2011 BRIO Guidelines

	PLEASE NOTE 2011 BRIO applications will be available in late November 2010. This year's application deadline date is Friday, January 28, 2011.

2011 BRIO Application & Guidelines will be available online in late November 2010. In its 21st year, BRIO (Bronx Recognizes Its Own) continues to provide support for artistic development of individuals creating works of literary, media, performing, and visual arts in the Bronx. This year marks an increase in the awards program which will provide a minimum of 25 BRIO grants of $3,000 each to individual artists residing in the Bronx at our BRIO Awards ceremony in June 2011.

Literary Arts
Fiction, Non-Fiction, Playwriting, Poetry, and Screenwriting.

Media Arts
Narrative/Documentary/Experimental Film or Video, Film Animation, and Digital Arts.

Performing Arts
Acting, Choreography, Dance, Instrumental and Vocal Music Performance, Music Composition, Performance Poetry, Spoken Word, and Storytelling.

Visual Arts
Crafts, Illustration/Artist Book, Installation Art, Mixed Media, Painting, Performance Art, Photography, Printmaking/Drawing, and Sculpture.

About BRIO
BRIO (Bronx Recognizes Its Own) continues to provide support for artistic development of individuals creating works of literary, media, performing, and  visual arts in the Bronx. A total of 25 BRIO grants of $3,000 each will be awarded to individual artists residing in the Bronx.

BRIO award winners must complete a one-time public service activity to receive their complete award. The selection for awards is based solely on artistic excellence and is decided by a panel of professional artists representing the various disciplines. Only artists living in the Bronx are eligible to apply for BRIO. 

About BCA
The Bronx Council on the Arts, a private non-profit membership organization is the officially designated cultural agency of the Bronx.  For 48 years, BCA has been providing quality cultural services and arts programs to a multi-cultural constituency of our borough.

The Mission of the Bronx Council on the Arts is to encourage and increase the public’s awareness and participation in the arts and to nurture the development of artists and arts organizations.

Who Can Apply?

1. You must be 18 years old or older.
2. You must be a resident of the Bronx. (Must provide 2 proofs of residency, see Application Checklist)
3. You must have a valid e-mail address.

Who Cannot Apply?

1. A full time graduate or undergraduate student enrolled in any degree program.
2. A recipient of any 2010 Bronx Council on the Arts Awards - BRIO, Bronx Writers Center Fellowship, Digital Matrix Commissions Program, or Bronx Community Arts Fund.

Application Checklist

• Signed and completed original application.
• Social Security number, one-page resume citing your artistic, professional, and educational background, and proof of Bronx residency, all to be funished upon award notification.
  
• Proof of Bronx Residency - (submit 2) any of the following are considered
  acceptable:
  • Photocopy of a recent Driver’s License or State issued I.D.
  • Utility Bill (Phone, Gas, Electricity).
  • Copy of rent receipt or lease agreement.
  • Copy of NYS or Federal tax return.
  • Bursar’s receipt (required for part-time students
• Support Materials
  • Literary Arts Applicants: 5 copies of typed manuscript (click here).
  • Media Arts (A & B) Applicants: 1 CD or DVD (click here).
  • Performing Arts (A) Applicants: 1 DVD (click here).
  • Performing Arts (B) Applicants: 1CD (click here).
  • Visual Arts Applicants: 5 images on CD and one checklist of artworks, or (for
    Performance Art) a DVD with a brief description of the performance (click here).

Return Policy

• Literary submissions will not be returned, but recycled after panels convene.
• All other submissions will be held in at BCA’s main office to be picked up (by the applicant and by appointment only) until September 16, 2011.
• No submissions will be returned by mail.

PLEASE NOTE:

We will be reviewing work samples on CDs only.
Do not submit: slides, audio cassettes, VHS tapes, or DVDs.
They will not be accepted.

Selection of Awards
The selection of awards is based solely on artistic excellence – the quality of work submitted – and decided by a panel of professional artists. A new panel is convened each year. All materials and information involved in the selection process are kept confidential and are viewed anonymously by the panelists. When the application package is received, a code number is assigned to each application and its corresponding material. The applicant’s coded submission is the only information available to the panelists for review. Materials not meeting the submission guidelines will render the application  ineligible.

Award Notification
All applicants will be notified by e-mail of panel decisions approximately four months after the deadline date. The first payment of $2,500 is made at an awards ceremony in June 2011. The balance payment of $500 is made when the awardee has completed a one-time public service activity. (Read about ACE). All BRIO awards are subject to verification of information submitted and proof of Bronx residency.

