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Project Grants for Tennessee Artists

Our 2023 open call is now closed. 

Stay tuned for updates!

Regional Regranting Partner

The Current Art Fund granting program is organized and administered by Tri-Star Arts as a partner in the Regional Regranting Program of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Q&A Sessions

2023 Q&A Sessions

Q&A sessions, led by Executive Director Brian R. Jobe, have been held in the following places:


PAST

Chattanooga Q&A — Saturday, July 22 at 2:00pm EDT at Stove Works, 1250 E. 13th Street, Chattanooga, TN 37408


Nashville Q&A —  Thursday, July 6 at 12:00pm CDT at Fisk University Galleries, 1000 17th Avenue N, Nashville, TN 37208


Virtual Q&A 2023 — Friday, June 23 via Zoom: watch recorded conversation here


Knoxville Q&A — Friday, June 16 at 12:00pm EDT at Tri-Star Arts, 4450 Candora Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37920


Memphis Q&A — Saturday, April 29 at 2:00pm CDT at UrbanArt Commission, 422 N. Cleveland Street, Memphis, TN 38104

About CURRENT ART FUND

Grant Description

2023 Project-Based Grants

2023 Project-Based Grants

The Current Art Fund granting program is organized and administered by Tri-Star Arts as a partner in the Regional Regranting Program of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.


The Current Art Fund seeks to support visual artists and artist collectives in creating independent, non-traditional, public-facing projects that contribute to the rich dialogue within contemporary visual art scenes across the state of Tennessee.


The fund annually disburses grants totaling $60,000 to Tennessee-based artists 21 years of age and older in support of project expenses.


Grantees will be selected by a 4 person jury panel composed of internationally recognized artists, collectors, curators, administrators, gallerists, educators, and arts professionals.


The Current Art Fund program tangibly illustrates the Tri-Star Arts mission of cultivating and spotlighting contemporary visual art in Tennessee, championing innovation within our local art communities, and supporting artists across the state. BIPOC and AAPI applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.

2023 Project-Based Grants

2023 Project-Based Grants

2023 Project-Based Grants

Our 2023 granting cycle will award project-based grants to fund artists’ innovative contributions to the visual arts conversation in Tennessee.


The Current Art Fund will distribute grants of $7,500 each to 8 Tennessee-based contemporary visual artists and artist collectives, selected by a 4 person jury panel, to use towards the realization of a dynamic and accessible project.


Awarding grants to artists living throughout the breadth of Tennessee will be a high priority in the jurors’ selection process. Applicants may submit projects featuring 2-D, 3-D, and 4-D work (or a combination).


The online application will open on Thursday, June 8, 2023 and remain open through Thursday, August 31, 2023.


Project proposals should endeavor to be innovative and expand the possibilities of how the applicant’s work can engage audiences in Tennessee and the contemporary art world beyond. Applicants should consider what visual and social impact their project could have upon local communities, and how it could expand how viewers experience their surroundings or circumstances. Furthermore, applicants are invited to consider infusing their project’s vision with an expansive scope that invites collaborators and/or persons with additional skill sets into the process (to be reflected in the description of the project and budget).


The Current Art Fund jury panelists for the 2023 Project-Based Grants are Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels (Director, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, NY), Patricia Lee Daigle (Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN), Elizabet Elliott (Executive Director/ Curator, Alabama Contemporary, Mobile, AL), and Raymond Padron (Artist/ Educator/ 2022 Current Art Fund Grantee, Chattanooga, TN). Bios listed below.


Application Details

2023 Project-Based Grants

Application Details

There is no application fee to apply. 


Artists will be asked to submit an application including the following: 


(1) Project title and artist bio


(2) Short & full descriptions of the project


(3) Description of the project’s audience


(4) Proposed timeline (doesn’t have to be confirmed)


(5) Additional links to websites, image captions


(6) Upload a budget using our provided template


(7) At least 1 image with a max of 5 sized to a max of 1600 pixels in any direction at 100 dpi; for optimal viewing results for video, please provide an external link to Vimeo/ YouTube rather than uploading a file.


If applicants are unable to complete the online application, they are welcome to email their responses and/or any questions to “CAF support” at info@tristararts.org or mail their physical application materials to: 


4450 Candora Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37920


If applicants would like the application in another language, they may submit that request to “CAF support” at info@tristararts.org.


All applicants must be 21 years of age or older and reside (with a mailing address) in the state of Tennessee.


Project proposals must be submitted by one individual and, if the proposal comes from an artist collective, the individual submitting the application must be the project’s point person, designated to receive all communications and funding distribution.


Virtual and in-person Q&A sessions, led by Executive Director Brian R. Jobe, will be scheduled and promoted. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible? Is there an application fee? Do I need to create a free Submittable account to apply?

Contemporary visual artists who are 21 years of age and older and residing in the state of Tennessee are eligible to apply. Applicants must provide proof of TN residency. 


