Application Guidelines (PDF)

Application & Checklist (PDF)

The application deadline for 2005 has passed. Please check our website in the fall for 2006 guidelines.

2005 GRANT APPLICATION GUIDELINES

Socrates Sculpture Park was an abandoned riverside landfill and illegal dumpsite until 1986 when a coalition of artists and community members, under the leadership of sculptor Mark di Suvero, transformed it into an open studio and exhibition space for artists and a neighborhood park for local residents. Once a rubble-strewn lot, it now flourishes as an ever-evolving natural landscape. The Park’s existence is based on the belief that reclamation, revitalization and creative expression are essential to the survival, humanity and improvement of our urban environment.

For over eighteen years, Socrates Sculpture Park has been committed to giving artists a chance to work outside the confines of a traditional studio environment in a community that is supportive and encouraging, and to follow new directions in their work, realize ambitious projects, and exhibit in an open, professional forum.

Socrates Sculpture Park is the only site in the New York Metropolitan area specifically dedicated to providing artists with opportunities to create and exhibit large-scale sculpture and multi-media installations in an outdoor environment that invites interaction between artists, artworks and the public. To date, Socrates has hosted over 460 artists and currently attracts more than 65,000 visitors annually.

Located in an industrial neighborhood in Long Island City, Socrates is a waterfront park that overlooks the Manhattan skyline; the site is an affecting and inspiring place for artists to work and a spectacular setting for the presentation of public art. Socrates has become one of the most innovative and highly regarded venues for contemporary sculpture - a laboratory where experimentation and innovation expand, reinvent and redefine the tradition of art in public spaces.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Artists seeking a Socrates Sculpture Park grant are strongly encouraged to visit the Park before submitting their application. Applicants must take into account the site’s rugged, urban outdoor environment and be aware that sculptures installed in the Park must meet safety requirements and be able to withstand the effects of weather and public use. Visiting the site will give applicants a clearer idea of the factors that effect installations at the Park and an overview of the facilities that the Park has to offer, including the tools and equipment available in the studio and the materials and resources available in Long Island City.

Artists can apply for one or more of the following exhibition categories:

o 2005 Spring Exhibition
o Emerging Artist Fellowship Program
o Open Space

If you are applying for more than one exhibition category, you only need to send one application package.

Grants and fellowships are not available to artists who are enrolled in a school, college, or university program.

2005 Spring Exhibition

On May 15, 2005 Socrates will present an exhibition centered on the themes of sport, competition, and game. The works in the show will address a range of issues from the design and engineering of athletic wear to the architecture of stadiums; from corporate sponsorship and the marketing of sports figures to physical endurance and the fitness lifestyle. The Park will become an arena for artists who use sports as both a medium and metaphor.

Socrates is seeking proposals for works that relate to the theme of this exhibition. Artists who are invited to participate in the show will be provided with production funding, administrative and technical assistance, a one- to three-month residency in the outdoor studio, and access to facilities, materials and equipment. The amount of financial support available to artists is contingent upon the requirements of a given proposal and the grants that Socrates receives for this exhibition.

Eligibility:
Although open to all artists, nationally and internationally, please note that Socrates can not provide any housing or transportation. Artists living outside New York City will have to make their own travel and living arrangements.

Emerging Artist Fellowship Program

Artists are selected through an open application process. Proposals are reviewed by an advisory committee composed of past recipients of Socrates Sculpture Park grants, prominent curators, artists, writers, art historians, and arts administrators and the Park’s Executive Director and Exhibition Program Coordinator. Following the first round of selections, Socrates staff members meet with the artists individually to discuss their proposal in greater detail and assist them with the development, engineering and fabrication of the project.

Emerging Artist Fellowship recipients are granted financial support in the amount of $4,000, a two- to six-month residency in the outdoor studio, and access to facilities, materials, equipment and technical assistance to create a work for the annual Emerging Artist Fellowship Exhibition (opening September 2005). Fellows are also given the administrative assistance to do additional fundraising for their project, procure in-kind support and pursue future commissions, residencies and placement for their work.

Eligibility:
Fellowships are awarded to artists who are not yet well established, are New York State residents and are in need of financial assistance.

