Fellowship Objective and Compliance

The MacColl Johnson Fellowship seeks to advance the careers of music composers who through seriousness of purpose and active engagement are committed to their artistic practice.

The significant financial support provided by the Fellowships enables artists to concentrate time on the creative process, personal and professional development, expand their body of work, and explore new directions.

Although Fellowships are unrestricted, Fellows are expected to devote concentrated time to their work during the term of the Fellowship and engage in activities that further their artistic growth. Examples include the creation of new work, training in technologies or techniques, purchase of equipment or materials, travel, research, and development of artistic endeavors. Fellows will be required to submit a final report documenting activities supported by the Fellowship.

Application Process

The Foundation is employing the Alliance of Artists Communities, an independent national association, to manage applications and the jury process for The Robert and Margaret MacColl Johnson Fellowships.

An out-of-state panel of qualified composers, presenters, and arts administrators will recommend Fellowship candidates to the Foundation’s Board of Directors following a comprehensive process of reviewing applications online and convening in person.

Applicants should review and understand the following guidelines before starting the application.

All applications must be submitted digitally through the ArtsApp online system.

For an application to be considered for review all sections of the online application must be complete, and required supporting work samples submitted by the deadline. (See Instructions for Completing and Submitting an Application for details.)

The online application process requires:

• Statement of purpose
• Educational background
• List of awards, grants, fellowships, and other honors
• Resume/CV
• Work sample inventory
• Work Samples

For technical support with your ArtsApp submission, contact ArtsApp Support. For additional questions about the application process and eligibility, email the Alliance of Artists Communities or call (401) 351-4320.

Selection Criteria

Work sample submissions must have been created within the past five years.

Applicants will be evaluated on:

1. quality of work, artistic development, and creative contribution to the field of music; and
2. ability to demonstrate that the fellowship will advance the artist’s career, benefit his/her work, and enable the artist to achieve artistic goals otherwise not financially feasible.

Eligibility

Residency

Applicants must be Rhode Island residents 12 months prior to the application deadline, at the time of submitting the application, and during the period of the fellowship. Applicants who are advanced to the final selection round will be required to provide two (2) of the following documents as proof of residency and will be contacted individually with instructions:

• 2010 Rhode Island income tax form or 2010 W-2 Form
• RI driver’s license or a RI-issued identification card
• Lease or mortgage agreement
• RI voter registration
• RI automobile registration

Discipline

Applications will be accepted for original compositions in chamber, choral, electronic, experimental, symphonic, opera, contemporary, nontraditional, musical theater, and world music genres. Jazz composers are eligible to apply as long as a significant component of work is composed and/or consists of structured improvisation. Singer/song writers are not eligible to apply.

Career Stage

Though the Fellowships are not awarded by career stage categories, applicants must demonstrate that they are within the range of an emerging to mid-career stage in their artistic profession, regardless of age. To assist applicants in determining if they are within this range The Foundation defines the eligible career stages as follows:

Emerging artists are considered to be in the early years of their professional careers, which may include having recently undertaken a career change to a significant artistic practice.

Emerging artists:

• demonstrate at least three years of professional practice and currently are producing independent work;
• have produced an elemental yet substantive body of work and have an accruing record of recordings, performances, and other presentations of work;
• demonstrate promising artistic development and may have attracted some early critical notice, but do not yet have an extensive record of recognition (examples of recognition include commissions, critical reviews, performances, grant awards, residencies, fellowships, and productions).

Mid-career artists are those who have created an independent body of work over a number of years and who have received regional or national recognition.

Mid-career artists:

• demonstrate at least seven years of a sustained professional practice and are currently producing work;
• have produced an accruing body of work that demonstrates artistic exploration and development;
• have received some regional and/or national recognition through commissions, critical reviews, performances, grant awards, residencies, fellowships, and/or productions.

Ineligibility

Established artists are not eligible. They are defined as having reached the mature stage of their careers and advanced levels of achievement.

Established artists: 

• have a record of at least 15 years of a continuous and sustained professional artistic practice;
• demonstrate a history of regional, national, and/or international professional recognition through commissions, critical reviews, performances, grant awards, residencies, fellowships, and/or productions; and
• produce work that is regarded to have measurable critical and/or commercial value.

Artists who are students enrolled in a degree-granting program at the time of application or will be during the period of the fellowship are not eligible.

Singer/song writers are not eligible.