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WALL\THERAPY 2020 – Summer Mini-Grant Application

WALL\THERAPY 2020 – Summer Mini-Grant Application

In critical dialogue with the celebration of the 2020 Women’s Suffrage Centennial, this year’s edition of WALL\THERAPY was going to invite a group of female, femme, and non-binary artists to bring their work to Rochester. Given the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which have made safe travel and in-person interactions practically impossible, we have had to rethink how we can utilize our resources to make a positive impact in our local community.

We were recently awarded a $5000 grant from the Avangrid Foundation to support this year’s festival.  Together with the Avangrid Foundation, we have decided to break these funds up into 10 mini-grants of $500 each, available to artists in the Rochester, NY region. (We’ll have a separate post about that Avangrid award!)

In keeping with our intended curation for the year, we will only be considering applications from artists who self-identify as female, femme, and non-binary for these grants.

We are using this opportunity to move beyond our traditional focus on mural making, embracing ALL manner of creativity. We are looking for local artists to create little pockets of impact throughout the city using the tools you know best. This call is open to ALL qualifying artists across all the creative fields—visual, auditory, performance, etc—who meet the eligibility requirements! You don’t have to consider yourself a professional artist, either; we want to hear what you would create to inspire/improve your local area!

 

Rules and Eligibility Requirements

1. The application period begins on Wednesday, May 27, 2020 and ends on Wednesday, June 24, 2020 at 11:59pm.

2. Qualified applicants must self-identify as female, femme, or non-binary, as we wish to stay true to our intended curation for 2020.

3. The artist must reside and actively make work in the Rochester, NY region (focusing on Monroe County, but closely neighboring counties will also be considered.)

4. Applicants are asked to propose projects that positively impact/inspire/help a Rochester, NY neighborhood/community, working creatively within the restraints of social distancing. Keep it local, keep it safe!

5. The project can be of any creative discipline.

6. The project should be completed by August 15, 2020.

7. Applicants may submit up to three (3) different project proposals, but they must be submitted either as separate PDF files or links to self-hosted videos through your single application.

8. We ask that grant recipients document their project so that we can share the word of what you are creating. We have a team who can help safely document your project.

9. A total of 10 projects (no more than 1 per artist) will be selected for a $500 grant.

10. The grant will be disbursed in two payments:
a) 1x initial award of $350 to be disbursed by July 1, 2020.* This money is to be used toward the project.
b) 1x final award of $150 after the project is completed and documented. This money is for the artist as a stipend.

11. Grant recipients will be selected by a committee of our year-round WALL\THERAPY staff members.

12. Artists retain all rights to the idea/proposals presented, whether they are selected for a grant or not.

13. To expand opportunities to new artists, proposals by artists who have participated as part of a previous WALL\THERAPY festival will not be considered.

*Assuming recipient has submitted all necessary contact information after being notified of their award.

Proposal Requirements

We aren’t asking you to overthink this one! We’ve filled out grants before and know how much of a pain they can be!

We’re just looking for a 1 to 2 page document that gives us a sense of what you’d like to do. You can always fine-tune the details as long as you stay true to the intent of the original proposal—we’re focused on the ideas first! Please include all the requested details and photos in one single PDF per project idea. You can submit up to three separate proposals simultaneously.

Alternatively, we’ll also accept proposals submitted as 1 to 2 minute videos. You can share a private video link (via YouTube or Vimeo) through our online application.

Details we’re looking for:
• Summary of the project
• Approximate supply list (if we have something in our current supply stock, we may be able to help with some of your supplies)
• Approximate timeline for completion. Show us that you’ve thought about what it would take to pull off your idea!
• Got sketches? Include those! They can even be rough thumbnails as they help get your idea across to us.
• Samples of your own work that might help show what you are trying to do.

NOTE: While we welcome proposals that have taken inspiration from other people’s projects or ideas, we want these projects to be your own creative expression. Proposals that are direct copies of another project will be deemed ineligible.

Please feel free to contact us at WALLTHERAPYNY@GMAIL.COM if you have questions about the application or your project! Otherwise, click the button below to apply!

Click to Apply for our Summer 2020 MIni-grant

 

 

These mini-grants are made possibe thanks to The Avangrid Foundation $5000 grant to support WALL\THERAPY (a Synthesis Collaborative Project), in partnership with RG&E.

Overview of  #AVANGIVES

AVANGives is the Foundation’s flagship open call for employee-nominated grants, and one of its most uniformly engaging community initiatives. Launched in 2019, the program sought to recognize outstanding organizations our employees dedicate their time and talent to, or are personally touched by, that are making a real difference in our communities. The focus in its inaugural year was on youth, with 10 organizations chosen for $5,000 grants. You can view their stories – and those of the 2019 nominees – here: https://www.avanewsblog.com/avangives.

