Grand Isle, VT – The Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) has released a Request for Pre-proposals (RFPP) for Artist-in-Residence (AiR) programs. This opportunity will support development of Artist-in-Residence programs in 2023 and 2024 that recruit artists to use scientific data, cultural trends, or historical facts to interpret natural resources in the Lake Champlain basin.
The LCBP will accept proposals for up to $40,000 for a two-year program and anticipates awarding three grants to support work in New York, Québec, and Vermont.
The projects awarded from this opportunity will encourage artists to inspire and inform citizens about the lake environment, cultural heritage, or social concerns using a variety of creative media. They will continue the goals of current artist-in-residence programs supported by the LCBP.
The Friends of the Winooski River, based in Montpelier, VT, recently hosted a residency program for two artists to work with students at Champlain Elementary School in Burlington, South Burlington High School, and Harwood Union Middle and High School, in Moretown, VT. Students developed streamside signs that interpret the Mad River watershed on a trail behind the Harwood school and interpreted some of the Basin’s environmental challenges using the 2021 Lake Champlain State of the Lake Report as a prompt.
BluSeed Studio in Saranac Lake, NY, hosted “Multi-Cultural Interpretations on How Pollution Effects the Lake Champlain Watershed.” A team of artists worked with Dr. Curt Stager from Paul Smith’s College who provided insight on ecology and the threats to our ecosystem. The team, which include members of the North Country’s Indigenous community, displayed their works at the studio throughout June 2022.
“We are incredibly impressed by what these artists have accomplished across the Lake Champlain watershed,” said Dr. Eric Howe, Director of the LCBP. “Using canvas, papermaking, ceramics, engraving, fabrics, and light, they illuminate the serious issues we face. Art can make these topics more interesting and accessible than a written report for many people. Their outreach to schools ensures that our next generation of lake users will have a strong understanding of lake issues and what they can do to help.”
Applicants will submit two-page pre-proposal concepts that will be evaluated through a competitive selection process. A subset of pre-proposal applicants will be asked to submit a full proposal. Grant award recipients will be selected from the pool of full proposals.
Successful applicants will formally start work on their programs in February 2023. The pre-proposal application deadline is August 15, 2022. Details about the Request for Pre-Proposals are available on our Grants and RFPs page or by contacting Jim Brangan of the Lake Champlain Basin Program at (802) 372-3213 or jbrangan@lcbp.org.
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The Lake Champlain Basin Program coordinates and funds efforts that benefit the Lake Champlain Basin’s water quality, fisheries, wetlands, wildlife, recreation, and cultural resources. The program works in partnership with federal agencies, state and provincial agencies from New York, Vermont, and Québec, local communities, businesses, and citizen groups. NEIWPCC—a regional commission that helps the states of the Northeast preserve and advance water quality—serves as the primary program administrator of LCBP at the request of the Lake Champlain Steering Committee and administers the program’s personnel and finances. LCBP is a program partner of NEIWPCC. For further information, contact the Lake Champlain Basin Program, 54 West Shore Road, Grand Isle, VT at (802) 372-3213 / (800) 468-5227 or visit www.lcbp.org.