ART GRANTS FOR 2007

Art is vitally important to Nowhere, and we want to encourage participant creativity as much as possible. While Nowhere itself is a commerce-free experience, we recognise that the art costs money to produce and bring to the event. 2007 is the second year that we’ve been able to dedicate money to a grant scheme to facilitate projects at Nowhere that will involve and inspire the community.

This year we’ve fed the experience of last year into improving the process. We’re granting at least five times as much money, and we’re starting off several months earlier so you have plenty of time to build once the decisions have been made.

What is art? We’re not just talking about sculptures – at Nowhere art can take any form, unrestricted by fixed definitions. In 2006 we funded large, visible works as well as interactive and performance pieces, and we are open-minded about the kinds of proposals we might assist this year.

The key dates for the 2007 grants process are:

• Up to 12pm on 18th March 2007: applications accepted
• 1st April 2007: grant decisions will be announced
• April-June 2007: advance payments (see below)
• July 2007: release of all remaining grant funds (subject to LNT)

All the applications will be read through anonymously (i.e. with the applicants’ names removed) by a team of Nowhere participants, who will then decide which to fund based on various criteria, including whether the project will engage a wide range of the community on an interactive or visual level, how well it will fit with the Nowhere ethos and the landscape, and how realistic the construction and leave no trace plans are.

Please remember that we can fund only a portion of those who apply, and each individual grant will cover a proportion of the costs you list in your plan. We do not expect to be able to cover 100% of any project’s costs. We also do not fund artists' time, labour time, or transportation costs, but will consider funding raw materials and material transportation costs (outside of artists' existing travel expenses). To encourage projects to complete their plans, including leaving no trace, at least 25% of each grant will be held back until after Nowhere.
We encourage freedom of expression in how you present your creativity, but each application must be submitted electronically and contain the following information:

1. Your full (real) name, street address, phone number and email address. This information is used only for contacting you and will be removed from the individual applications by the Arts Secretary so that the judging team do not see them before the end of the selection process. Please make it easy for the secretary to remove these details by only including them in the covering email.
2. A detailed description of the project. What will you be adding to Nowhere, and how will your creativity engage and excite other participants?
3. A detailed plan and timeline of how you will transform your ideas from plans to reality, including the practicalities of building any physical parts. How many people are involved in your project? Remember not to include anyone’s name in the proposal.
4. A full Leave No Trace (LNT) plan. How will you return the site to its natural state at the end of Nowhere? Include a named LNT nominated team member’s details in your covering email (again, so the Arts Secretary can remove them easily). Your LNT contact will be responsible for your clean-up.
5. A thorough itemized budget. What materials will you be using and how much do they cost? How will you transport those materials to and from Nowhere and what are those costs? Will extra safety equipment and personnel be required?
6. Drawings, plans, sketches, or other graphic illustrations of any visible elements of your creative concept.
7. Tell us about creative projects you’ve worked on in the past – either for Burning Man or related events or elsewhere. Include photos where possible.

Make your plan as inspiring as your project is going to be! The fields of Spain will flower with your creativity this summer, as the Nowhere community continues to grow...

Please forward any questions and your completed grant applications to  .