No, there is not an application fee.


How to Submit an application

  • You will need to create a free Submittable account or sign in with Google or Facebook credentials to submit to these forms.
  • You can save a draft of your work if you would like to finish filling out the form at a later date.
  • If anything changes with the information you submitted, please request to edit the submission
  • The Submittable platform works best on Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. Internet Explorer is not supported. Please make sure you are using a supported browser.
  • You can download Firefox by following the instructions linked here.
  • You can download Chrome by following the instructions linked here.

Submittable will follow-up with you about your submission by email. Please be sure to whitelist notification emails from Submittable and check the email you used to sign up for your Submittable Account regularly. Check out the Submitter Resource Center or reach out to Submittable's Customer Support team with any technical questions here.

What is considered to be proof of artistic practice?

Art portfolio website, CV, and other related documentation 

What is required for the application?

The submission of a project title, vision statement, long format project description, proposed timeline, proposed materials, audience description, geographic location, physical scale, applicable web links, and other descriptors is required. Applicants should upload the following to their application: concept renderings, relevant visuals, schematics, or plans. Including numerous support files with a proposal is strongly encouraged. Applicants may submit a maximum of 5 files, sized to a maximum of 1600 pixels in any direction at 100 dpi. For optimal viewing results for videos, external links to Vimeo/YouTube should be provided in the project description rather than uploading video files. 2D, 3D, and 4D work (or a combination) will be considered. Applicants should keep in mind that the grant amount and proposed budget should both total $7,500.

How much is each grant award and how many will be awarded?

The Current Art Fund will award a total of $60,000 in the form of 8 grants of $7,500 each.

Can applicants submit multiple individual projects? Can grantees from prior years apply?

No, applicants may not submit multiple individual projects.


Yes, prior year grantees may apply if they have taken a gap year off from applying. For example, a 2021 grantee may apply in 2023.

How may applicants use the funds? What are the budget categories?

The award should be used to achieve all enumerated project goals as outlined in the applicant’s proposed budget. The budget categories are materials, fabrication, media, photo and video documentation, artist labor or compensation, contracted labor, transportation, advertising, other services, and other expenses. It is not necessary to address every category in your project proposal - only what is applicable to the project.

Can applicants pay artist fees or stipends with grant funds? Can applicants purchase equipment with grant funds?

Yes, we expect you to pay the people involved in your project, including yourself, for their contributions. Yes, as long as the equipment is necessary for the development of your project.

What are the reporting requirements for the grant?

Recipients will be required to send along regular progress updates to Tri-Star Arts to be posted by Tri-Star Arts/ Current Art Fund at our discretion on our website, social media, and more. The frequency of updates will be determined in collaboration with the recipient and the Tri-Star Arts/ Current Art Fund on a project-by-project basis. A final report detailing the outcomes of the project is due by May 31, 2024 at the latest but may be submitted earlier pending project completion. $7,000 will be distributed at the outset of the award. The final $500 of the award amount will be retained until a final report is submitted.

Can I apply with a project that is in process or completed?

No, we are looking for new projects that can be accomplished within the given timeline. All projects must be completed by May 31, 2024. We cannot accept projects that have already begun or are currently in process. We cannot accept already finished projects that are seeking reimbursement.

What does public-facing mean?

A public-facing project is one that actively engages an audience (anticipates an audience) and is accessible to the public.

Can artist collectives apply? Can curators apply?

Yes. Please keep in mind that all project proposals must be submitted by one individual and, if the proposal comes from an artist collective, the individual submitting the application must be the project’s point person, designated to receive all communications and funding distribution. If individuals are part of multiple artist collectives, they may be named (or be the point person) in submissions by multiple collectives, as long as all projects are distinctly different from one another.


No, curators may not apply. Current Art Fund grants are intended for artists to support their own practices/ studio work.

Who selects the grantees?

Tri-Star Arts/ Current Art Fund invites contemporary art world leaders to serve on a jury panel. This year’s jurors are Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels (Director, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, NY), Patricia Lee Daigle (Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN), Elizabet Elliott (Executive Director/ Curator, Alabama Contemporary, Mobile, AL), and Raymond Padron (Artist/ Educator, 2022 Current Art Fund Grantee, Chattanooga, TN). Reflecting a range of valuable perspectives, these jury panelists will review all of the submitted materials and convene to discuss the applications. Jurors will select the grantees and then Tri-Star Arts/ Current Art Fund will award the grants. 

Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels: 2023 Juror

Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels: 2023 Juror

Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels: 2023 Juror

Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels is a Director at Jack Shainman Gallery and views her position as an advocacy role in helping manage the careers of artists within the gallery's roster. She is also the founder of We Buy Gold, a roving gallery presenting exhibitions, commissioned projects, and public events. She was on the curatorial team of The Racial Imaginary Institute and was a founding Director of For Freedoms, the first artist-run Super PAC which uses art to inspire deeper political engagement to impact policy and the American political landscape. Recently, Joeonna organized the Curator Spotlight for the 2022 edition of NADA Miami.

