Ruth Arts Mary L. Nohl Alumni Award 2024 Guidelines & Application Instructions
The original Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Mary L. Nohl Fellowships for Individual Artists program, which launched in 2003, was designed to encourage artists to stay in greater Milwaukee, to evolve as artistic practitioners, and to contribute to our community through the creation of art. From 2022-2024 additional funding from Joy Engine enabled us to temporarily deepen our support for artists.
Over the course of more than twenty years working with Nohl Fellows and Suitcase Fund awardees across many career stages, we have developed a better understanding of the issues faced by post-fellowship artists, particularly mid-career artists who want to remain in the area: a lack of career-sustaining networks and opportunities outside greater Milwaukee.
Launched in 2023, the Ruth Arts Mary L. Nohl Alumni Award offers a new layer of support for former Nohl Fellows. It does this in two ways: by providing unrestricted funds to the selected artists, and by working alongside awardees to develop an artist support network that identifies and responds to their needs.
As an artist, Mary Nohl valued having the time, space, and financial resources to support her practice. She also valued travel and the opportunity to socialize with other artists through the many artist clubs and societies that existed in Milwaukee at that time. Like Mary Nohl, the Nohl alumni continue to value these things. But unlike Mary Nohl, whose later practice was essentially private, they also seek ways to get their work out into the world and to build networks that provide a variety of forms of support.
In the spirit of the Nohl Fellowship–and Mary Nohl, who built the world she wanted to inhabit as an artist by creating her own clubs, convenings, and newsletters outside of established institutions and formalized spaces— our goal is to share knowledge across the local, regional, and national landscape to build a network of support that can meet the evolving needs of former Nohl Fellows and mid-career, Milwaukee-based artists.
The inaugural Alumni cohort began by collectively examining and responding to their specific needs. They ended the year by outlining an Alumni program that identified opportunities for current and former Nohl Fellows while proposing tools for mutual support within the broader community of Nohl Fellows.
In the 2024 cycle, four artists will be selected, up to 50% of whom may live outside the four-county area (Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, Waukesha). The program focuses on immediate needs by distributing an unrestricted award of $25,000 to each artist. It addresses long-term career sustainability by inviting the 2024 cohort to work alongside the 2023 awardees to continue to develop a network of career-sustaining opportunities. This network-building work will be facilitated by Faythe Levine (Nohl 2007, 2012) in coordination with Polly Morris, who administers the Nohl program.
Working with interlocutors from a national network, including the 2023 Alumni cohort and former Nohl Fellows and jurors, the Ruth Arts awardees will meet regularly during the award year (February 2025-January 2026). Our goal is to share knowledge across the local, regional, and national landscape to continue building a network of support that can meet the evolving needs of former Nohl Fellows and the larger community of Milwaukee-based artists.
Ruth Arts awardees will be selected by two former Nohl jurors with extensive experience working with mid-career artists. The application, in addition to requesting information about how an artist’s practice has evolved since their last Nohl Fellowship, also asks them to consider how they would contribute to the development of the Alumni network outlined by the first cohort of Ruth Arts awardees. All jurying will be done virtually.
Interested artists are invited to attend or view the informational workshop to find out more about the Ruth Arts Mary L. Nohl Alumni Award program and the application process. You may also submit questions during the virtual Q&A session closer to the deadline.
DEADLINES
PUBLIC WORKSHOPS & INFO
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
APPLICATION PROCESS & TIME TABLE
Deadlines
Applications must be submitted online no later than Monday, January 6, 2025, at 5 pm. Late applications will not be considered. All decisions are final.
