Mary L. Nohl Fund Fellowships for Individual Artists 2024 Application Instructions
You must familiarize yourself with the Guidelines before beginning your application.
Applicants are required to apply online via Submittable. If you do not have computer access or are unable to use this electronic form, please contact Polly Morris at (414) 446-8794. You will receive a paper copy of the guidelines and application via snail mail. Download a copy of the application instructions here.
HOW TO APPLY
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS
APPLICATION COMPONENTS
1. At the bottom of this page, you will find a link labelled “Click here to submit.” Click this link to begin the application process. Please note that the link will only be active during the specified application period, September 5, 2023 at 11 am to October 4, 2023 at 5 pm..
2. If you do not already have one, create an account for your online application with Submittable. When you click the button at the bottom of this page, it will take you to the Submittable “Sign In/Sign Up” page. You will be prompted to create a Submittable account or to log in if you already have an account.
To create your account you will need to provide your email address, a password, and your first and last names. Once you create your account, you will be taken to the “Welcome to Submittable” page. This page contains information about Submittable. To enter the Nohl Fellowship application, click “Continue.”
If you already have an account, once you sign in you will be taken directly to the application.
3. Organize your application materials. We strongly recommend that you assemble all of the application components prior to beginning your application. Detailed instructions are below, under “Application Components.”
• Contact and eligibility information
• Artist Statement: 300 words maximum
• Artist Biography: Up to 3 pages (Emerging Artists) or 5 pages (Established Artists), in list form.
• Work Sample: 6-8 images (Emerging or Established Artists); OR up to 5 minutes total of video (Emerging) or up to 7 minutes total of video (Established); OR a proportional combination of still images and time-based media. You will also be asked to provide identifying information for each work sample.
4. Upload your application materials. Required fields are marked with an asterisk. When you are finished, do not forget to click the “Apply” button to submit your application. You must agree to the Terms of Use by checking a box prior to submitting.
Saving and Returning
Once you set up your Submittable account you can preview all the application questions. You can then log in and out of the application as many times as you wish before the deadline to add or edit materials. If you return using the link at the bottom of this page, you will be taken directly to the application once you sign in. If you return by signing in through submittable.com, you will find your saved application in the upper left corner (depending on your device) under “Submissions.” Click on the “Saved Drafts” tab.
Please be sure to save the information you have entered before logging out (there is a “Save Draft” button at the bottom of the application form). You do not have to complete the application in one session; however, once you have submitted your application it is final. When you submit your application, you should see a screen that says “Success” and you should receive a confirmation email from Submittable. If you do not receive an email, log back into your account and try submitting again. Although you will not be able to alter your application once you have submitted, you will continue to have access to your application materials via your Submittable account.
Partnerships and Collaborative Groups
If you are applying as a partnership or collaborative group, the application will be submitted by a single lead applicant. There is a space on the application form to provide the name of the collaborative group, and another place for listing the members of the partnership/group and their address. Please submit demographic information for the lead applicant; we will contact you directly for information on other members of your group. If a partnership/collaborative is named as a finalist, it must submit a letter outlining the nature of the working relationships, with a commitment to work together through the fellowship period (January 2024-June 2025), signed by all members of the group, prior to the studio visit. Additional instructions for collaboratives appear below, under “Application Components.”
Anonymous Review
Please note that the Nohl Fellowship program uses an anonymous review process. Applicants can be disqualified if they include information identifying themselves, other than in the specific instances noted below, in any of their application components.
Artist Information
Demographic Information
Artist Statement
Artist Biography
Work Samples
Electronic Images (JPGs)
Time-Based Media
Mixed Samples
Artist Information
You will be asked to choose your application category (Emerging or Established) and to provide your contact information. You will also be asked to answer a series of eligibility questions regarding your residency and student status.
Demographic Information
We collect demographic information solely for research and grant reporting purposes. Information submitted is completely anonymous and will have no effect on individual fellowship award decisions.
Artist Statement
The Artist Statement is prepared in advance and uploaded into the online form as a PDF file. It should be typed in a standard 12-point font with 1” margins on all sides. The Artist Statement may not exceed 300 words. Your name must not appear anywhere in the statement. Please label the file “Artist_Statement” (do not use your name in the file name).