This year in 2020-2021 series called for nominations of qualified nonprofits working for women, diversity and inclusion – and received response from employees at all levels of the company and across all geographies. In March, the Foundation announced expansion to include 12 nonprofits. Each will each receive a $5,000 gift to further their work to advance equality and serve women, girls, and diverse groups in our communities – spanning from Portland, ME to Portland, OR.

Their stories, which will be told throughout the year, will speak to female leadership, advocacy for women’s rights, health & safety, empowerment – and so much more.

You can find a list of all the AVANGives 2020 grantees (including WALL\THERAPY!) here: https://www.avanewsblog.com/agrfoundation/womens-history-voting-anniversary

2019 WALL\THERAPY Recap

2019 WALL\THERAPY Recap

While we didn’t do one of our traditional WALL\THERAPY festivals, we were still busy all year long! Check out this recap of our biggest projects. In addition to these, we also did a number of tours, talks, and outreach throughout the year.

We want to thank everyone for your support of the WALL\THERAPY project and mission and we look forward to bring our July festival back once again for 2020, featuring a roster of Women, Femme, and Non-Binary artists. We look forward to sharing more with you about this in early 2020!

January 2019 – Inspired by Nathan Lyons: Collaboration between WALL\THERAPY and the George Eastman Museum

WT At GEM

In January 2019, WALL\THERAPY partnered with the George Eastman Museum to curate some external elements tied to their Nathan Lyons retrospective. Former WALL\THERAPY 2017 muralist Todd Stahl created one of his stellar assemblage pieces paying tribute to Nathan Lyons that was positioned just outside the exhibition, while local artists Nova, Yews, Ax, and Dellarious collaborated on an installation paying tribute to the city streets and walls that feature prominently in Lyons’ later works.

Nathan Lyons: In Pursuit of Magic
George Eastman Museum main galleries, January 25–June 9, 2019
Curated by Lisa Hostetler, Curator-in-Charge, Department of Photography and Jamie M. Allen, Associate Curator 

For more about the exhibition:  https://www.eastman.org/nathan-lyons-pursuit-magic

 

 

May 2019 – Moms Demand Action /  Students Demand Action

Through Tragedy There is Hope

Moms Demand Action  reached out to WALL\THERAPY to create a mural for National Gun Violence Awareness Day/Month. Completed in May 2019, This mural created by Brittany Williams -— titled “Through Tragedy, There’s Hope” — features an non-descript everyman, is dedicated to all we’ve lost through gun violence.

The mural was dedicated on June 8, 2019 and is located at Rocky’s Pizza, 810 Genesee St. .

For more information about National Gun Violence Awareness Month:

https://wearorange.org/

https://momsdemandaction.org/

https://everytown.org/studentsdemand/

Photo and Video by Jason Wilder

 

 

May 2019 – Renaissance Academy Charter School of the Arts

Nate Hodge at Renaissance Academy
The folks at Renaissance Academy Charter School of the Arts invited 2015 WALL\THERAPY muralist Nate Hodge to work with the graduating 6th grade students during the last few weeks of their school year on a mural inside the school.

Kindergartners thru 2nd grade provided some sketches about “how creativity makes them feel” which were integrated into the final painting. 5-6th graders also helped Nate with the painting.

We look forward to this as a yearly collaboration, as local #walltherapy artists will work with students each Spring to add a new mural to the school walls.

July 2019 This is Triumphant Music

This is Triumphant Music

This is Triumphant Music –  Mural by Sarah C. Rutherford, Justin Suarez, and Brittany Williams for WALL\THERAPY and the City of Rochester. July 2019.

WALL\THERAPY worked with the City of Rochester to bring new life and color to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Park at Manhattan Square. The mural features portraits of three local, living musicians as painted by three local Rochester artists.

Moses Rockwell painted by Brittany Williams

Danielle Ponder painted by Sarah C. Rutherford

Mikaela Davis painted by Justin Suarez (aka Mr. Prvrt).

For more about the artists:

Sarah C Rutherford – https://hervoicecarries.blog

Justin Suarez – http://www.mrprvrt.com

Brittany Williams – https://www.instagram.com/bwilliamsart/

Moses Rockwell –  https://mosesrockwell.bandcamp.com/

Danielle Ponder –  https://daniellepondermusic.com/

Mikaela Davis – https://www.mikaeladavis.com/

This linked video was created by the folks at Captivate Media and shared with us to share with you!