PUBLIC WORKSHOPS & FAQS
There will be a free, virtual workshop for prospective applicants and a virtual Q&A session—see Time Table, below, for details. This is the best way to get your questions answered. If you have additional questions, please contact Polly Morris at (414) 446-8794 or pmorris@lyndensculpturegarden.org (email preferred). If leaving a voice message, be sure to leave a time and phone number at which you may be reached. If using email, please put “Ruth Arts Alumni Award” in the subject line.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
In 2024, the Ruth Arts Mary L. Nohl Alumni Award is open to all former Nohl Fellows, emerging and established, who are professionally active visual artists and who received their last Nohl Fellowship between 2003 and 2016. A professionally active artist is not required to support themselves through their artmaking but should be able to demonstrate a commitment to their practice through ongoing production/activity, artistic exploration, and participation, as appropriate, in the discipline and local, regional, or national arts community. It is our intention to expand the eligibility by one year each year.
You are not eligible to apply in the 2024 cycle if you:
- received a Nohl Fellowship between 2017 and 2024.
- are a past recipient of the Ruth Arts Mary L. Nohl Alumni Award.
- received your Nohl Fellowship as a member of a collective that is no longer in existence (ongoing collectives are welcome to apply).
- are a full-time or part-time student pursuing a degree in the visual arts, film, or an art-related field at the time of application. Participation of full- or part-time students in a collaborative group will disqualify the group from consideration.
- are an employee of Lynden Inc. or the Ruth Foundation for the Arts.
- are a family member of staff of Lynden Inc. or the Ruth Foundation for the Arts. “Family Member” includes, but may not be limited to, an individual’s spouse, domestic partner, ancestor, child, grandchild, great-grandchild, immediate household member; or the spouse of any of the foregoing.
An applicant who receives a Ruth Arts Alumni Award is not eligible to apply for the Nohl Fellowship in the same cycle. Therefore, if you receive the alumni award in the 2024 cycle, you will not be able to apply for the regular fellowship in fall 2025 (2026 cycle). However, you may resume applying for the Nohl Fellowship the following year if you are eligible. The Ruth Arts Alumni Award is a one-time opportunity.
APPLICATION PROCESS & TIMETABLE
Monday, December 2, 2024
Ruth Arts Mary L. Nohl Alumni Award application and guidelines available at 11 am.
Thursday, December 12, 2024, 12-1 pm (CST)
Virtual workshop for prospective applicants. Register here.
Tuesday, December 17, 12-1 pm (CST)
Virtual Q&A for prospective applicants. Register here.
December 2024
Applicants compile their application materials, including narrative responses, artist biography, and work samples.
Monday, January 6, 2025
Applications are due. Please note that online submissions are due at 5 pm. Paper applications must be postmarked no later than January 6. Late applications will not be accepted.
January 6-12, 2025
Staff reviews applications for completeness and eligibility.
January 13-February 8: Jurying
A panel of two former Nohl jurors will review the eligible applications on their personal devices. At the end of this period, a conference call will be held to discuss applicants and select four awardees. Please note: unlike the Nohl Fellowship, this will not be an anonymous review.
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Public announcement of 2024 Ruth Arts Mary L. Nohl Alumni Awardees.
A grant agreement will be executed between each recipient and Lynden Inc. Awards are disbursed. The Internal Revenue Code states that the full amount of this award is taxable income. Recipients should consult the IRS or their tax advisors for more information.
February 2025-January 2026
An orientation will be scheduled for the second half of February. At that time, awardees will agree to a schedule of convenings.
September 2, 2025
The application for the 2026 cycle of the Nohl Fellowship opens. Artists who have received Ruth Arts Alumni Awards in 2024 are not eligible to apply.
February 2026
Final Reports are submitted. The report will detail activities undertaken during the Award period and the impact of the Award on the recipient. Final report forms will be available in December 2025.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
HOW TO APPLY
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS
APPLICATION COMPONENTS
HOW TO APPLY
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.
1. At the bottom of this page, you will find a link labeled “Click here to submit.” Click this link to begin the application process. Please note that the application will only appear on Lynden's open applications page during the specified application period, December 2, 2024, at 11 am to January 6, 2025, 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. Click "Continue" to access Lynden's open applications page. If multiple applications are available, select "2024 Ruth Arts Mary L. Nohl Alumni Award."
