Exhibition Program Guidelines
In recognition of the importance of experiencing original works of art, the Terra Foundation for American Art supports exhibitions that enlarge the understanding and appreciation of historical American art made between 1500 and 1980. To be eligible for funding, exhibitions that take place internationally or in Chicago may be aimed at the general public, scholars, or both; exhibitions that take place in the United States, but outside of Chicago, must present historical American art in an international context and reach a scholarly audience.The foundation has a particular interest in exhibitions that add an international dimension to the study or presentation of historical American art or take place in Chicago, the location of the foundation's headquarters. "International dimensions" vary by project, but include a venue outside the United States; a focused thesis that makes a significant contribution to scholarship on historical American art in an international context; and an international curatorial team. Exhibition proposals will be reviewed by an outside panel of scholars and curators with specialties in historical American art.
As the foundation prefers to fund full tours, we will only accept one proposal per exhibition. The proposal must come from the organizing institution(s), unless there is a Chicago venue, in which case see the "Chicago" section below.
Eligibility: The foundation only accepts proposals from institutions with United States 501(c)(3) status or the international equivalent. Grants are not made to individuals.
Grant funding is available for:
American institutions organizing:
1. Exhibitions on any aspect of historical American art that travel internationally.
- At least one international venue must be secured before a Letter of Inquiry is submitted
- Any grant award would be made to the American organizer, but it must offset costs incurred by both the organizer and the international venue[s]
2. Exhibitions on any aspect of historical American art that are co-organized with an international venue.
- Co-organizers must apply jointly
3. Exhibitions with a focused thesis that makes a significant contribution to scholarship on historical American art in an international context.
- Organizer/co-organizers must apply for the full exhibition tour (exception: any exhibition with a Chicago venue, see below)
International institutions organizing:
1. Exhibitions on any aspect of historical American art.
- The organizing museum(s) must apply for the exhibition tour (exception: any exhibition with a Chicago venue, see below)
- If co-organizing with another museum, co-organizers must apply jointly
Chicago institutions organizing or hosting:
1. Exhibitions on any aspect of historical American art.
- If an exhibition travels to Chicago, only the Chicago institution presenting the exhibition may apply for funding (no funding is available to the organizer unless the topic situates American art within an international context; even in that case, however, the Chicago venue must apply for any funding)
- For details, please contact the Program Officer for Exhibitions in advance of submitting a Letter of Inquiry
The Terra Foundation encourages exhibitions that include one or more of the following:
- Cross-cultural dialogue on historical American art (such as an exhibition thesis situating American art within an international context and/or the inclusion of international voices, whether as curators or essayists)
- New ways of thinking about American art
- Scholarly interpretation and a contextualized presentation
- Related publications or scholarly texts
- Related educational programming
Important note about acknowledgment:
The Terra Foundation is especially interested in funding exhibition publications as we consider them to be lasting contributions to scholarship. In order to document such support, the foundation asks that grants be acknowledged in exhibition publications. Applications should therefore be submitted in time to allow for such acknowledgement to be included (typically this means submitting a formal "Letter of Inquiry" at least one year before the opening of an exhibition's first venue).
The Terra Foundation does not accept proposals for:
- Acquisitions or capital expenditures
- Exhibitions and programs focused on art made after 1980
- Exhibitions primarily comprised of private or commercial collections
- Online exhibitions
- Permanent collection installations
Grant funding is also available for exhibitions that include objects from the Terra Foundation's collection of American art. See "Terra Collection Initiatives."
Deadlines
Exhibition Program
Letter of Inquiry Proposal Board Meeting
March 1, 2010 June 1, 2010 Fall 2010
September 15, 2010 December 15, 2010 Spring 2011
March 1, 2011 June 1, 2011 Fall 2011