REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS 2015
Marion International Fellowship for the Visual and Performing Arts
Background
The Cathy and Jesse Marion International Fellowship for the Visual and Performing Arts fund is established by
Cathy and Jesse Marion of Houston, Texas, in the Fredonia College Foundation. This program will be funded with an
award of up to $18,000 to the applicant identified as the Marion Fellow each year. The Fellow will be selected in the
Spring of 2015. Funds will be based on the project budget proposed and may be used for materials, travel, lodging, and
per diem expenses of the Fellow, as well as an appropriate stipend up to $5,000.
Who May Apply
Applicants must be current or former affiliates of one or more of the Marion Circle member organizations, in roles
such as artistic or professional staff, faculty, fellows, artists-in-residence, or matriculating graduate students. Please
check with Ralph Blasting if you have questions about eligibility requirements:blasting@fredonia.edu, 716-673-3174.
Purpose of the Fellowship
The Marion Fellowship was created to connect several organizations which have been generously supported by Cathy
and Jesse Marion. It is designed to support an artistic journey through which a creative project is developed. Selected
fellows will demonstrate outstanding achievement and high professional potential in the arts. As a result of the
fellowship, connections among the Circle members will be strengthened with the goal of creating new opportunities
for collaborative artistic excellence. The journey begins at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York,
includes a residency at the Ucross Foundation in Wyoming, and concludes with a presentation of the work or work-inprogress at the State University of New York at Fredonia. It must include activities at one additional Circle member
organization: the Alley Theater of Houston, the Alberta College of Art and Design, or the Springboard Schools of
Egypt.
Chautauqua
Institution
Chautauqua,
NY
State
University
of New York
Fredonia
Springboard
School
Abu Sir, Giza
Egypt
Alley
Theatre
Houston, TX
Marion
Circle Members
Advisory Board
Ucross
Foundation
Clearmont,
WY
Alberta
College
of Art and
Design
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Types of Projects Considered
Projects must include the development and presentation of a work or work-in-progress of visual and/or performing
arts. Genres may include dance, theater, music, and the visual arts, but applicants should not be limited by traditional
definitions of genre or discipline. The work must be based on, inspired by, or otherwise connected to one of the
Chautauqua Institution theme weeks (announced annually). Themes for 2015 are available at http://ciweb.org/lecturethemes-2015 and include:
Week One: 21st-Century Literacies June 27 - July 4, 2015
view events & speakers
Week Two: Boys Will Be Boys, Then Men July 4 – 11, 2015
view events & speakers
Week Three: Immigration July 11 - 18, 2015
view events & speakers
Week Four: Irrationality July 18 - 25, 2015
view events & speakers
Week Five: Art & Politics July 25 - Aug. 1, 2015
view events & speakers
Week Six: Vanishing Aug. 1 - 8, 2015
view events & speakers
Week Seven: Redefining Europe Aug. 8 - 15, 2015
view events & speakers
Week Eight: The Middle East Now and Next Aug. 15 - 22, 2015
view events & speakers
Week Nine: Creating Healthy Communities Aug. 22 - 30, 2015
events & speakers
The final presentation at Fredonia must be feasible within the Fellowship budget.
Application Process
The application consists of the Project Description, Cover Sheet and Resume. The project description should be not
more than three pages, single spaced (approximately 1500 words), and should include:
 Identification of Chautauqua Institution theme week to which the project is connected
 Description and purpose of proposed activity
 Outline of creative journey path, including proposed timetable
 Description of how the activity addresses the goals of the Fellowship
 Project budget including stipend, to a maximum total of $18,000
Proposals should be submitted on line at http://fredonia.interviewexchange.com/candapply.jsp?JOBID=56410.
Materials may also be submitted as .pdf documents to Ralph Blasting, Dean of the College of Visual and Performing
Arts at Fredonia, blasting@fredonia.edu. Hard copy applications may be addressed to the Marion Fellowship
Committee, College of Visual and Performing Arts, 807 Maytum Hall, State University of New York at Fredonia,
Fredonia, NY 14063. All materials are due by March 15th, 2015.
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Applications will be screened initially by selection committee appointed by the Dean of the College of Visual and
Performing Arts at Fredonia. Three to five finalists will be identified and evaluated by a committee consisting of one
voting representative from each Circle member, and chaired by the Dean, who will vote only in case of a tie. A
representative of the Fredonia College Foundation will serve as a non-voting, ex-officio member to ensure that the
purposes and goals of the Fellowship are maintained. The committee may request interviews of the finalists. The
Marion Fellow will be notified in April.
Total Funds Available
A maximum of $18,000 will be awarded to the 2015 Marion Fellow. Funds will be disbursed in three equal payments
through the Fredonia College Foundation according to its applicable procedures and regulations.
Final Presentation and Report
A final presentation about the Fellowship journey and artistic process will occur on the campus of the State University
of New York at Fredonia, the cost of which must be included in the project budget. The suggested date of the
presentation is September 2016. Technical requirements and travel arrangements will be organized by the Fellow
through the Office of the Dean, College of Visual and Performing Arts. A final report including a final budget and
proof of expenditures will be required for all supported materials and activity and is due to the dean no more than six
weeks after the Fredonia presentation. The report should be not more than three pages of narrative, and should include
sample supporting materials (e.g. programs, posters, excerpts of the work or work-in-progress). All advertising,
programs and other materials related to the project should acknowledge, in perpetuity, support by the Marion
International Fellowship for the Visual and Performing Arts Fund of the Fredonia College Foundation.
Rev. 1-30-2015
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