Return of Materials
Due to the amount and bulk of literary manuscripts sent to panelists, all manuscripts will be recycled. However, all other submissions will be kept at  BCA’s main office for pick up (by the applicant and by appointment only) until September 16, 2011. We will keep the support material for the winning submissions for archival and marketing purposes. No materials will be returned by mail.

About ACE (Artists for Community Enrichment)
An important and integral component of BRIO is ACE which requires each awardee to present a one-time public service activity within the one-year period of the award. This initiative was created to provide artists with additional visibility and also to provide Bronxites with the opportunity to experience the wealth of talent available in the community. If possible, recipients will be given an opportunity to take part in an exhibition, performance, or workshop through one of our BCA programs. When the ACE activity is completed, the awardee will receive the remaining $500 balance of the award.

General Submission Information

• Work must have been created between 2006 and 2011.
• Panelists are asked to evaluate work based on the materials they are viewing/hearing/reading. Be careful and selective of the work you submit. Poor quality submission materials will affect the panel’s evaluation.
• Submit only copies of your work, never the original.
• ONE application per artist.
• Only submit materials necessary for the category in which you are applying.
• Any required information missing at the time of panel review will render the application ineligible.
• Do not send reviews, books, magazines, brochures, or catalogues, etc. as they will not be reviewed.
• Application will be available on-line at www.bronxarts.org in late November 2010.

For all Literary Categories - manuscript submissions

• Submit 5 copies of one manuscript on 8 ½” x 11”, 20 lb. white paper.         
• Text must be typed in 12 point font or larger. Only clear, readable copies are acceptable.
• Manuscripts MUST be in English.
• Each manuscript must be STAPLED in upper left hand corner. Please do not use paperclips.
• Your name must not appear anywhere on the manuscripts. It will be rendered ineligible.
• Synopsis and title pages do not count as one of the numbered manuscript pages.
• Submit one one-page cover sheet with your name, literary category, address, and phone number.
• Manuscripts will NOT be returned. All manuscripts will be recycled.
  Do not send originals.
• Do not print on both sides of one page.

Playwriting and Screenwriting (these categories will be judged together)
Category includes stage plays, screenplays, teleplays, libretti, radio plays, and audio dramas.

• Select up to 20 pages.

• With each manuscript include 5 copies of a one-page typed synopsis, and 5 copies of a title page listing  the work title, category, genre of work, length of completed work, and year of  completion.
• Submit one one-page cover sheet with your name, literary category, address, and phone number.

Fiction and Non-Fiction (these categories will be judged together)

Fiction includes novels and short stories of any genre.
Non-Fiction includes essays, criticism, journalism, memoirs, autobiography, and monograph.

• Select up to 20 pages.
• Manuscripts must be double spaced.
• With each manuscript include 5 copies of a one-page typed synopsis, and 5 title pages listing the work title, category, genre of work, length of completed work and year of completion.
• If you are excerpting from a larger work, you are strongly advised to included substantial portions, rather than small fragments.
• Submit one one-page cover sheet with your name literary category, address, and phone number.
  

Poetry
Category includes all forms of poetry except performance poetry.

• Select up to 10 pages. (Minimum 3 pages).
• Poetry may be single-spaced.
• With each manuscript copy include 5 copies of a separate page listing work titles and year of completion.
• Submit one one-page cover sheet with your name, literary category, address, and phone number.

(A) Documentary/Narrative/Experimental Film or Video, Film Animation
          (these categories will be judged together)

Only the DIRECTOR of the film or video submission may apply. The director is considered the driving creative force behind the formation and creation of a film/video project. We cannot accept submissions from any one other than the director.

Panelists review between five to ten minutes of each applicant’s work, so it is essential that your sample represents pivotal moments.

The name of the artist must not appear or be heard throughout the entire length
of the submission.

For CD submissions:

• Label each CD and box with your name, title of work, date, total running time, and production credits.
• Include cue information or real elapsed time indicating start of selected work.
   

(B) Digital Arts
Any works of art in which the creation, presentation or understanding makes use of digital media such as computers or the Internet. Examples include: animation, interactive installations, Internet/web projects, 3D computer models of sculpture, and virtual environments.

