The Memphis Q&A session for the 2023 Current Art Fund grant cycle will be a time for interested applicants to meet in person with Tri-Star Arts Director Brian R. Jobe to discuss this year’s call for project-based submissions. The grant’s application requirements, eligibility, accessibility, and format will be addressed. 2023 Jurors to be announced soon!
CURRENT ART FUND
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, 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
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 9 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 Thusday, 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 infuse their project’s vision with an expansive scope that invites collaborators and/or persons with additional skill sets into the process (and reflect that in the description of the project and budget).
There is no application fee to apply. Artists will be asked to submit an application including the following: (1) Project title and artist or artist collective 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.
A list of Frequently Asked Questions, the link to the application, dates and locations of Q&A workshops, and more will be posted to our web page: https://tristararts.org/current-art-fund
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.
