Dear Faculty:

The Office of the Provost is pleased to announce requests for proposals for the Distinguished Visiting Artists Program.  This program provides funding to support one Visiting Artist at URI per academic year to spend approximately two weeks on campus to engage with students and faculty on a deeper level of understanding and appreciation of the arts in contemporary culture. The goal is to support projects that will contribute to the aesthetic life of the University and broader community, as well as provide students and faculty with opportunities to participate in critical discourse with artists of national and international recognition and develop meaningful ongoing collaborations with them.

Description of the Program  

The Distinguished Visiting Artists Program at URI hosts one Visiting Artist per academic year to engage with students and faculty on a deeper level of understanding and appreciation of the arts in contemporary culture. The goal is to support projects that will contribute to the aesthetic life of the University and broader community, as well as provide students and faculty with opportunities to participate in critical discourse with artists of national and international recognition and develop meaningful ongoing collaborations with them. Overall, the program aims to build URI’s reputation as a place where the arts are vibrant diverse, and integral to intellectual and creative development of faculty and students.

This opportunity is available to a wide range of artists working in all media, including the visual arts, performance, theatre, music, and film, in addition to curators, critics, and art historians. Visiting artists will spend approximately two weeks on campus, interacting with students, faculty, and the local community in a variety of ways, such as: presenting a public lecture open to the local community; presenting a more specialized lecture, workshop, or exhibit with faculty in the creative arts; meeting with fine arts students for critique/discussion sessions on the students’ work and ideas; conducting studio visits; giving invited lectures or seminars in various classes; meeting with students regarding career and professional development; exhibiting/screening their work or staging a performance during the visit; conducting workshops for students and/or faculty; participating in a symposium with faculty; etc. A reception to engage the Visiting Artist with URI faculty, staff, and students would also be an important component of the visit. In some cases, it might also be appropriate for the Visiting Artist to meet with outside constituencies (e.g., local arts organizations and educational institutions).

Award  

A total of $15,000 has been allocated to this program to fund one Visiting Artist for the 2014-­‐2015 academic year to support travel, meals, lodging, honorarium, supplies, etc.  An honorarium of approximately $5000 for the Visiting Artist is included in this funding.

Application Process  

At this time, we are requesting proposals for 2014-­‐2015 academic year, for either a fall or spring semester visit.. A review committee with faculty from various artistic disciplinary areas, with the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs chairing this initiative, will review proposals and rank them based on the selection criteria below.  Next year’s review committee will include Paula McGlasson (Theatre), Ronald Onorato (Art & Art History), Joseph Parillo (Music), and Sheri Wills (Film/Media Program).