QUEER | ART ILLUMINATIONS GRANT

Queer|Art is pleased to open applications for the fourth annual Illuminations Grant for Black Trans Women Visual Artists. Developed and named in partnership with Mariette Pathy Allen, Aaryn Lang, and Serena Jara, this $10,000 grant, awarded to draw attention to an existing body of work, sheds light on the under-recognized contributions of Black trans women visual artists and provides critical support to their continuing work. Winning artists will receive additional professional development resources and further guidance to bolster their creative development in the field.  

DEADLINE: JULY 12, 2023

The grant will also provide a $1,250 award to four finalists, in addition to the $10,000 awarded to a winner each year. The winning artist will receive professional development resources, including a studio visit with each participating judge, to bolster their creative development in the field.

The Illuminations Grant is made possible entirely through support provided by visual artist Mariette Pathy Allen, whose body of photographic work over the last forty years has been squarely focused on expanding cultural consciousness around gender and transformation. The development of this grant was stewarded by consultant and writer Aaryn Lang, working in collaboration with Mariette Pathy Allen, Serena Jara, and Queer|Art. 

The llluminations Grant is administered through Queer|Art with a rotating panel of judges, each of whom will conduct a studio visit with the winning artist as part of the award’s focus on supporting creative and professional development. Judges for the 2023 grant cycle include Jonathan Lyndon Chase, Lauren Haynes, and Jade Kuriki Olivo (Puppies, Puppies). Queer|Art staff will also provide the winning artist with consultations and further access to many of the tools they have developed in conjunction with the organization’s cornerstone creative and professional development program, Queer|Art|Mentorship. 

ELIGIBILITY

• Qualified artists must be self-identified Black trans women and trans femmes working in visual art and based in the United States.

ENTRY PROCEDURE

• Contact info, narrative bio, and headshot
• One short essay question on Artistic Practice
• 2 references that can speak to your practice
• CV
• Work samples (12 samples maximum, details below)
  • Work Sample Specifications:
    • Choose from any of the following formats to upload work samples that best represent your practice.
    • Allowed Media Types:
      • Images (up to 10MB each)
        • Images do not have to be a particular size, as SlideRoom’s servers will process them to fit their system. Their processors will resize anything larger than 1280 x 1280 x 72 ppi to fit within those limitations.
        • Image file formats accepted: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .tif, .tiff, .bmp, .tga
      • Video (up to 500MB each)
        • Video file formats accepted: .m4v, .mov, .mp4, .wmv, .flv, .asf, .mpeg, .mpg, .mkv
      • PDFs (up to 20MB each)
      • External media from YouTube, Vimeo and SoundCloud
• Please include title, medium, year, and brief description of each work sample.
• Note: Application fees for all applicants have been waived.