Patricia Lee Daigle: 2023 Juror

Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels: 2023 Juror

Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels: 2023 Juror

Patricia Lee Daigle is the Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Her recent projects include Harmonia Rosales: Master Narrative, touring to Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, and Tommy Kha: Eye is Another, presented as part of the Tennessee Triennial for Contemporary Art. Prior to this, she was Director of The Martha and Robert Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art at The University of Memphis, organizing solo exhibitions featuring the work of Virginia Overton, Jefferson Pinder, and Umar Rashid (Frohawk Two Feathers), among others. She also worked at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art as Curatorial Assistant in Contemporary Art, curating the exhibitions Living in the Timeless: Drawings by Beatrice Wood (2014) and Myth and Materiality: Latin American Art from the Permanent Collection (2013). She holds a Ph.D. in the History of Art and Architecture from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Elizabet Elliott: 2023 Juror

Elizabet Elliott: 2023 Juror

Elizabet Elliott: 2023 Juror

Elizabet Elliott joined the Alabama Contemporary in November of 2018 and is currently its Executive Director/ Curator. She has been curating since 2009 at both the grassroots and institutional level. Prior to coming to Alabama Contemporary she served 5 years at the Mobile Museum of Art, and 4 years as the founding director of the Rumor Union, a grassroots community art organization that organized site-specific installation, performance and new media festivals, cross-disciplinary collaborations, outreach and education projects, and guerrilla exhibitions. Elliott has also served on several boards and in community action groups, including 2 years as Vice President of the Creative Wellness Foundation. She received her BFA with First Class Honours from Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand in 2009, and her MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from Goddard College in Port Townsend, WA in 2014, with a focus on social/ civic practice. She enjoys action movies and dirty jokes.

Raymond Padron: 2023 Juror

Elizabet Elliott: 2023 Juror

Elizabet Elliott: 2023 Juror

Raymond Padron is a sculptor and performance based artist, experienced in a broad range of art-making processes and materials. Born in 1983, he grew up in the Northern Virginia suburbs of DC. In 2005 after receiving his B.A. in sculpture and graphic design from Messiah College in Grantham, PA, he moved south to the city of Chattanooga, TN. In 2011 he received his M.F.A. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He has since returned to Chattanooga where he now works in his studio, exhibits nationally and teaches. Padron is a 2022 grantee of the Current Art Fund, the granting initiative of Tri-Star Arts in partnership with the regional re-granting program of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Current Art Fund — Alumni

West Tennessee — Project Grantees

Brittney Boyd Bullock (2022)

Scott Carter (2021)

Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo (2021)

Sepideh Tajalizadeh Dashti (2023)

Eric Echols (2021)

Nelson Gutierrez (2023)

Lawrence Matthews (2022)

MengCheng 梦城团 Collective (2023)

Lester Merriweather (2022)

Johana Moscoso (2021)

Middle Tennessee — Project Grantees

McLean Fahnestock (2022)

Jana Harper (2023)

Sisavanh Phouthavong Houghton (2022)

Jessica Ingram (2022)

Shabazz Larkin (2023)

Vesna Pavlović (2021)

Nabou Ramu (2023)

Vadis Turner (2021)

Emily Weiner (2021)

East Tennessee — Project Grantees

Mark Bradley-Shoup (2021)

Katie Hargrave (2023)

Risa Hricovsky (2021)

Jake Ingram (2021)

Megan Ledbetter (2023)

Vanessa Mayoraz (2022)

Althea Murphy-Price (2021)

Andrew O'Brien (2021)

Raymond Padron (2022)

Andrew Scott Ross (2022)

Jurors

Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels (2023)

Patricia Lee Daigle (2023)

Elizabet Elliott (2023)

Derek Fordjour (2021)

Alexis Johnson (2021)

James McAnally (2022)

Althea Murphy-Price (2022)

Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi (2022)

Raymond Padron (2023)

Elliot Perry (2022)

Marin Sullivan (2021)

About Tri-Star Arts

Tri-Star Arts serves Tennessee by cultivating and spotlighting the contemporary visual art scenes in each region while fostering a unified state-wide art scene. Tri-Star Arts programs promote art dialogue between the different cities in the state, and between the state and the nation. The Current Art Fund amplifies this mission.


If individuals and businesses would like to support the Current Art Fund to extend its impact, tax-deductible donations may be made online or by mail to Tri-Star Arts Memo: Current Art Fund, 4450 Candora Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37920. 


CONTACT: info@tristararts.org


Follow Current Art Fund on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. #CURRENTARTFUND


Warhol Foundation announcement about the 2022 Current Art Fund open call: https://warholfoundation.org/2022/06/07/current-art-fund-2022-application-now-open/

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