 

 

August 2019 – Mural at the Skalny Childcare Center at the YMCA Schottland Family Branch

WT at YMCA

 

We worked with the YMCA of Greater Rochester to create a mural to inspire the children at the Skalny Childcare Center at the new YMCA Schottland Family Branch. WALL\THERAPY 2015 alum Matthew Roberts and longtime WT collaborator John Magnus Champlin worked together to create an exciting environment celebrating diversity, creativity, and the wonder of youth to inspire the next generation.

See a video about this project here:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=728668594227454

and read more about it here:

YMCA, WALLTHERAPY Collaboration Pays Homages to Past, Celebrates Future

 

 

October 2019 – Shannon Galpin

Shannon Galpin
Shannon Galpin
Shannon Galpin

We were fortunate to round out our year to facilitate a quick visit from Shannon Galpin. Shannon is a National Geographic Adventure of the Year and a Fellow with the Explorer’s Club who has spent the past decade working as a women’s rights activist in Afghanistan and a lifetime exploring the world as a solo adventurer. 

She installed two of her “Love Letters” murals – Notes from her stalker to expand the conversation of consent, love, harassment, and stalking in public places. They went up on State St at The Spirit Room and UUU Collective’s spaces. 

She also installed one other temporary installation, a climate justice Love Letter to Mother Earth, near High Falls

https://www.shannongalpin.com/#/stalked/

Upcoming Art Exhibit – JUST FOLKS – Ten Years of 1975 and WALL\THERAPY Curation

FEATURE_JustFolks

1975 Just Folks - March2019

WALL\THERAPY Co-Curator and RIT alumni Erich S. Lehman is curating a second ten year anniversary group show, this time at RIT’s new City Art Space located in downtown Rochester. This show will feature 10 artists from his 1975 Gallery project as well as 10 artists from WALL\THERAPY’s history so far. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of artwork will be donated to this year’s WALL\THERAPY project. We hope you will be able to attend!

A list of the artists in attendance will be shared closer to the opening.

JUST FOLKS
Ten Years of 1975 and WALL\THERAPY Curation

March 1-23, 2019
Opening Reception March 1, 6-9pm
Artist Talk to follow

Free and open to the public

A companion exhibition to DEARLY DEPARTED – Ten Years of 1975 in October 2018, JUST FOLKS is a more formal retrospective of the influence of 1975 Gallery on Rochester, NY’s art scene since its inception in 2008. Among the selected artists is a group who grew/came of age with the gallery and emerged as names in their own right in Rochester and beyond. Overlapping with this is a selection of artists who participated in the WALL\THERAPY mural project whose impact on Rochester is seen on a daily basis. The artists selected represent important elements of 1975 curation over the last ten years.

“Just Folks” is a phrase coined between the curators of WALL\THERAPY to describe the power of the average person to make an incredible difference in their community. We are living in a time when it is essential to realize the common vein between us all and the capacity for great change that we share.

A percentage of all artwork sales will be donated to the WALL\THERAPY project.

BONES – Sarah Blood – Carter Burwell – DAZE – Chloe Early – Faith XLVII – Conor Harrington – HOWNOSM – Ian Kuali’i – Mike Ming – St. Monci – Don Pendleton – Mark Penxa – Faring Purth – David Schnuckel – Justin Suarez aka Mr. Prvrt – Sarah C. Rutherford – David Walker – Brittany Williams – Addam Yekutieli aka Know Hope

Curated by Erich S. Lehman.

For more about the artists:

1975
Bones – www.instagram.com/bones_tribute
Sarah Blood – www.sarahblood.com
Carter Burwell – www.instagram.com/carterburwellart
St. Monci – www.st.monci.com
Don Pendleton – www.elephont.com
Mark Penxa – www.markpenxa.com
David Schnuckel – www.davidschnuckel.com
Justin Suarez (aka Mr. Prvrt) – www.mrprvrt.com
Sarah C. Rutherford – www.sarahcrutherford.com
Brittany Williams – www.instagram.com/bwilliamsart

WALL\THERAPY
Daze – www.dazeworld.com
Chloe Early – www.chloeearly.com
FaithXLVII – www.faith47.com
Conor Harrington – www.conorharrington.com
HOW and NOSM – www.howandnosm.com
Ian Kuali’i – www.instagram.com/iankualii
Mike Ming – www.instagram.com/surfnuts195
Faring Purth – www.instagram.com/faringpurth
David Walker – www.artofdavidwalker.com
Addam Yekutieli aka Know Hope – www.thisislimbo.com

RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/377435413067227/

RIT City Art Space
Sibley Tower Building
Entrance at Liberty Pole Plaza
280 East Main Street Rochester NY 14604
cityartspace.rit.edu

Regular Hours: Thursday – Sunday, 1-5pm

Parking:
Street Parking is free after 6pm and on Weekends.
Parking Garages available at Mortimer Street Garage or St. Joe’s Garage

FINAL MURALS – WALL\THERAPY 2018

FINAL MURALS – WALL\THERAPY 2018

And with that, it’s a wrap! We want to thank all of our amazing muralists this year, all of our volunteers, and our amazing team who works tirelessly to bring WALL\THERAPY to life each year!