NOTE:

• CDs must be in PC format and completely viewable without relying on an Internet connection.
• Double check all submissions to make sure that they can be viewed on a PC computer.
• If submitting a DVD, label each DVD and Box with your name, title of work, date, total running time, and production credits. Include cue information or real elapsed time indicating start of selected work

Ineligible: Reproductions (i.e., scanned paintings and photos) and works for which the computer does not expand on a traditional mode of artistic production.

(A) Acting, Dance, Choreography, Storytelling, Performance Art &
          Performance Poetry (these categories will be judged together)

• Label each DVD and box with your name, title of work, date, total running time, and production credits.
• Include cue information or real elapsed time indicating start of selected work.
• Clearly specify your role in the production (i.e., “dancer in green”, “actor with beard”, etc.).
• Panelists review between five to ten minutes of each applicant’s work, so it is essential that your sample represents pivotal moments.

NOTE: The name of the artist must not appear or be said throughout the entire length of the submission.

• Write name directly on CD or DVD with Sharpie / NO TAPE

(B) Instrumental / Vocal Performance & Music Composition
          (these categories will be judged together)

Submissions are accepted on compact disc format CD.

• Label the CD with the title and length of the work, and production credits, and your role in the production (i.e., singer, saxophonist, percussionist, etc.).
• With CD submissions, Please include track, minute, and second where you want the panel to begin listening to your work.
• FOR MUSIC COMPOSITION SUBMISSIONS - Submissions must include a full score, or where appropriate, fully harmonized lead sheets, neatly written and readable. The written music MUST correspond with the selection of music submitted.

NOTE: The name of the artist must not appear or be said throughout the entire length of the submission.

CD Submissions for Visual Arts
For Crafts, Illustration/Artist Book, Installation Art, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography, Printmaking/Drawing, and Sculpture:

Five (5) images on a PC-formatted CD, and submitted using the following specifications:

• Image size: 1240 pixels x 1240 pixels maximum, 300 dpi resolution
• File size: no larger than 2.0 MB (total)
• Image format: JPG or JPEG only. Do not send PowerPoint presentations or work samples saved as PDFs
• Images must be saved directly onto the root directory and not into folders or subdirectories. Please save your files in the following format: (01_Title of the piece, 02_Title of the piece, etc). Order must match that of the written Checklist of Artworks. Your name must not appear on file, this will render your application ineligible.
  

For Performance Art

• Label each DVD and box with your name, title of work, date, total running time,
  and production credits.
• Include cue information or real elapsed time indicating start of selected work and
  a brief description of the piece.
  

Some Helpful Definitions for Disciplines:

Crafts: Original work by the artist / creator, making use of artistic practices that are traditional or contemporary, functional or decorative. Objects and art utilizing natural materials including but not limited to wood, clay, glass, textiles, fiber and metal. Some examples of craft include pottery, metalwork, quilting, glassblowing, weaving, jewelry making, paper making and crochet.

Installation Art presents a visualization of interior experience 3-dimensionally, in real time and space. (Can be submitted on CD or DVD).

Mixed Media combines techniques and materials from two or more fine art processes in the same surface, no one of  which  predominates.

Performance Art  is art where the actions of an individual or group at a particular place and in a particular time constitute the work. Performance Art can be any situation that involves four basic elements: time, space, the performer’s body, and a relationship between performer and audience.

Printmaking/Illustration/Artist Book/Drawing includes aquatints, collages, engravings, etchings, lithographs, prints, woodcuts, and drawings.

Sculpture applies to tri-dimensional work that stands alone on a base or pedestal and that can be seen from all angles.

Need application assistance?
Want tips on how to professionally present your work?
Attend one of our Free BRIO Application Workshops

Saturday, December 13, 2008 / 3:00 to 5:00 pm
Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos
450 Grand Concourse at 149th Street

- or -

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 / 2:00 to 4:00 pm
Huntington Free Library
9 Westchester Square

- or -

Thursday, January 8, 2009 / 6:00 to 8:00 pm
Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos
450 Grand Concourse at 149th Street

Individual Consultations BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
Wednesdays and Thursdays between 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Call 718 931-9500 x35

Directions to Hostos: Hostos Community College is located at 450 Grand Concourse at 149th Street in the Bronx. Transportation: IRT 2, 4 & 5, Bx1, Bx19 to Grand Concourse and 149 Street. Click here for directions. Click here for map of the area.

Funding for BRIO is provided by the New York State Council on the Arts and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs-Greater New York Arts Development Fund. Additional funding is provided by the Carnegie Corporation, Scherman Foundation, Krasdale Foods, the Office of Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, Jr., the Bronx Delegation of the City Council, and BCA’s membership program