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Scholarships: Equity Awards

Scholarships: Equity Awards

"Present Tense: 2019" Conference

Equity Awards

The American Craft Council (ACC) offers 20 Equity Awards that allow for full participation in “Present Tense: 2019,” a national conference on craft’s relevance as a powerful catalyst for navigating and making meaning in an increasingly tense and complex present. Speakers and participants from a range of sectors and disciplines will gather in Philadelphia for three days to explore, challenge, and celebrate craft’s impact in American life today.

As an organization committed to connecting and supporting diverse craft communities, ACC recognizes and acknowledges that there are different pathways and barriers to participation in professional opportunities. ACC’s Equity Awards are meant to offer both scholarship support and a supportive environment to expand our community and welcome new voices to the dialogues around the present and future of the craft field.

We believe in our mission to expand the definition of craft and community through our inclusion and equity statement:

The American Craft Council is committed to justice, inclusiveness, and equity. Drawing on craft’s rich legacy of openness and its deep roots in all cultures, the Council will work to create opportunities for creative people from all walks of life.

The Equity Awards are open to anyone who is attempting to cultivate a relationship with craft and has has not attended an ACC conference before. We encourage applications from people of color and others who have been historically underrepresented in the field, including individuals with Black, Latinx, Asian, or Native American ancestry, and people who identify as LGBTQIA. Formal training or an academic background are not required.

Feel free to tell us more about your experiences and interests. While learning and exchange may happen as a result of interactions between “Present Tense” participants, award recipients are encouraged to focus on getting the most out of their conference experience and have no special duties or obligations apart from attendance at the full conference, participation to their comfort level, and giving us feedback on their experience.

The 20 scholarship awards include conference registration for three days and a one-year membership to ACC. Ten of those will also include a $300 travel stipend for those coming from outside the Philadelphia-regional area.
 



Award Details

The award includes:

  • Full conference registration

  • $300 travel stipend (limited)

  • Welcoming orientation and additional support from ACC Equity Awards mentors and ACC staff

  • One-year membership to ACC

Total value: $850
 



Award Selection

The following criteria will be considered in the selection process:

  • Whether all the application materials are submitted and you meet the basic eligibility requirements

  • How you will be involved and committed to craft as a catalyst for contemporary American life

  • How you will benefit from receiving the award  

  • How you bring diverse life experiences to the project

ACC will award scholarships at its discretion and as funds are available.
 



Awards Review Committee
 

  • Jennifer Ling Datchukrecipient of the 2017 ACC Emerging Voices Award, is a ceramist based in San Antonio, Texas.
  • Raven Halfmoon (Caddo Nation), one of the 2019 ACC Emerging Voices finalists, is a ceramist from Norman, Oklahoma. 
  • Bukola Koikione of the 2019 ACC Emerging Voices finalists, is a Nigerian-American interdisciplinary artist based out of Richmond, Virginia.

We will notify you about your application status by August 1, 2019.

Please email Rachel Messerich, ACC’s education manager, at [email protected] with any questions.

Application deadline is July 1, 2019.


 



Support for ACC’s Equity Awards is made in part by the Windgate Foundation and ACC members and donors.

"Present Tense: 2019" sponsors