PRESENCE (2022)
PRESENCE will benefit motivated Visual Artists by converting their lives of part-time creation into lives of full-time artistry. We are funding the development of new work, providing exhibitions of entire portfolios, and creating an ecosystem of artists, patrons, and donors to mentor & mobilize our winner’s dreams even further.
This program is about Artists and their essence, and PRESENCE is meant for creative entrepreneurs who are carving out their own paths, but have yet to reach exhibition or commercial success.
1 | About ONTHETREND
When chatting with Artists about their work, Elliott explores the intricacies of their life to better understand the nuances of moving their career forward. Inevitably, it’s a perpetual negotiation of time, money, and resources. So how do we help these Artists? By launching our newest endeavor — PRESENCE.
As an entrepreneur & dynamic producer, Elliott leverages his multimedia background to accelerate client’s growth goals. As a visual artist, Elliott takes a cinematic approach to archiving original moments and creating time capsules of energy; making episodes about vibrant creatives, entertaining activities, and memorable experiences to show who people are and how experiences feel.
With these dual perspectives and an eye towards talent, Elliott wants to help artists alongside their creative process and be the multiplier who’s advancing an unimaginably vast range of visionaries to the next level of their careers.
2 | November 2023 Exhibition
The November 2023 exhibition will be a celebration of our inaugural winners, a remarkable evening for their presence to thrive, and a night to indulge in this unforgettable energy.
The recipients of our award will inform the design of their exhibitions, and we look forward to producing clever galleries that allow visitors to truly embrace the entirety of the artist’s work.
We’re pursuing the discovery of something new and using our resources to help Artists navigate their futures more intentionally.
After all, art is the history of the world.
3 | Timeline
November 17, 2022: ONTHETREND begins accepting Artist applications and Donor investments.
November 2022 – March 2023: ONTHETREND reviews applications and garners patron support.
March 3rd, 2023: Final Due Date for Artists Applications. Winners awarded by the end of March.
April 2023 – October 2023: Winners receive financial gifts and engage with mentors, patrons, artists, and donors. ONTHETREND prepares for end-of-year showcase.
November 2023: Inaugural PRESENCE Exhibition occurs.
4 | Patron Support
ONTHETREND is building a community of people genuinely interested in the advancement of arts and culture. Donating to PRESENCE will enable us to raise the number of winners, increase the financial gift, and produce a spectacular November 2023 Exhibition.
We’re seeking fiscal sponsorship and an initial investment of $30,000 to continue expanding the impact of PRESENCE. The train is already in motion, and reaching this threshold will allow future contributions to be classified as charitable deductions. Your gift to PRESENCE will create a truly transformational program and amplify these artists to new heights.
5 | Artist Application
PRESENCE will be awarded to two or more captivating visual artists; painters, fabricators, muralists, sculptors, photographers, printmakers, animators, mixed media creators, installation designers, filmmakers, and performance artists & directors.
Applicants are people who build worlds through their work and have specific stories they want to portray. What are you trying to say? This is an investment in the human behind the art, so we’re evaluating the artist’s potential and our ability to expand their future.
2023 PRESENCE Winners will receive:
- An unrestricted gift of $3,000 to aid in the creation of new projects
- A showcase of their entire portfolio at the November 2023 Exhibition
- Mentorship with Artists and leaders in their respective niche
Artists who submit must provide all required application materials and meet the eligibility requirements. Artists must apply as individuals, but core collaborators involved in the creation of your work should be named in the written responses. Visual Artists living in the USA and born between 1982 – 2002 are eligible to apply.
Send applications to elliott@onthetrendnow.com in the following format:
- Subject line: FIRST LAST / Artist Application – PRESENCE 2023
- Compose your answers to application questions in a word doc, title it the same as the subject line, and attach to the email as a PDF.
- Provide outlined materials within the body of the email in the same order as listed below.
We will learn about your materials through reading the written responses, so no need to add more details about them within the email. DEADLINE is Friday, March 3rd, 2023.
6 | Application Questions
Approximately 500 words per response.
1. What stories are you trying to tell and why these stories? Share about yourself, your process and journey, why you’re making art, and the themes you typically communicate. Write about your portfolio of work submitted in this application and how it reflects these messages.
2. PRESENCE is here to maximize the impact of you, so where do you want to go? What direction are we accelerating towards alongside you? Describe what you see as the next steps to make a life entirely dedicated to creating art, and how this program can help you elevate into this next phase. What spaces and places do you need to be in next?
3. Describe a new project, or series of projects, you want to create. Reflecting the world around you, embodying what you see, led by your own creative freedom – what’s the intention? Why does this need to exist in the world? What’s the idea you want to communicate? How will the financial gift help bring this idea to fruition?
4. If you could design an exhibition, how would it look? Imagine a large space for pieces from your portfolio and these new projects to be on display. Share the vision of how this will look and how you want to bring this space to life.
5. Free Response: Share anything else you would like us to know about you and your work.
7 | Application Materials
- Full Name, Birth Date, Current Location
- Portfolio of work
- Provide a link to a digital folder (google drive, dropbox, etc) containing the best representations of your work, completed within the past four years.
- We understand that 12 months from now, some of the pieces in your submission may become unavailable to display, so this portfolio of work is for us to see the breadth of what you’ve created, imagine what a gallery showcase would look like with you, and understand what you’re creating right now.
- Winners will be expected to have several distinct projects / pieces / collections to display at the November 2023 Exhibition.
- For the new projects described in your answer to questions #3, please link to supporting materials and relevant references.
- If relevant, include projected budget for the completion of this project.
- Winners will be expected to have completed this new project and have it gallery ready for the November 2023 Exhibition alongside your other work to display.
- Share about education and any previous exhibitions, art fairs, gallery showings, fellowships or awards received and related to your art career.
Optional – Video submission of yourself describing the above materials and answering the application questions (must still be submitted as written too)
Example Submission:
In this inaugural year, we aim to award two winners, but may award more as we raise capital and expand all elements of the program.
8 | Here We Go!
Thank you for already investing a few minutes into learning about PRESENCE!
We appreciate your interest in advancing the careers of visual artists and welcome proposals to collaborate on this endeavor together.