2019 is a Big Year for Art Entering the Public Domain

On Jan 1, 2019, we not only ushered in a new year but also an unprecedented amount of creative works entering the public domain. “Public domain” refers to creative works that are not protected by copyright so anyone can use them in any way they would like, such as reselling or using the material to create new or updated versions, without having to obtain permission from the previous owners nor compensating them.

Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke University School of Law’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain said in an interview with  Smithsonian Magazine, “We haven’t had a day quite like this in decades. . . The public domain has been frozen in time for 20 years, and we’re reaching the 20-year thaw.”

Read the whole article here. 

Maryland Traditions Project Grants

Maryland Traditions, the folklife program of the Maryland State Arts Council, is currently accepting applications for Project Grants. Applications are open until February 15, 2019.

Maryland Traditions Project Grants support short-term research and programming focused on folklife, or living cultural traditions. Successful Project Grants fund the project-based activities of professionals, community scholars, organizations, and artists as they identify, document, support, and present Maryland folklife. Past Project Grants have supported performances, festivals, oral histories, filmmaking, fieldwork, and other activities focusing on folklife.

For more information, contact an MSAC staff member using the information in the Project Grant application. To access the application and review grant guidelines, visit https://www.msac.org/grants/maryland-traditions-project-grant.

Why Do We Care How Long It Takes Artists to Make Their Work?

In truth, most cultural experiences deal with time. It might take you a week to read a novel. A play or film lasts around two hours. A song plays on the radio for about three minutes. It’s more difficult, however, to bracket the process of looking at a work of visual art. Unlike filmmakers or writers, painters and sculptors have little control over their audience’s attention spans. A sense of time isn’t embedded in their media, which offers visual artists a unique provocation or challenge.

Read the piece by Alina Cohen here.

Atlanta University Center Collective for the Study of Art History and Curatorial Studies

This past September, in a major effort to increase diversity in the field, the Walton Family Foundation awarded Spelman College a $5.4 million grant to establish the Atlanta University Center Collective for the Study of Art History and Curatorial Studies.

Read about it here... 

Opportunity for artists

Entry Deadline: 1/14/19

The Roanoke Arts Commission (RAC) is seeking up to eight artists to exhibit in the fifth AIR: (Art in Roanoke), a temporary sculpture exhibition running May 17, 2019 through April 26, 2021.  

The RAC is accepting submissions now through January 14, 2019 at 11:59 pm MT from experienced artists for freestanding sculpture. Artwork may incorporate interactive as well as functional elements.  This invitation is extended to all artists 18 and older regardless of where they live.  In addition to finished pieces, proposed work will also be considered.  

There is no entry fee. 

Artists chosen to participate will receive a stipend of up to $4,000 per selected artwork.  All stipends are payable in one lump sum upon completion of the installation and receipt of an invoice. 

In addition, one artist will receive a $1,000 People’s Choice Award. Voting will take place the weekend of Festival in the Park, one of the major festivals held in the park on Memorial Day weekend, 2019.  

Details here.

Opportunity for Artists: Create a Flag!

Entry Deadline: 1/25/19

HER FLAG is a collaborative art project to celebreate the 100th anniversary of voting for women in the U.S. in 2020. 

They need an female artist/illustrator from all of the 36 states that ratified the 19th amendement to create a 16' by 28', thirty-six stripe reinterpretation of the American flag. Each artist will create work that will be printed onto outdoor flag grade material. NO SEWING IS NECESSARY. 

Details here.

Seven new apps for artists

Check them out here.