Artists; Have you ever considered applying for an artist in schools program?

One of my most enjoyable years was spent as an artist in School, guding 400 primary school age children through the production of a mural of Jells Park, in Victoria.  The project was jointly funded and I was paid a teachers rate plus the cost of my art materials.
I found it a wonderful experience.

Artists in Schools provides opportunities for professional artists to work with young people in Victorian primary and secondary schools.

Schools engage an artist for up to 20 days to work with students and teachers on a creative project, which may be in any art form.

Eligibility Applications are accepted from Victorian schools, including primary, secondary, government and non-government schools, including schools for students with special needs.

If a school received Artists in Schools funding for 2010, 2009 or 2008, it is ineligible to apply for funding for 2011.

The Artist Artists may work in any art form or combination of art forms, including literature, visual arts, performing arts and new media.

The artist must be a practising professional artist who relates well to young people and communicates, discusses and demonstrates their art with ease.

Performances or workshops that are identical, or very similar to those that the artist provides regularly in schools on a commercial basis will not be supported.

The School An Artists in Schools project needs significant support from the school.

The school needs to:

• Provide financial and in-kind support for the project within their own resources and/or through other external funding. The program will not support the entire cost of a project. Priority is given to funding artist/s fees. The school usually covers the other project costs.
• Provide adequate staff support, including a project coordinator and possibly a reference or support group.
• Identify the target group of students to be involved. An artist cannot be expected to work in a meaningful and in depth manner with large numbers of students.
• Allocate an appropriate working area for the artist.

Closing Dates September 2010 for projects commencing in 2011.

It takes approximately 11 weeks from the closing date until funding results are available. It is recommended that schools plan to commence projects in Terms 2, 3 or 4.

Funds Available Grants of $6,500 are available for schools to engage an artist for up to 20 days.

Two artists may work together on an Artists in Schools project but the total grant will remain at $6,500.

In the 2009-2010 financial year 85 applications were received and 30 (35%) were funded. The total funds awarded was $195,000 with each recipient receiving $6,500.

The program is a Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) and Arts Victoria partnership with support from the Community Support Fund.

Artists in Schools Information Sessions Artists in Schools Information Sessions are conducted each year. To get an insight into the program and application process, you can access a recording of the session that was held online prior to the 2009 funding round. This session was hosted in Elluminate, you can follow this link to view the recording.

http://www.arts.vic.gov.au/content/Public/Funding_Programs/Education_Partnerships/Artists_in_Schools.aspx