You can read a recap of our 2018 festival by Rochester’s CITY Newspaper here:
https://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/rochester/wall-therapy-2018-recap/Content?oid=7410205

2018 FINAL MURALS

AliceMizrachi_WeAreAllImmigrants
Alice Mizrachi – We Are All Immigrants . . .
Rochester Community TV, Inc., 21 Gorham Street

joeblens_magnificentMonday
Joe Blens – Magnificent Monday
Half and Half, 475 Lyell Avenue

NaniChacon_LooktowardstheNorthStar
Nani Chacon – Look Towards “The North Star”
Abode, 839 S Clinton Avenue

NicoCathcart
Nico Cathcart
Buckpitt, the wall facing the Planned Parenthood Parking Lot, 88 University Avenue

Salut_gardners2
Salut – Gardeners 2
1112 E Main Street

WT_MD_726_Vince-0088

WT_MD_726_Vince-0005-2
Vincent Ballentine: Fedder Industrial Building, wall near Dock C, 1237 E Main Street

Here’s a map of this year’s locations that you can also download this PDF to print at home.

WT18 Wall map

WALL\THERAPY 2018 – Events this week!

WALL\THERAPY 2018 – Events this week!

In addition to the mural making, we’re hosting two great events this week!On Thursday July 26, join us for VINYL\THERAPY at Lux in the South Wedge from 10pm – 2am, and then enrich your mind on Saturday from 10am – 6pm at our Second Annual Arts and Activism conference at Visual Studies Workshop! Details below!

WT18_events_vinyltherapy

VINYL\THERAPY – WALL\THERAPY Dance Night at LUX
Thursday July 26 from 10pm – 2am


666 South Ave
Rochester, NY 14620

Come celebrate a long week of mural making and dance off what ails ya! Join us for an all-vinyl set with DJ Keven and DJ Ben!
Stay tuned for more details!

Event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/269743186937426/

 

WT18_events_banner_ArtsActivismConf

ARTS & ACTIVISM 2018: Representation
The Second Annual WALL\THERAPY Conference
Visual Studies Workshop
July 28, 10am-6pm


31 Prince Street
Rochester, NY 14607

Free and open to the public—refreshments will be provided by Hart’s Local Grocers, Ugly Duck Coffee, Fiorella, and Scratch Bakeshop!

Following the theme of this year’s festival – “Representation” – the second WALL\THERAPY conference explores the connections between public art, identity formation, and collective belonging. Initiating a critical dialogue between participating artists, organizers, scholars, and the local community of Rochester, the conference will critically explore a set of themes, from gentrification and public space to pedagogy and youth agency, from identity and representation to inclusivity and intersectionality.

As WALL\THERAPY enters its 7th year (and 6th installment in the city of Rochester) the conference will take a self reflective-approach, inviting community members to voice their feelings about the murals and the effects/impact they have had on their neighborhoods.

Featuring:

+ Two keynote speakers: Prof. A. Joan Saab with a talk titled “Public Art, Public Discourse,” and RJ Rushmore with “Beyond Wallpaper: The Practicalities and Possibilities of Claiming Space”

+ Two artist panels with the 2018 WALL\THERAPY artists

+ Community organizers panel

+ Project Spotlight: Whose Streets? Our Streets! NYC 1980-2000

Event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1840936149543212/

2018 Locations Revealed.

2018 Locations Revealed.

The artists are flying in today and you can start seeing the action this weekend!

Here’s a map of this year’s locations that you can also download this PDF to print at home.

WT18 Wall map

2018 Mural Locations

Alice Mizrachi: Rochester Community TV, Inc., 21 Gorham Street

Nani Chacon: Abode, 839 S Clinton Avenue

Vincent Ballentine: Fedder Industrial Building, wall near Dock C, 1237 E Main Street

Nico Cathcart: Buckpitt, the wall facing the Planned Parenthood Parking Lot, 88 University Avenue

Joe Blens: Half and Half, 475 Lyell Avenue

Salut: 1112 E Main Street

You can also read a little preview of the week in this week’s Rochester CITY Newspaper!

https://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/rochester/preview-wall-therapy-2018/Content?oid=7250746