BluSeed Studio in Saranac Lake, NY, hosted “Multi-Cultural Interpretations on How Pollution Effects the Lake Champlain Watershed.” A team of artists worked with Dr. Curt Stager from Paul Smith’s College who provided insight on ecology and the threats to the ecosystem. The team, which include members of the North Country’s Indigenous community, displayed their works at the studio throughout June 2022.
Applicants will submit two-page pre-proposal concepts that will be evaluated through a competitive selection process. A subset of pre-proposal applicants will be asked to submit a full proposal. Grant award recipients will be selected from the pool of full proposals.
Successful applicants will formally start work on their programs in February 2023. The pre-proposal application deadline is August 15th, 2022. Details about the Request for Pre-Proposals are available online or by contacting Jim Brangan of the Lake Champlain Basin Program at (802) 372-3213 or jbrangan@lcbp.org.
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