Please Note:
The Initiative is on hiatus in 2009 and will
not be accepting applications.

Initiated in 2003, the Foundation annually offers a special grant program designed to:

• Foster creativity in Greater Hartford by supporting local artists in the creation of new work
• Foster collaborations between artists and arts organizations that benefit the artist, the organization, and the community
• Further the Foundation’s mission to support and encourage excellence in the arts in Hartford and the immediately surrounding community

We hope this is a welcome addition to support for artists in the Greater Hartford community and that the community as a whole will benefit from the resulting new work.

Creation of New Work Grants Awarded

2009

• Visual artists Carlos Hernandez Chavez and Marela Zacarias and Charter Oak Cultural Center: $12,500 to commission Chavez and Zacarias to create two murals titled “The Mural as Mirror: Reflections on the Immigrant Experience.”
• Visual artist Hirokazu Fukawa and Real Art Ways: $5,000 to exhibit the work created as a CNW 2008 project.

2008

• Visual artist Hirokazu Fukawa and Real Art Ways: $12,500 to commission Fukawa to create a series of sculptures/site installations as part of the artist’s ongoing exploration of suicide bombings in current and past political contexts.

2007

• Jazz musician/composer Steve Davis and The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz: $12,500 to commission “The Hartford Suite”, a new work to premier at the 2007 festival. The work will be comprised of multiple movements, each of which will commemorate a Hartford area landmark, person, or event.
• Composer David Macbride and Trinity-On-Main: $12,500 to commission a work with spoken text called No Mas Muertes on the subject of illegal immigration. The text will be drawn from Luis Alberto Urrea’s “The Devil’s Highway.”

2006

• Choreographers Adam Miller and Katie Stevenson-Nollet and the Wadsworth Atheneum: $12,500 to collaboratively choreograph a new work as part of the Wadsworth Atheneum's initiative to present a full performance series in the museum's theater.

2005

• Composer Michael Gatonska and the Hartford Symphony: $12,500 to compose a new work for the Symphony that premiered at a Masterworks Series concert in November 2005.
• Composer Ken Steen, e-cellist Jeffrey Krieger, and media artist Gene Gort and the New Britain Museum of American Art: $12,500 to create a multimedia work to premiere at the opening of the newly expanded museum and performance space in 2006.

2004

• Musician Stephen Haynes and Real Art Ways: $10,000 for the composition of a new jazz piece in conjunction with Real Art Way's 2005 exhibition "Faith."
• Photographer Christine Breslin and the Hartford Art School: $12,500 for creation of a mixed media work incorporating interviews and photographs of Muslim and non-Muslim girls who live in Hartford. The work explored the challenges of maintaining identity in the context of contemporary American mass culture.

Eligible Projects:

• Projects under the Creation of New Work Initiative must involve a collaboration between an artist or artists and an arts organization. A specific artist or artists must be named in the request. Residencies (in which the artist works on-site over a period of time) and commissions (in which the artist may work in his or her own studio) will be considered.

• The project duration is one year and must begin after January 2009. Projects in which the organization’s own artistic director or staff create the new work are not eligible under the Creation of New Work Initiative but are eligible under the Foundation’s regular grantmaking program.

• The result of the collaboration must be new work that is either performed or exhibited for the community. The performance or exhibition should take place within a year of the completion of the project. Should additional funds be necessary for the presentation of the resulting work, organizations may apply to either the Foundation’s regular grant program or for a CNW Presentation grant but are encouraged to seek funding from other sources. Twelve months must have elapsed from the time of the last application to that particular grant program. Whether the performance or exhibition is free or ticketed is at the discretion of the organization.

• CNW is designed to support local artists. To be eligible, artist(s) must primarily live, or work on their art in Avon, Berlin, Bloomfield, East Granby, East Hartford, East Windsor, Ellington, Farmington, Glastonbury, Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Newington, Rocky Hill, Simbsbury, South Windsor, Vernon, West Hartford, Wethersfield, Windsor, or Windsor Locks. Artists working in the following genres will be considered: Visual art, dance, music, theater, multimedia and video/film. The artist(s)’s work should be of exceptional artistic merit; the artist(s) should have created a substantial body of work, and developed an exhibition track record.

• A curriculum vitae, artist’s statement, work samples, and any other concise information that would be helpful to the panel must be submitted with the request. Work samples should relate as closely as possible to the proposed project, should be short and show that the artist has the ability to execute the project. The project should in some way advance the artist's work.

• The organization must demonstrate a clear plan for working with the artist(s) and be able to articulate the benefit to the organization and the community of taking on the project.