The Artist Statement may describe your background in relation to your work, your approach to artmaking (medium, process, form, content, subject, themes, engagement with communities), recent developments in your artwork and/or aspirations for your artwork, and how your work samples relate to your work in general. This is not a project grant and you do not need to submit a project. However, it is helpful to the jurors to have some idea of the future direction of your work—this can include new work or work in progress--so that they can determine what impact a fellowship would have. Explain, as briefly as possible, why you have chosen to apply in either the Emerging Artist or the Established Artist category.
Artist Biography in Résumé or List Form
The Artist Biography is prepared in advance and uploaded into the online form as a PDF file. It should be typed in a standard 12-point font with 1” margins on all sides. Please do not exceed three (3) pages (Emerging Artists) or five (5) pages (Established Artists). Please label the file “Artist_Biography” (do not use your name in the file name).
Your name or contact information must not appear anywhere on your Artist Biography except in your list of exhibition titles and publications (if necessary). Remove all contact information, including information in the headers and footers.
Present all information in list form, as you would in a résumé or CV. Do not submit a narrative biography.
Your Artist Biography should focus on your professional accomplishments as an artist, including your exhibition/screening history. Include, in list form, and as relevant, your education, awards or grants and year received, exhibitions/screenings (including art in public spaces or community-based projects), commissions, publications, reviews, and other milestones that demonstrate that you are a practicing artist. (If you are applying in the Established category, you have to demonstrate at least five years of professional activity including exhibitions, screenings, or public work. Such activities that occurred during undergraduate or graduate study do not count toward the five years.)
Partnerships and collaborative groups should prepare a single document that includes information on all participating artists, not to exceed five (5) pages. Identify individual members as “Artist A” (the lead applicant), “Artist B,” etc. If possible, provide a history of work in collaborative situations outside of regular studio practice (e.g., exhibitions) using the heading “Collaborative Work.”
Information on preparing a professional artist résumé is available at the College Art Association web site: http://www.collegeart.org/standards-and-guidelines/guidelines/resume.
Work Samples
General Requirements
Work Samples should be of good quality, with well-focused and well-lit images, or with clear video recordings. For those submitting paper applications, please do not send originals. We handle your work samples carefully but cannot accept liability for damage or loss. In the first phase of jurying, each juror reviews all submissions (electronic images, videos) on their personal computer monitors. No application will be considered complete without work samples.
• You must possess primary aesthetic responsibility for the work submitted.
• For partnerships and collaborative groups, work samples should, if possible, reflect prior collaborative projects.
• Electronic images must be uploaded as JPGs.
• Film or video must be uploaded as mp4, mov, avi, mpg, 3gp, flv, webm, wmv, mkv, or m4v files.
• This is an anonymous review. Applicants will be disqualified if they include information identifying themselves, other than that requested in these directions, on any of the work samples to be seen by jurors. Do not include any identifying information on the images themselves (other than artist signature if integral to work); do not include credits on film/video samples.
The Work Sample portion of the form is divided into two sections: one for electronic images and the other for time-based media. Though most artists submit either electronic images or time-based media, some artists submit both (see below for directions for mixed samples). Work Samples within each category should be uploaded in the order you would like them to be viewed. Given the structure of the application, it is likely that if you submit a mixed sample, jurors will view still images (JPGs) before time-based media.
You will be asked to provide metadata (additional details about the works submitted): title, year, materials, and dimensions for electronic images; title, year, run time of excerpt, total run time of piece, and whether there is sound for time-based media. Be clear and precise; terms like “mixed media” do not help jurors understand your work.
You may also submit additional contextual information for each work sample. This information is optional, and responses must be limited to 60 words. For electronic images, you may discuss how the work was made, the materials, the scale, or any other information that the jury may not be able to understand by viewing the image or reading the metadata (identifying information) you provide with it. For time-based media, you might explain the relationship of the excerpt to the whole. Do not repeat information that is in your artist statement or repeat information from one sample to the next.
During the first phase of jurying, jurors are required to view all metadata and any additional contextual information you provide.
