7 Things Artists Need to Know About artsnb
Grants are Great.
If you have been creating in New Brunswick for some time chances are you’ve heard of artsnb. A champion for our local artists, you have probably seen their snazzy striped logo on the projects of your peers, but do you know how they can help you?
We had a wholesome chat with the enthusiastic and inviting Sarah-Jonathon (SJ) Parker, Program Officer at artsnb, to find out the most important things you as an artist need to know about NB’s friendly neighbourhood granting organization.
First off, What is artsnb?
If you haven’t yet been acquainted, artsnb is a cross disciplinary granting organization that supports professional artists all across New Brunswick in both official languages. While they also do advocacy work and have been known to put on special programs from time to time, their primary purpose is getting grant funding into the pockets of creators. With a small staff of 5 passionate people, they are a little organization with a big impact. (Note: artsnb is not a membership organization, so you don’t have to join anything in order to receive support from them!)
Who Do They Help?
artsnb supports professional artists from a variety of disciplines, including visual arts, fine craft, performance art, writers, and more. To be considered a professional artist, an applicant usually has some training, is recognized by their peers, and has exhibited to the public in some way. The full list of criteria can easily be found on their website HERE. (P.S. Even if you don’t fit this criteria right now, it doesn’t mean that your art isn’t brilliant and important. ♥ ) Because Funding comes from the provincial government, artists must also be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and have resided in New Brunswick for at least one year. If you have any questions about eligibility, please contact SJ and they will be delighted to sort you out. Their contact info is at the bottom of this page.
What Kind of Grants Can I Receive?
While creation grants and career development grants are very popular, artsnb provides other support to local artists as well.
The Arts Infrastructure Program allows new artists and new to Canada artists get funding to set up their studio. Unlike most grants, this one allows artists to request money for tools and equipment that won’t be used up when the project is completed. It is a great option for fine craft grads who find themselves without access to a full studio once they graduate!
The Equinox Program for indigenous artists is another lesser known option and artsnb is always looking for more applicants. For this one, those who self-identify as indigenous will have the opportunity to be juried by other indigenous artists.
artsnb also offer two new Accessibility and Equity Programs. These include application assistance for grants, and also providing extra funds to grant recipients who self-identify as having a disability. (This includes mental illness as well!)
You can view the full list of grants HERE or, of course, contact SJ to find out more.
How Do They Choose Who Gets a Grant?
Arts NB provides funding through the peer jury process. An artist submits an application online and the Program Officer, SJ, passes it along to a jury of multidisciplinary artists for consideration. This means that the staff at artsnb have no say in the approval process, so feel free to ask SJ all of the questions you think are silly, it will have no impact on the final outcome. The jury will get together and discuss the application based on the merit of the work and the possible impact it will have. Once they are done deliberating. SJ will contact the applicant to let them know if they were successful.
artsnb has a quick and super cute video about the whole process that you can watch right HERE.
What Happens if I am *gasp* Rejected?
It’s not over if you don’t get a yes. Once the decision has been made, SJ will be happy to meet with you and provide the jury’s feedback in a safe and supportive environment. This valuable information will help you when it comes to applying for future grants, as well as many other situations you may find yourself in, getting a business loan or submitting to a gallery, for example. Preparing grant applications is a skillset all on its own, and there is lots that you might not have thought about. Some artists may even find that going through the process and learning how to better describe their work is worth as much as the grant itself. The whole experience is a win/win.
Can I be a Peer Juror?
Once you have a certain level of grant funding from artsnb, artists will automatically be considered for upcoming jury selections, but you can apply separately as well. You do not need to have received a grant yourself, or even be interested in receiving one to be eligible. Arts NB is especially, especially interested in finding jurors from marginalized groups, so if that’s you, please consider applying. Sitting on a peer jury offers plenty of insight into how the whole process works which can help you write better grant applications yourself. Bonus: you get to interact with great art and artists in the process. Reach out to SJ if you are interested!
How do I Start Applying for Grants?
You can contact SJ at any time during the application process, and they will be delighted to help you out. A very friendly and approachable person, you can connect with SJ by email or telephone in both French and English. Even if you are not sure if you are ready to apply for a grant yet, reach out and SJ can walk you through what programs might be right for you. There are no stupid questions, and other people have probably wondered too, so go ahead and ask.
If you are unsure of what to say, you can start with “Hi, I heard about artsnb, do you have some grants that can help me out with _____ (setting up a pottery studio/going on artist residencies/career development/expanding my art practice…etc ______________?”
artsnb also has a tonne of great resources on their website. They offer everything from grant writing tips, sample applications and budgets, and even blogs from previous grant recipients to give you a better understanding about what grant life is like. Scroll to the bottom of their Application Toolkit page to find all this helpful information.
Also, sign up for their newsletter so you never miss a deadline or special program. You can add yourself to their mailing list at the top of every page of their website.
♥
Thank you so much to Program Officer Sarah-Jonathon Parker for sharing all their wise insight with us.
You can reach SJ at (506) 440-0037, or by email at prog@artsnb.ca.
Wait, There’s More:
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