If you already have an account, once you sign in you will be taken directly to Lynden's open applications page. If multiple applications are available, select "2024 Ruth Arts Mary L. Nohl Alumni Award."
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
- Narrative Responses: Responses to three narrative questions are required.
- Artist Biography: Up to 5 pages highlighting work since last Nohl Fellowship.
- Work Sample: Up to 4 images AND/OR up to 5 minutes of video. The work sample is intended to familiarize the second-round jurors with your current work. (Please note: this differs from the Nohl Fellowship application.)
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.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS
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 under “Submissions” or by clicking your name in the upper right corner and selecting “My Submissions” (depending on your device). Click on the “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. Please submit contact and 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 (February 2025-January 2026), signed by all members of the group. Additional instructions for collaboratives appear below, under “Application Components.”
APPLICATION COMPONENTS
Artist Information
You will be asked to provide your contact information (name, address, phone, email). You will also be asked to answer a few 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.
Narrative Responses
The Narrative Responses may be prepared in advance and pasted into the application, however, any formatting will be lost.
Narrative Response 1
Briefly describe your goals, needs, and aspirations at this stage of your career. How do you support your practice now? (600 characters)
Narrative Response 2
In light of these needs, how do you see yourself contributing to the co-creation of an alumni program that identifies and supports career-sustaining opportunities for former Nohl Fellows? How do you see yourself participating in this network? (1200 characters)
Narrative Response 3
How has your practice developed since your last Nohl Fellowship? What are some highlights from the past three years that capture the way you view your practice now? Note: For artists working on longer production timelines, going back a little further into the past is fine. (1800 characters)
Artist Biography in Résumé or List Form
The jurors are most interested in your work and activities since you last won the fellowship. 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 visual artist, highlighting your most recent accomplishments.
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 five (5) pages. Please label the file “Artist_Biography.”
Present all information in list form, as you would in a résumé or CV. Do not submit a narrative biography.
Partnerships and collaborative groups should prepare a single document that includes information on all participating artists, with an emphasis on ongoing collaborative work, not to exceed five (5) pages. Identify each individual member by name, starting with the lead applicant. Provide a history of your collaborative work since you last received a Nohl Fellowship using the heading “Collaborative Work.”
Work Samples
General Requirements
Work Samples should be of good quality, with well-focused and well-lit images, or with clear video recordings. Jurors are most interested in recent work. For those submitting paper applications, please do not send originals. We handle your work samples carefully but cannot accept liability for damage or loss. Jurors will review all submissions (electronic images, videos) on their personal devices. No application will be considered complete without work samples.
- You must possess primary aesthetic responsibility for the work submitted.
- For partnerships and collaborative groups: samples must reflect 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.
The Work Sample portion of the form is divided into two sections: one for electronic images and the other for time-based media. You are welcome to submit both kinds of work samples, but are only required to submit one type. 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 both kinds of work, 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. For both kinds of samples, you can briefly explain how the work relates to your practice. Do not repeat information that is in your narrative responses or repeat information from one sample to the next.
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, arrows will appear to the left of each thumbnail 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)
You may submit up to 4 images.
- 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.
- Avoid incorporating multiple images within a single frame unless they are related (a full image and a detail, for instance).
Preparing Your Work Samples: Time-Based Media
Film and video includes experimental, animated, and narrative works. It does not include works having a primary corporate, industrial, or educational audience.
Do not use time-based media to document static work. Two- and three-dimensional work must be documented in still images. If you are documenting your own performance, it must be performance within a visual art context.
You may submit up to 5 minutes of video (maximum 4 videos).
- 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.
- Indicate whether or not there is sound.
If you have any questions about the kind and amount of work you can submit, please contact Polly Morris at pmorris@lyndensculpturegarden.org (put “Ruth Arts Alumni Award” in the subject line) or at (414) 446-8794.
