Fulbright Program: U.S. Applicant Podcast
Transcript For: Creative Arts Applications
August 15, 2007
Creative Arts Applications: Defining your project, choosing your supplementary materials. Recorded at the June 6, 2007 Info Session.
Valerie: Hi, this is Valerie Hymas Tony: And Tony Claudino Valerie: And we’re here, and we want to announce the questions and answer session for the most recent U.S. student guidance session Tony: And so, if you couldn’t make it to any of the six locations that were having these info sessions, here’s a chance to listen to some of the Q & A we have for these sessions. Q: I’m interested in applying to a grant in Peru, and I’m interested in hearing a little more about creative arts fellowships and particularly how those applications might differ in terms of content and proposals from a full research grant. A: You’re still going still going to approach a project in the creative or performing arts much the same way that someone would approach a study or research project. You’re still going to tell us what you want to do, why you want to do it, how you want to do it. I would refer you to the website, and once again to the tips for completing an application and there is an entire section in there on applications in the creative and performing arts. One of the things that’s unique to people in the creative and performing arts is that in addition to the traditional paper application, you also submit supplementary materials, work samples. There are some very specific instructions for what we want by discipline. And one of the important things to remember is that, it’s those work samples are really quite crucial to the success of the application in the first stage of the national review here. Committees in the creative and performing arts are reviewed by discipline. Painters screen painters, sculptors sculptors… there are a number of committees in all the different musical fields. The first thing that the arts committees do when they meet is they either look at or listen to those supplementary materials. If they don’t like what they hear or they don’t like what they see, they might not pick up the written application. So the presentation of those supplementary materials is crucial to the success of the application in the first stage, in the review stage here in the states. This is not to say that the application and the project is not important. Should you get recommended, I think the Fulbright commission or the supervising agency in the host country is going to be equally if not more interested in what you’re proposing to do. So for the content of the essays I would refer you to the tips for completing an application online, I would refer you to the section on the submission of supplementary materials and encourage you to follow those instructions as closely as possible. And if you have any questions, get in touch with me. Q: I’m applying to Austria. My question is in regards to the creative application. I work in various media but on the same theme and I’m wondering if I should distill the application just to pick one media that I work in because of the selection committee that you said that it goes through. So I work in photography, I work in video, I work in installation, but because you said that it’s very discipline specific as to how the selection process goes should I pick one of those area that I work in even though my entire art practice really is integrated? A: Yes. Yes. Yes. What you want to do is… you’ve got to go with the discipline that most closely relates to the main focus of the project. We don’t have a multi-media committee. So if the main focus of the project is photography, then you apply in photography. Q: So I make photographs, but I’m interested in performance; there’s nothing to stop me from doing a performance project once I get there or to making my project more performance specific. A: No, but you’ve got to get past the photography committee, so you’ve got to submit a portfolio for photographs. Take a look at the list of the fields in the arts and see which one most closely relates to your project. As Valerie said, performance art can sometimes be all encompassing. Q: I’m applying to Germany and I have a question about the creative arts application. I’m in the same situation as the woman who talked about her interdisciplinary artwork. And, I create objects and then act in front of video and then paint about these things and things end up in the paintings. Would it be against my favor to include the objects and call them three-dimensional sketches? I feel like I am leaving out half of my work and I’m sure a lot of people are in the same situation right now the way art is taught. A: I think I do understand what she is saying. If you’re applying in painting, and I’ve seen this in the painting committee, I had someone who was doing a book. And they actually included the book. And the committee wanted to see it and were very impressed with it. Normally they don’t like to see additional, you know non-requested items., mainly because it is very difficult to display some of these items at a meeting and if it’s too bulky or too difficult that might be a problem for you. What might work is to include it as one of your slides. You want it to show the diversity of your work to include a slide. Cause what you’re describing is a three-dimensional object or a three-dimensional painting, or something like that. Sculptors don’t submit sculptures. When you identify your application as a creative arts application, the online application system is automatically going to create this form, which is called the supplementary materials record card and on that you are going to list the materials that you submit and give a brief description of what’s on that slide. So that’s where you cover it. Valerie: And that’s it for the questions some candidates have asked us during one of our guidance sessions. Please remember that if you have a question, feel free to email us, or contact us. Our information is all online. Tony: And, look for the next podcast. Thanks.
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