VisArts’ F.E.A.S.T. 2023: Free, Open Call

VisArts’ biannual F.E.A.S.T. (Funding Emerging Art with Sustainable Tactics) is a bridge between artists and the community. The program is inspired by F.E.A.S.T. in Brooklyn’s model for sustaining artist projects directly through community participation.

F.E.A.S.T. uses community-driven financial support to democratically fund projects that use art and creative thinking to impact the community. Funding for the project grant comes from the donations of attendees, who listen to and review a series of project proposals, and converse with the artists and thinkers behind each idea.

Attendees donate a minimum of $15 to purchase tickets. At the event, which takes place on VisArts’ Rooftop, they share a meal, listen to project proposals, discuss them with the presenting artists and thinkers, and vote for their favorite. VisArts awards a microgrant of up to $2,000 (100% funded by ticket purchases) to the artist with the most votes.

The grant awardee works on and implements the winning project over the next two years and gives a presentation on the completed project at the next F.E.A.S.T.

This year’s F.E.A.S.T. is focused on the concept of REMEDIATION, as a practice and site of remembrance.  Remediation is defined as, “the action of remedying something, in particular of reversing or stopping environmental damage.”

Inspired by the mycelial network (mycelium are incredibly tiny “threads” of the greater fungal organism that wrap around or bore into tree roots; they form a network among individual plants to transfer water, nitrogen, carbon, and other minerals), we reflect on the possibilities of sharing resources so that everyone is nourished. In this shared economy, mushrooms center the idea of collective care when rebuilding from unequitable structures. Remediation is site-specific; it’s conscious of the damage done to its roots and takes into account a timeline of growth, decay, and the healing process.

In recent years, artists and organizers, such as Soul Fire Farm or SCRAP BMORE, have been adapting this system by creating tangible, holistic solutions to address the environmental crisis. They do this by recognizing the past and using what works – or rejecting what doesn’t – to create sustainable futures.

Our hope is to reflect on the definition and practice of remediation – what are the issues in today’s society that are in need of remediation? What is the role of art in service to remediation?

F.E.A.S.T. 2023: REMEDIATION encourages artists, thinkers, and organizations to expand their everyday practice and create project proposals that address the theme of REMEDIATION.

Project Proposals and Submission Requirements

Project proposals offer opportunities for creative interaction within or among our communities. Great ideas specific to one community may inspire action in another. We encourage you to consider projects that:

• Restore active relationships with a wider community
• Cultivate many-sided experiences
• Join diverse partners for inclusive investigations
• Continue the generation of empathy and engagement

Proposals will be evaluated for artistic innovation, community impact, feasibility, clarity, and content.

You and your collaborators don’t have to live in Rockville, Maryland to submit a proposal, but we ask that you consider the site you envision for your project when developing your proposal.

Projects that may receive funding represent a diverse cross section of contemporary artistic, social, design, and scientific practices – performances; community events; visual, sonic, tactile, and/or olfactory discoveries; documents; parades; paths; maps; participatory actions; poetic data analysis; interviews; stories; games; architecture; walks; teach-ins; platforms; songs; gardens; clothing; etc. No project or medium is incongruous with F.E.A.S.T. We encourage artists, thinkers, and organizations to move outside their everyday practice and produce work that encourages situations where interaction and participation are essential.

Application content must include:

1. Project title

2. Summary that describes your project in 250 words or less. Include statements on:

• What the F.E.A.S.T. funds will be used for
• How the project will be implemented
• How the project addresses the theme of REMEDIATION
• What community you’re addressing
• The community significance of your project

3. Answers to these questions (one sentence each):

• Funding request:

How much you’ll need to implement the project (up to $2,000) and how you’ll be spending the microgrant

• Project budget:

If your project costs are greater than what you’ve requested, briefly state how you’ll be able to implement your project

• Timeframe:

How long the project will take

• Location:

Where the project will take place

4. Image(s):

• Attach up to five images to represent your project (300 dpi, no larger than 2 MB) and any relevant URLs; include a description of the image

All of VisArts’ calls are free. 

Application Deadline: Thursday, August 31, 2023 

· All application materials must be submitted online through our website no later than 11:59 PM EST on Thursday, August 31, 2023.

· Incomplete applications won’t be reviewed· Applicants will be notified by Thursday, September 14, 2023 if they’ve been selected as a finalist. Only finalists will be invited to the F.E.A.S.T. event.

For more information, visit: https://visarts.submittable.com/submit