This application is now closed and jurrying has been completed.

To all of the talented artists and designers who applied to Envision: The Michigan Artist Initiative, thank you for participating in our inaugural year. We are pleased to inform you that the announcement of the finalists can be found here.

Thank you again for your patience during these challenging times.

We wish you all the best for your future endeavors. And please do check out our website from time to time for future opportunities.

ENVISION: THE MICHIGAN ARTIST INITIATIVE

Stamps Gallery, part of the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan, invites artists and collaboratives to submit their work for consideration for Envision: The Michigan Artist Initiative. This initiative showcases the excellence and merit of contemporary art practices in Michigan and recognizes the creativity, rigor and innovation of artists and collaboratives working in the region, inspiring the next generations of artists in our state.

A shortlist of 3-5 artists will be selected by a prominent national panel of jurors: Loring Randolph (BFA '04), Director, Frieze New York, Ken Aptekar (BFA '73), Artist Carla Acevedo-Yates, Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

The finalists will be invited to exhibit their work in a group exhibition at Stamps Gallery from January 15-February 28, 2021. Finalists will receive logistical and curatorial support from the professional staff at Stamps Gallery. The Gallery will also produce an exhibition publication that highlights the work of the finalists.  

The jury will select a winner who will be announced on the opening night.

The winning artist will be awarded a $5,000 cash prize. 

All submitted works must be original and produced within the last four calendar years (nothing created before January 2016). It is free to apply. Submissions in all media are welcome. 

Work samples and application materials are electronically reviewed. 

Should you have further questions about the application, please contact envisionartist@umich.edu. Please do not contact the jurors. 

The call for submissions will go live on March 16 and run until May 15, 2020.
 

Eligibility Criteria

1. Artists must live and work in Michigan.

2. Be at least 21 years old and not be enrolled in a University program at an undergraduate or graduate level.

3. The initiative is open to emerging and mid-career artists and collaboratives living and working in Michigan.

• Emerging artists are early in their artistic careers (regardless of age), they have a small exhibition record and their practices are not yet considered well established professionally by indicators of museum exhibitions, gallery representation, publications. They have been practicing professionally for at least three years. 

• Mid-career artists have passed the early stages of their careers. They have a growing body of work and whose work has attained a fair degree of public exposure through exhibitions, publications, and media coverage.

This initiative seeks to support artists who are gaining momentum and committed to pushing the boundaries of their chosen medium. These artists are at a critical stage in their careers and in the threshold of taking their work to the next level. 

Evaluation Criteria

1. Artistic Excellence: those who are building a rigorous body of work and demonstrate a consistent commitment to their artistic careers and take risks by pushing the boundaries of their chosen mediums. 

2. Meet all the eligibility criteria

3. Those who are at a critical juncture in their artistic careers for whom this award will make a significant impact.  

Organized by Stamps Gallery, part of the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan, the mission of Envision: The Michigan Artists’ Initiative is to champion and support the development of emerging and mid-career artists living and working in Michigan. The inaugural initiative invites visual artists working in all types of media to apply; three to five finalists will be selected for a group exhibition at Stamps Gallery from January 15-February 28, 2021. One artist will be awarded a cash prize of $5,000 and invited to participate in public talks and workshops with students on professional practice. The application will go live on March 15 with a deadline of May 15, 2020. The program is designed to launch the careers for ambitious Michigan artists through state-wide attention and inspire a higher level of ambition of Michigan artists 

Learn more: stamps.umich.edu/envision 

About Stamps Gallery

Established with the generous support of alumna Penny W. Stamps (1944-2018), the Stamps Gallery is a dynamic center for contemporary art and design, located in downtown Ann Arbor. Part of the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan, the Gallery opened in 2017. Building on the school’s strong tradition of excellence, thought leadership and community engagement, our goal is to develop innovative and scholarly exhibitions, publications, and public programs that foster vibrant and inclusive platforms for presentation, discussion, and inquiry into the urgent questions and concerns of our time. We are a non-collecting institution — functioning in the Kunsthalle tradition — committed to deepening the understanding of contemporary art and design practices that spark action and conversation. Learn more: stamps.umich.edu/gallery 

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria