Burn in the Forest

GVIAS provides the following grants for GVIAS member projects which will be displayed at Burn In The Forest.  Our goal is to encourage Interactive Art that fosters the ideals of the Burning Man community. Artists working in experimental, emerging, cross-disciplinary, and traditional categories are encouraged to apply, to display their Interactive Art and add to the collective, participatory spirit of the event.

WHAT GRANTS ARE AVAILABLE?

New Large-Scale Art Grants: for large art projects which require significant advance funding, up to $750
New Medium-Scale Art Grants: for medium art projects up to $500
Microgrants: for small scale projects up to $100.
Refurb Grants: for existing art projects, to cover repair, operational and transportation costs, up to $250.

WHAT WILL A GVIAS GRANT COVER?

Art grants ONLY cover materials, and operational costs These grants will not cover labor expenses including the artist’s time — we are an all-volunteer organization; no one gets paid for their time.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

You MUST be a member of GVIAS (which is free.) Here is the link to register!

Any individual artist, team of artists or established group (for teams of artists, please have one person submit an application for the group) of GVIAS members may apply.

WHAT IS INTERACTIVE ART?

It could be an object or performance which:

• requires external human interaction to be complete, or
• prompts people to interact with one another, or
• responds to participants and to its environment, or
• causes people to reflect on the larger community, or
• challenges the viewers’ traditional perspective on art, or
• provokes actions, or
• transforms participants into active contributors to your creative process.

Interactive artists inspire the participation of others in the art piece or performance itself.

WHAT KINDS OF INTERACTIVE ART DO THESE GRANTS COVER

MEDIA ARTS
Includes but is not limited to:
Film, Video, Animation, Teleplays, Sound Art, Immersive Audio & Video Works

VISUAL ARTS
Includes but is not limited to:
Crafts, Design, Drawing, Illustration, Installation, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Dance, Theater, Interactive Installation & Sculpture

Or any mix of the above.
If you can convince us it’s awesome, that you can build it, and that it’s interactive, we will consider it!!

WHEN ARE APPLICATIONS FOR GRANTS DUE?

• The first round, closing on May 4th, is intended for larger projects which require the most build time. Typical grants for projects of this nature can range from $300-$750. Exceptional projects will always be considered, but for large sums of money – a significant project, with prospects for multi-event use by the community, are required.
• The second round, closing on May 29th, is intended for larger projects that do not require as significant a build time. Typical grants for projects of this nature can range from $200-$500.
• Refurb grants up to $250, to repair a previous artwork, or to transport it to BiTF if you can’t access the BiTF transport truck, also close on May 29th.
• The last round, closing on June 23rd, is for Microgrants, typically under $100. These are small, low-prep pieces; you will only be notified 2 weeks before the event!

HOW WILL DECISIONS BE MADE AND WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA?

All proposals will be vetted by the GVIAS Grants Committee, first to see if the grant qualifies by meeting the minimum criteria, then to select the most deserving projects:

GRANT QUALIFICATION CRITERIA

Only projects that meet the following criteria will be considered for Art Grants (the exception being microgrants, see below):

Will the Proponent at least try to match GVIAS funding with funding from other sources?

Note that event Mocrogrants (<$100) can be artistic or interactive.
If there is great demand for microgrants, those projects which are both interactive and artistic may be given preference.

Projects which meet these criteria will then be considered according to the following criteria:

GRANT EVALUATION / SELECTION CRITERIA

• Project Interactivity – How interactive is your project?
• Artistic Excellence – How “wow” is the idea?
• Overall Community Benefit – How many community members will get to enjoy the project, and for how long?
• Viability of Implementation Plan – Is your budget, schedule, build plan, crew size, and assembly/teardown plan sensible? Can you deliver
  the project you’re proposing in the timeframe stated?
• Value for Money – Is your project a “How did you get that all done for that little??” or a “We’re paying how much for this???”
• Emerging Artists – To diversify the grants, Artists who are first-time applicants are given a slight preference.
• Budget Clarity – Your budget is clear and well thought out, contains sufficient detail to evaluate the project, and does not attempt to inflate the costs of the project in order to increase the % grant coverage.

How will grants be paid?

75% of the grant amount will be paid in advance for the first two rounds of (larger) grants, with the final 25% paid upon receipt of a final cost reports and copies of all receipts. For Microgrants, all payment occurs after the event and submission of receipts as detailed below. A failure to execute your proposed art project at BitF may result in you either repaying the art grant or having to install it at another GVIAS event upon the discretion of the GVIAS Grants Committee.

REMEMBER:  All Grant recipients who intend to use the BiTF event transportation are responsible for all aspects of loading and unloading their project onto the truck, in Vancouver and at the Event, according to the Transport Pod schedule. Flailing will result in forfeiture of the art grant without exception!

TO APPLY