Deadline: Deadline: November 13, 2009
Contact: Kimberly Bartosik, Program Director
Telephone: 212/557-0010, ext 256
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The deadline has passed for this year's Arts Teachers Fellowship Program.  Thank you applicants!

Program Description:
The Surdna Foundation announces the tenth year of a national initiative to support the artistic revitalization of outstanding arts teachers in public arts high schools. Surdna recognizes that arts teachers often lack the time and resources to reconnect with other arts professionals and with the artistic processes they teach. Through the Surdna Arts Teachers Fellowship Program, Fellows will design individualized courses of study that will provide both immersion in their own creative work and the opportunity to interact with other professional artists in their fields. Surdna believes that this approach to professional development will enhance the effectiveness of arts teachers and will directly benefit the young people they teach.

Glass Heads, by Surdna Fellow Susan Banks

Teachers will be expected to design a fellowship program that provides opportunities to interact with professional artists and enhances their understanding of current techniques, activity, and thinking in their artistic domain(s). It may include: study in arts courses; attendance at advanced art-making workshops, festivals or institutes; residencies at artists' colonies; formal mentor relationships with recognized professional artists; independent study towards the completion of an artistic project (which includes interaction with other professionals), or other artistic entities.* (See Resource List on the website for examples of possible sites and previous fellowship projects. Feel free to explore other options.)

All Fellows-accompanied by school leaders-will convene in fall 2010 in New York City to share experiences and discuss relevant issues and concerns. (Convocation expenses will be paid by Surdna.) Fellows will also be expected to work with colleagues and school administrators to carry out post-fellowship plans, and submit a report on the impact of the fellowship.
* The SATF program is for artistic revitalization. Proposals which will not be considered include: participation in educational conferences, development of pedagogy, academic research or graduate study, curriculum building, learning of new skills solely towards the development of new courses.

Arts Teachers Fellowship Awards:
Twenty awards of up to $5,500 each, with a complementary grant of $1,500 to the Fellow's school to support post-fellowship activities, will be made. The fellowship award may be used to defray the costs of tuition and other fees, room and board, travel, purchase of materials and/or equipment for personal art-making, childcare, and other relevant expenses.

Eligibility for Arts Teachers Fellowship:
All permanently assigned full- and part-time arts faculty in public arts high schools are eligible.* Teachers of all arts disciplines are invited to apply - visual arts, photography, theatre, music, dance, film, video, multidiscipline, and creative writing. Applicants must be minimally in their fifth year of teaching arts in high school, and plan to continue as an arts teacher in their specialized public arts high school in 2010-11. Previous fellowship recipients cannot re-apply.

NOTE: * Eligible schools include specialized public arts high schools and arts-focused magnet and charter high schools. All schools must have the following characteristics: a clearly defined mission that is related to the development of student artistic talent; an extended school day; sequential arts courses as a requirement for graduation; career guidance; arts program coordinators; and artists as teachers. Please note that teachers from high schools that are not arts-specialty schools are not eligible to apply even if those schools have an arts concentration

Selection Criteria:
Proposed fellowship plans will be evaluated based on:

• Quality and relevance of the selected fellowship venue.
• Quality and realistic expectations of plan.
• Stature of the artists-mentors.
• Anticipated impact of fellowship experience on future teaching.

TO APPLY FOR FUNDING:
This is a two-step process:

• Step 1: Submission of a Letter of Intent to Apply.
• Step 2: Following a review of the Letters of Intent to Apply, those teachers with the strongest proposals will be invited to submit final applications. Final applications will be reviewed by a peer panel of artists and arts educators.

STEP 1 -- LETTER OF INTENT TO APPLY

DEADLINE: All Materials Must Be Submitted Online by 4PM NOVEMBER 13, 2009

Persons interested in applying for a fellowship should:

1. Complete the Surdna Arts Teachers Fellowship Application Form.
2. Attach a Resume or Curriculum Vitae and Submit the Online Application Form (Do not include work samples).

The Letter of Intent To Apply must provide the following information:

• A one-to-three sentence description of the proposed fellowship that states its goal and where and how the applicant will reach that goal. (See General Information Form)
• A summary of the candidate's current status both as an artist and teacher, as well as his or her artistic development goals.
• The name and description of program(s) the candidate plans to attend (with short bios and names of lead artists or artist/teachers if possible), and/or organizations or mentors the candidate plans to work with, along with a projected timeframe.
• The anticipated future connection of this fellowship to the candidate's work with students.

(Applicants should be realistic about the potential impact of their proposed fellowship.)

Finalists will be notified no later than December 4, 2009.

Please note: Faxed or e-mailed applications will not be accepted.

STEP 2 - FINAL APPLICATION

DEADLINE: February 5, 2010
Following a review of the Online Application, a select number of candidates will be invited to apply. A full application form will be sent to finalists. Fellowship Awards will be announced by March 26, 2010.

Please direct all inquiries to: Kimberly Bartosik, Program Director, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 212-557-0010, ext. 256.