Artlaunch

artLAUNCH

2024 artLAUNCH applications are now open! Applications must be received by 11:59 P.M. Friday, March 29, 2024.

– Timeline for the 12 months of the award year beginning June 1, 2024
–  Graduates May 2020 or later are eligible for the 2024 artLAUNCH award.
– Questions about the application or process? Contact artLAUNCH Coordinator Kensuke Yamada at kyamada@ualr.edu or 501-916-5113.

Apply For artLAUNCH

Funded by a generous grant from the Windgate Foundation, artLAUNCH’s goal is to provide promising early career UA Little Rock alumni artists with the funding, opportunity, and mentoring guidance to accelerate their artistic pursuits.

Five awards of $10,000 are awarded annually. Funds may be used for anything allowing the awardee to concentrate on creating studio work: equipment, materials, residencies, shipping, or supplemental income to focus on speculative creative work. Addressed on an individual basis, awardees may be given access to department facilities and equipment during the award year.

Mentoring

During the course of the award year, awardees will have the resource of a one-on-one mentor. Mentors will be resources for professional advice, networking, technical questions, etc. Awardees will meet once with the entire group of awardees and mentors, and at minimum quarterly with their respective mentors. Mentors will be proactive and act as a hands-on engaged partner with their awardees.

How to Apply

Applicants should apply online. Please review the information here before applying. Once you submit an application, you will not be able to access it later to make changes.

Application Requirements

  • Project Proposal
    1. Personal artist statement no more than 300 words long
    2. Proposal no more than 500 words long outlining how you will use the award to advance your career
    3. Line item budget outlining expenses (Expenses might include but is not limited to: travel, materials, equipment, artist residency or workshop fees. Up to 20% of award can be used for “personal expenses” with no further explanation necessary)
  • Timeline for the 12 months of the award year beginning June 1, 2023
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • 10 image portfolio

Review Process

Applications are reviewed by UA Little Rock faculty for completeness and initial evaluation. Final selections will be made by an external juror using the following criteria:

  • Artwork in the portfolio demonstrates technical proficiency and balance of content and design
  • Proposal demonstrates a commitment to growth of applicant’s own work and evidence the award will accelerate their work and/or career
  • Proposal’s budget and timeline are feasible

Eligibility

UA Little Rock Department of Art and Design BA and BFA studio art alumni from within a five-year window are eligible for consideration. Awardees must have a conferred degree, may not be employees of UA Little Rock, and can not be enrolled in any UA Little Rock courses. Graduates May 2019 or later are eligible for the 2023 artLAUNCH award.

Awards are considered income by the IRS and are reported for the year in which you receive the honorarium funds.

Questions about the application or process? Contact artLAUNCH
Coordinator Kensuke Yamada at kyamada@ualr.edu or 501-916-3182.

Join our Alumni Mailing List

If you earned your undergraduate or graduate degree in art from UA Little Rock, please keep in touch. Join our Art Alumni Email List.