Applying for Art Grants
For Kiwburn 12: Disaster Holiday the Art Grant Committee has a budget of $7000. The deadline for proposals is 5pm, 5 November 2011. Final decisions will be made by 25 November 2011, and you will be notified as soon as practically possible once the decisions have been finalised.
The amount awarded will vary between each project. However, grants normally pay for only a portion of production costs. We pay for material costs, but not for time/labour. Artists should be ready to seek out and show proof of other methods and sources of funding. As a matter of policy, we also prefer that you develop various kinds of non-monetary resources. We believe that such an effort on your part encourages collaboration and cooperation within our extended community.
Preparing your application
Applying for a grant is a simple process, following the format below you need to produce an application which you submit to us.
We will not assess incomplete applications so please MAKE SURE YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR APPLICATION IN FULL. Please read this page in full as it is full of important details.
Cover Sheet
This should include the artist(s) name, address, phone, email and title of artwork.
Physical Description
Describe the project that you wish to make including dimensions, materials, and sound component (if any), if it's interactive tell us how it's interactive.
We’d also like you to submit good, clear drawings (plans, elevations, whatever, not just a bit torn off a pizza box), and photos of any prototypes or models proving that your piece will 'work' (if it's mechanical or technical). It doesn’t have to be whizzy bang, created using software from Weta – we want your idea communicated to us simply, clearly and succinctly. You may also send maquettes just contact us about getting them to us.
Philosophical Statement
What does the project mean to you and what you are trying to communicate to participants? If it's related to the theme tell us how it relates.
Itemised budget
List all expenses for material costs, including transportation. Research your costs carefully and be specific. Do not list "contingency costs" or "artist's fee" as we do not cover those expenses. We fund material costs only. You must total your costs and give us a final number. Provide a realistic idea of how much your art will cost. Itemise materials to be used – and where they will be procured.
Think about if you have to import something and the possibility of it not arriving before the festival. We want to see how resourceful you are, so consider sourcing free stuff from inorganic collections, the dump etc. Consider if you’d still be able make it without a grant – we hope you’d want to.
Crew
Do you have an adequate crew to build, install and clean up your project? Please describe your support team as it relates to the creation of the art, on paddock support and dismantling/cleanup. Describe the roles and skills needed even if you do not have a complete crew at this time.
Transportation
Consider the logistics of transporting your art vs building your art on site. Kiwiburn are concerned about carbon emissions and the environment, and the impact we make. If you decide to transport you art to the paddock how are you getting it there?
Timeline
Your timeline should be both pre-event and on-paddock. The pre-event construction schedule should reflect your budget e.g., when materials will be purchased, when stages of construction will be completed, etc. On-paddock schedule should show an arrival and construction plan.
Leave No Trace
A well thought out breakdown and clean-up plan and schedule. YOU MAY NOT LEAVE ANYTHING ON THE PADDOCK.
Safety
Kiwiburn, the New Zeland Government and your mum would like you to be safe! Because of this, Kiwiburn has to meet some basic safety requirements. This applies to unfunded art and theme camps as well as to funded art. We try to keep the compliance paperwork to a minimum, and if you are daunted by this prospect, please ask for help as we have safety experts willing to assist you.
We do not give grants to art that does not address safety issues, therefore all applications must include a safety plan. Particular issues to consider include flame effects, lasers, heights, and electricity. However, even if your art contains none of these, you will still need a plan.
Questions to be addressed in a safety plan:
- What could possibly go wrong?
- If the things that could go wrong did go wrong, who would be hurt and how badly?
- How likely are the things in 1 to happen?
- How are you going to stop these things from happening? Can you stop them from happening? If not, how are you going to minimise the likelihood of them happening, or of people getting hurt when they do happen?
- Who is responsible for doing the things listed in 4?
- When will these be done by (sometimes it’s ongoing through the festival)?
Don't be put off by this – in most cases it's a really straightforward process. Also, we have a standard safety form available and we’re not afraid to use it, so if you have any problems with this bit, talk to us and we’ll help. Really.
Submitting your proposal
You must submit your proposal electronically, even if you also mail or drop off a physical version[*] of your proposal. Please use Word or PDF files for documents of manageable size – up to 10mb, or put your proposal on a URL and send us ONE URL for all of your files. Please do not send attachments without contact information. Do not send a separate attachment for each component. A PDF with your complete proposal on it is the preferred way to apply. A website with all info on ONE page is also acceptable. Why? Because all proposals are printed out, in multiples, for the art grant committee to read. Please make it easy on us!
Send your completed proposal ONLY ONCE – wait until it is final to send. Do not send multiple iterations with revisions, additions, etc. ONE PROPOSAL ONLY, PLEASE. Please email ONE proposal to artgrants@kiwiburn.com. The subject line must be the name of your project. Do not cc anyone; all members of the grant committee are on the Art Grants address.
[*] Please contact the Kiwiburn Art Grants committee via email to arrange the best and most appropriate delivery of non-digital drawings and maquettes. To help you on your way, here’s a sample proposal for review.
I received a grant, now what?
Awesome! Congratulations, now how do you get your money? This will vary depending on your art work and your situation. Money is forwarded based on receipts for costs accrued during the creation of your art. Kiwiburn's Bean Counter will contact you to set you up and get you started with our expense claim process. You will get a log-in to our web-based system.
Whenever you feel like sitting down and entering the details of your receipts, then mailing those receipts to our Bean Counter, a payment will then be made to you. If you want some money as you go then do an expense claim for the receipts you already have. There is no need to wait until after Kiwiburn when you've lost the receipts and can't remember what they're all for any more :) It is possible to receive money in advance under certain conditions, so please talk to us if you're having problems.
A performance deposit will be withheld from your grant until after the event. Several steps must be taken in order to receive the performance deposit:
- The artwork must be ready on the opening day of the event.
- You must Leave No Trace.
- You must check out before leaving the paddock.
- If your site is not clean, or if you do not complete the checkout process, this amount will be withheld.
Have a read of our Art Setup Guide to make sure you are primed and ready to set up your project once on paddock.
Aside from the essential spiritual satisfaction gained from creating your work, as well as showing it and sharing it with hundreds of very enthusiastic people, Kiwiburn can also furnish you with other opportunities. We are willing to provide you with support materials if you wish to approach outside agencies or suppliers for assistance.
Be sure to photograph your work! At the event, photographers, amateur and professional, may also photograph your work. These may appear in our Image Gallery and in the art listings on our website.