• Criteria for selection: Projects are judged on the following criteria: artistic excellence and potential of the project to advance the artist’s work; quality of the collaboration between the artist and the organization; potential impact on and benefit to the community.

• Presentation grants: Organizations that have been awarded a CNW grant may apply for support for the presentation of that work in one of two ways: 1) apply under the Creation of New Work Initiative for a presentation grant, or 2) apply under the Foundation’s Excellence in the Arts grant program. In either case, a minimum of 12 months must have elapsed between either the two CNW requests or the organization’s last application under the Excellence in the Arts grant program.

Who May Apply:

• 501(c)(3) arts organizations in the Foundation's giving area. The Foundation gives priority to requests from organizations in the following cities and towns in Connecticut: Hartford, Bloomfield, East Hartford, Newington, West Hartford, Wethersfield, and Windsor.

• Artists may not apply directly to the Foundation.

• Organizations may apply for the Creation of New Work Initiative and to the Foundation's regular grantmaking program within a twelve-month period, but may not apply for more than one Creation of New Work grant in a twelve-month period.

• Deadline: September 2, 2008 (postmarked and addressed to our P.O. Box or delivered to our street address)

• Requests are reviewed in a two-step process. The first round eliminates proposals that do not meet the requirements of the initiative. Eligible applications are forwarded to a jury. Jury recommendations are submitted to the full Foundation Board for a final decision. Applicants are notified in October if their application did not advance to the jury and in December if it was reviewed by the jury.

• Grants will be paid out after January 1, 2009.

The Proposal (*see below for CNW Presentation guidelines)

Please provide four copies of the proposal. Provide the following information:

1. Cover Letter
   A cover letter that clearly states the request is for the Creation of New Work Initiative, summarizes the core artistic idea of the project, states the amount requested and when it will be needed. This must be signed by the Executive Director or Board President.

2. Narrative
   Please be as complete, specific, and concise as possible, not to exceed 5 pages.

   • A brief description of your organization, including its history, mission, current activities, population the organization serves, and governance (including frequency of board meetings and record of attendance).

   • Your organization’s definition of artistic excellence. How does both your organization and the proposed project meet that definition?

   • READ CAREFULLY: A description of the proposed project. Leading with the core artistic concept of the project, provide detailed information on the artist(s), and the design of the collaboration including a timeline for the project, key personnel directly involved, and where it will take place. What are the goals for the organization in taking on this project? Include an artist’s statement in which the artist describes his or her goals and vision for the project and describes how the project will advance his or her work. To the best of your ability, describe the anticipated result of the collaboration (the new work.) Describe how it will be presented to the public

   • A description of how this project fits into the larger context of the organization. What is the anticipated impact on the organization? On the artist? On the community?

   • A description of how the project will be evaluated.

   • The amount of funding desired and when it will be needed.

   • A project budget that includes the artist(s)’s honorarium and the organization’s costs. Generally, the organization may allocate up to $2,500 of a $12,500 grant (or proportionate amount for a smaller request) towards oversight of the project. If this formula does not fit the project, please explain any variance.

   • If total project budget exceeds $12,500, please provide a list of sources and amounts of grants being sought. Identify their status.

3. Attachments
   Please provide the number of copies specified below.

   — Organization: (1 copy)

   • Operational budget showing budget and final figures for the last completed fiscal year.

   • Operational budget and year-to-date figures for the current fiscal year.

   • Operational budget for the year in which the project will take place.

   • Most recent annual financial statement (audited, if available) and if available, latest annual report.

   • A list of officers and Board members with titles and addresses.

   • 501(c)(3) designation

   — Artist(s):

   • Curriculum vitae (4 copies)

   • Artist's statement (may be integrated into the narrative) (4 copies)

   • Work samples (1 copy required, if format allows, please provide 4 copies) such as up to 10 slides or photos, a short video, audiotape, CD or DVD of recent work, or Web site.

CNW Presentation proposals:
Please follow the guidelines above except

• For the project descriptions, substitute a full description of the completed work and detailed plans to present it.

• In lieu of the artist addenda, provide appropriate slides, photos, video, audiotape, CD, or DVD of the new work.

• The amount requested may be up to $12,500. If a larger award is needed, please discuss with the executive director.

Lisa M. Curran, Executive Director
Tel: (860) 233-0228
Fax: (860) 236-8098
E-mail: edwannroberts@att.net

Mailing address(U. S. postal service will not deliver to the street address:
Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation
P O Box 271588
West Hartford, CT 06127-1588

Deliveries and FedEx only:
Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation
45 South Main Street, Suite 311
West Hartford, CT 06107