Open Space

Socrates grants are also awarded for single artist projects and collaborations that are presented as separate exhibitions throughout the year. Through the Open Space program, Socrates provides artists with funding, administrative and technical assistance, a one- to six-month residency in the outdoor studio, and access to facilities, materials and equipment to create a new work - or will assist with shipping and rigging to place an already existing work - for exhibition in the Park. Funding for this program varies from year to year and the amount of financial support available to artists is contingent upon the requirements of the project and the grants that Socrates receives to support the Open Space program.

Eligibility:
Although open to all artists, nationally and internationally, please note that Socrates can not provide any
housing or transportation. Artists living outside New York City will have to make their own living and travel arrangements.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

To apply for a Socrates Sculpture Park grant, please send:

o APPLICATION FORM
A copy of the application form is attached. The completed form must be included with your application materials.

o CURRENT RESUME
The resume should include information about your education; exhibition history; awards, grants and residencies; and details of any published writings, reviews or catalogues about your work.

o REFERENCES
Please provide the names, addresses and telephone numbers of two people who are familiar with your work.

o (10) 35mm SLIDES
Slides should be sent in clear plastic sleeves. Images should be of recent work, particularly if they relate to your proposal for Socrates Sculpture Park. Be sure to label each slide with your name, an arrow indicating orientation of the image, and a number that corresponds to the slide script.

o SLIDE SCRIPT
A numbered list corresponding to the submitted slides. For each slide, include the title, date, materials and dimensions and, if necessary, a brief description of the work.

o (5) COLOR LASER COPIES, PHOTOGRAPHS OR DIGITAL PRINTS
These should be of images selected from the submitted slides (do not send images of works that are not included on the slide script). Be sure to label each one with your name and a number that corresponds to the slide script.

o PROPOSAL
A brief description of the work that you would like to produce and exhibit at Socrates Sculpture Park. This can be a written description and/or a drawing, plan or rendering.

o SELF ADDRESSED, STAMPED ENVELOPE
The envelope should be large enough to enclose all submitted materials and should have enough postage to cover return mailing.

o SELF ADDRESSED, STAMPED POSTCARD (OPTIONAL)
If you would like to have notification that your application package was received, please enclose a self addressed, stamped postcard. We will mail the postcard when we process your application.

Be sure to put your name, address and telephone number on all application materials.

Please do not send:

• Materials larger than 8-1/2 x 11 inches
• Original artwork
• Large format transparencies
• Video tapes or CDs

DEADLINE

Completed applications must be received at the Socrates Sculpture Park office by 5:00 pm on Monday, January 10, 2005.

You can send your application by regular mail to:

Socrates Sculpture Park
2005 Grant Application
PO Box 6259
Long Island City, NY 11106-0259

Please do not send your application by registered mail or return receipt.

Applications sent by Federal Express, UPS or other private carrier should be sent directly to our offices and should be addressed:

Socrates Sculpture Park
2005 Grant Application
32-01 Vernon Boulevard at Broadway
Long Island City, NY 11106
telephone: 718-956-1819

To deliver your application by hand, please come to the office between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

Applications will not be accepted after 5:00 pm on Monday, January 10, 2005.

_____________________________________________________________________________

2005 GRANT APPLICATION

DEADLINE: JANUARY 10, 2005

Please print clearly or type.

NAME: _________________________________________________________________

DATE OF BIRTH: ____ / ____ / _____ PLACE OF BIRTH:______________________

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER: ______ - ____ - ________

ADDRESS: _________________________________________________________________

CITY: _________________________  STATE: _____________  ZIP: ___________

TELEPHONE: (______) ______ - ________   CELL PHONE: (______) ______ - ________

E-MAIL: _________________________________________________________________

Please check box indicating your application category:

__________________________________________________

SIGNATURE

APPLICATION CHECKLIST:

o APPLICATION FORM

o CURRENT RESUME

o REFERENCES

o SLIDES

o SLIDE SCRIPT

o COLOR LASER COPIES, PHOTOGRAPHS OR DIGITAL PRINTS

o PROPOSAL

o SELF ADDRESSED, STAMPED ENVELOPE

o SELF ADDRESSED, STAMPED POSTCARD (OPTIONAL)

(VIA US POSTAL SERVICE:)

Socrates Sculpture Park

2005 Grant application

PO Box 6259

Long Island City, NY 11106

(VIA SPECIAL DELIVERY:)

Socrates Sculpture Park
2005 Grant Application
32-01 Vernon Boulevard at Broadway
Long Island City, NY 11106
718-956-1819