As you edit your application in Submittable, you may change the order of your Work Samples within a category. Once you have uploaded at least two samples, icons will appear to the left of each thumbnail (depending on your device) that enable you to move samples up or down the list. Identifying information will remain with the image or video as it moves. Before submitting your application, check that all individual work samples are in your preferred order.
Preparing Your Work Samples: Electronic Images (JPGs)
We understand that artists are still coping with pandemic disruption. Although we put specific limits on how far back you can go in your portfolio, the main point is that jurors prefer to see recent work; if you have been out of school for more than a year, they are going to want to see the work you are doing now. If you have strong reasons for showing earlier work, please email us: pmorris@lyndensculpturegarden.org (and put Nohl Fellowship in the subject line).
Emerging Artists must submit at least 6 and no more than 8 JPGs. Work submitted by Emerging Artists must have been created in the past five years. Recent work strongly preferred. At least 4 distinct works must be presented unless images represent an installation, in which case at least 2 distinct works will suffice.
Established Artists must submit at least 6 and no more than 8 JPGs. At least half of the samples submitted by Established Artists must document work created in the past five years. Recent work strongly preferred. At least 4 distinct works must be presented unless images represent an installation, in which case at least 2 distinct works will suffice.
Image Requirements for all Electronic Work Samples
• Images must be in JPEG format.
• Individual files should not exceed 5 MB.
• Upload files in the order you would like them to be viewed.
• Name files with the title of the work.
• You may submit images that show details; these images will be counted toward your total of 8 JPGs.
• Do not incorporate multiple images within a single frame unless absolutely necessary. You must have the fellowship administrator’s approval in advance (email pmorris@lyndensculpturegarden.org and put “Nohl Fellowship” in the subject line).
Preparing Your Work Samples: Time-Based Media
We understand that artists are still coping with pandemic disruption. Although we put specific limits on how far back you can go in your portfolio, the main point is that jurors prefer to see recent work; if you have been out of school for more than a year, they are going to want to see the work you are doing now. If you have strong reasons for showing earlier work, please email us: pmorris@lyndensculpturegarden.org (and put Nohl Fellowship in the subject line).
Film and video includes experimental, animated, and narrative works. It does not include works having a primary corporate, industrial, or educational audience. For feature-length narrative films, including documentaries, jurors will be looking for works that push the boundaries of the form (this could include the delivery of the content, the approach to ideas, and the way the film is shot, among other things). Please consult our FAQs for further information on qualifying film work. If you are documenting your own performance, it must be performance within a visual art context.
Do not use time-based media to document static work. Two- and three-dimensional work should be documented in still images.
Emerging Artists should submit at least two and no more than three samples of work created in the past five years. Recent work strongly preferred. Total combined running time of excerpts not to exceed 5 minutes. Samples should represent at least two different works.
Established Artists should submit at least two and no more than three samples of work, at least one of which has been created in the past five years; total combined running time of samples not to exceed 7 minutes. Samples should represent at least two different works. Recent work preferred.
Review time will be limited to a total of 5 minutes (Emerging Artists) and 7 minutes (Established Artists).
• Videos and films will be accepted as mp4, mov, avi, mpg, 3gp, flv, webm, wmv, mkv, or m4v files.
• Upload each film/video excerpt or video/media installation separately, as one work sample, and in the order you would like them to be viewed. Avoid compilation reels and trailers. Please leave ample time for the upload.
• Name files with the title of the work.
• Because this is an anonymous review, do not show any credits.
• Indicate whether or not there is sound.
Submitting Electronic Images and Time-based Media (Mixed Samples)
Applicants are permitted to submit both still images and time-based media if they are relevant to their practice. However, the quantities of each type of work you submit will be different.
For emerging artists, one still image is the equivalent of 37.5 seconds of time-based media, so for each JPG you submit, subtract 37.5 seconds from the 5-minute total of video (e.g., you could submit 4 JPEGs and 2.5 minutes of video).
For established artists, one still image is the equivalent of 52.5 seconds of time-based media, so for each JPG you submit, subtract 52.5 seconds from the 7-minute total of video (e.g., you could submit 4 JPGs and 3.5 minutes of video).
If you have any questions about the kind and amount of work you can submit, please contact Polly Morris at pmorris@lyndensculpturegarden.org (put “Nohl Fellowship” in the subject line) or at (414) 446-8794.
