FIREFLY 2016 ART GRANTS IVORY & TEMPLE GRANT APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN! Over the years, the Firefly Arts Collective (FAC) has been proud to provide grant support to Firefly artists to enable them to express and fulfill their varied creative visions. These grants are intended to support and promote radically-expressive, community-based, interactive and/or collaborative projects that help define and shape the creative core of the event. Art is a central part of Firefly, and the event wouldn't be the same without the wonderful pieces that have been brought to Vermont over the years. Bringing art is a great way to add a piece of yourself to the event and contribute/participate in a meaningful way. There are five different types of grants: Creativity Grants Legacy Grants Anniversary Grants (Ivory Grants) Temple Grant Burner Exchange Grants (BEX Grants) This year’s anniversary grants are called the *Ivory Grants*. The *Creativity Grants* are our primary grants, and are designed to fund creative new projects to be shared with our community during the Firefly event. Creativity grants are awarded in tiers of $150, $300, $500 and $700. The *Legacy Grants* are provided to support existing projects which have been to Firefly in the past. Art can be exposed to many elements at Firefly — mud, rain, sun, and most of all, people — and this grant is designed to provide funding to help with wear and tear produced by this exposure. Legacy grants are awarded for up to $100. The *Anniversary Grants* are intended to support projects of a larger and more ambitious scale than the typical Creativity Grant project. Named for traditional wedding anniversary gifts, these grants celebrate Firefly's lasting commitment to art. These projects not only serve as spectacles at Firefly, but also represent Firefly outside of our July event at Open Studios, FIGMENT Boston, and other similar events. These projects must be appropriately large in scale, spectacular, and suitable for presentation at a variety of venues. Anniversary Grant recipients must show their art at both Firefly and FIGMENT Boston; other events are optional. Anniversary grants are awarded for up to $1000. The *Temple Grant* supports the creation of the Temple at Firefly Arts Festival each year. The Temple aims to satisfy both civic and spiritual needs by creating a revered gathering space at Firefly. While the Temple should be spiritual in a general sense (and true to the spirit of the event), it is not intended to be a religious symbol, and overtly religious tones should be avoided. The Temple is placed in the field, and provides a space for Fireflies to seek quiet contemplation and introspection at the event. It is of the utmost importance that the Temple defines a physical (and emotional) space; that said, it does not have to be a traditional shelter or building. It is traditional for the Temple to serve as a place for participants to leave offerings, and the structure will be burned on the final evening of the event. A single Temple Grant is awarded for up to $1000. The *BEX Grants* are for art that already appeared either at a regional burn event or Burning Man, and showcases the local flavor of its origin. Grant money is intended to be applied to minor maintenance / improvements and shipping costs to Vermont. BEX Grants are awarded for up to $1000. Schedule: *January 13th: Ivory and Temple grant applications open* *February 15th: Ivory and Temple grant applications due* *March 7th: Ivory and Temple Grants awarded* *January 20th: Creativity and Legacy grant applications open* *February 29th: Creativity and Legacy grant applications due* *March 14th: Creativity and Legacy Grants awarded* *BEX grant schedule will be announced later in the year, and happens after the regular grant process.* *** Please note: Ivory and Temple grant submissions begin today! *** Submissions this year will be handled through the Firefly Art Grants Web Portal http://grants.fireflyartscollective.org/. If you signed up in 2015, your accounts are no longer active. Please sign up again so we are sure to have your most current information on-file! For even more information, please visit the following web page: Firefly Art Grants Overview http://fireflyartscollective.org/art-grants/. Feel free to reach out with any questions to: grants@fireflyartscollective.org. Thank you! - Firefly Art Grant Core