Erie Arts & Culture distributes more than $300,000 in grants to individual artists and not-for-profit organizations located throughout Northwestern Pennsylvania each year. Grants are designed to support a variety of arts and cultural activities to help strengthen the vibrancy and vitality of the Erie region as well as enrich the lives of our residents and visitors.
Erie Arts & Culture seeks grant review panelists to help create panels to review applications submitted to the organization for funding consideration throughout the year, including grants for individual artists as well as those for arts organizations. Panels are integral to the grantmaking process, providing a critical review, comments, and scores of all applications to a particular grant program.
We work hard to balance the composition of these panels by artistic discipline, race/ethnicity, ability, arts experience, and gender expression. Panels are composed of individuals who represent a broad range of artistic and cultural viewpoints and geographic and ethnic diversity. Panelists may be experienced in a specific art form or be a person that is knowledgeable about the arts but not engaged in the arts as a profession. We welcome you to apply to share your expertise and talent as a grant panelist.
As a panelist, you will have the opportunity to develop connections with peers who share your passion for art and culture while supporting your community. Panelists are a vital force in the decision making process, get an up-close look at the grantmaking process and learn about the many ways artists and art organizations make a difference across the community.
Panelist Responsibilities
- Attend an orientation meeting to get familiar with the grant program, review process, scoring criteria, and Submittable platform.
- Read and rate each grant application according to the review criteria. Reading the grant applications must be done in advance of the panel meeting on your own time. You should expect to spend several hours reading, reviewing, and scoring the applications.
- Attend the panel session. The panel meeting is typically 2-3 hours and is a one-time commitment where you will discuss the applications and make a funding recommendation with your fellow panelists.
Overview
In October 2021, Erie Arts & Culture commissioned a mural on the exterior of the former Wayne School, which is now home to the Erie Center for Arts and Technology, the United Way of Erie County, and several other service-based organizations. This mural, along with a trip to Flint, Michigan, where they created 200 murals in a two-year time span, encouraged Erie Arts & Culture to be more strategic in our approach to future public art initiatives. With that in mind, we approached United Way of Erie County to discuss an initiative through which we would strategically locate murals along identified Safer Walking Routes to Community Schools.
Started in 2022 and spanning through 2023, EAC is curating and commissioning 50 new murals along the routes that students use when walking to and from school. This initiative was seeded with a grant from the City of Erie through the American Rescue Plan, which covered the cost of the first 10 murals. Additional contributions have been obtained through the Erie Community Foundation and the Young Erie Philanthropists, Erie Insurance, and private donations from local businesses, families, and individuals.
This year 2023, all the remaining murals will be created as part of a festival that will showcase and celebrate urban art and culture. The festival is slated for June 1-13, 2023. It is during this time period that we expect all murals to be installed.
Artist Selection Process
EAC is committed to an inclusive and transparent selection processes for lead and assistant artists – including prioritizing hiring artists from within the neighborhoods where the murals will be installed and extending opportunities to artists who have historically been under-resourced. EAC values and appreciates all artistic disciplines, but artist assistant positions through this initiative are reserved for painters, specifically painters who are interested in gaining knowledge and developing skills related to the design and creation of outdoor murals.
Erie-based artists interested in being considered for a lead or assistant position should submit an application through Submittable. National and international visiting artists will be selected on an invitation-only basis.
Artist Qualifications
- Be an adult 18 years of age or older.
- Must demonstrate a skill set related to painting as an artistic discipline.
- Have education, experience, or appreciation of arts and culture. We welcome a variety of painting and mural experience - this could include work in the sector, an active or past artistic practice, or simply just a passion for arts and culture.
As part of the terms and conditions of the Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Program, all recipients must submit a Final Report to Erie Arts & Culture. These reports are due by 11:59pm on March 2nd (30 days after the grant term ends.)
Final Reports for 2021-2022 Erie Arts & Culture Ignite Arts Grant are due 30 days after completion of projects, or no later than January 31, 2023.