Mid-Career Professional Development Grant

Mid-Career Professional Development Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Forecast Public Art
Amount: US $5,000
Last Updated: August 02, 2025

Summary

The Mid-Career Professional Development Grant is designed for Minnesota-based mid-career artists aiming to enhance their public art careers. This funding supports project development and various professional activities, including residencies, apprenticeships, and skill development. Applicants must have lived in Minnesota for at least 12 of the last 24 months, and their projects must be original and not replicate previous work. This grant fosters creativity and professional growth in the public art sector.

Overview

This grant supports Minnesota-based mid-career artists seeking to expand or advance their careers in the field of public art. Funding can be used to support the development of a project idea or to participate in activities that will help applicants further their careers as public artists. Professional development activities can range from residencies to apprenticeships, conferences, travel, study, skill development, and the creation of project models or prototypes, as long as the overall outcome is to advance the applicant’s public art career. Professional Development grants may be used for the development of proposals for other public or nonprofit agencies. What is Public Art? Broadly speaking, public art is artwork in the public realm, regardless of whether it is situated on public or private property, or whether it is supported through public or private funding. It can range from temporary to permanent work, murals to sculptures, interventions, performances, storytelling, iron pours, sound and light projects, dance and spoken word. It is free and accessible to all members of a community. What is a Mid-Career Artist? A mid-career artist is an artist who has been actively creating and exhibiting their work for at least ten years. They have established a reputation in the art world, have a larger body of work, and may exhibit their work regionally, nationally, or internationally. Mid-career artists may also have received some kind of recognition from the art world, such as through public presentations, magazine publications, online commentary, or industry acknowledgement. Other criteria for mid-career artists include having numerous solo art shows and collectors both nationally and internationally. Age is not a determining factor. Career stage is assessed by the cumulative number of years an artist has been generating their own work. Mid-career or established artists shifting from one artistic discipline to another will still be considered mid-career. For example, a composer with a substantial career in music who is now moving into sculpture will be considered mid-career.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Forecast’s grants support public art and public art-related activities. Forecast defines public art broadly to support a range of processes, formats, and contexts.Applicants must be mid-career artists.An artist may only apply for one grant from Forecast during an annual grant cycle. Applicants who apply during the summer for the McKnight Project Grant cannot apply for other grants in the fall of the same year. Fall applicants can only apply for 1 grant opportunity.Applicant must be a resident of Minnesota, having physically lived in the state for 12 of the past 24 months, and remain a resident throughout the project period.Applicant’s project must be original and not duplicate previous work. Forecast grants do not support remounts or reinstallations, projects that begin prior to the start of the grant year, or projects that are ongoing.

Ineligibility

No ticket sales or fees may be charged; all events and installations must be freely accessible.Organizations and Forecast Public Art staff, Board, and Committee members are not eligible.Students in K-12 educational programs or enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree programs are not eligible.Projects may be additionally supported by public or nonprofit agencies, or through in-kind sources, however, private commissions are not eligible.Former grantees with outstanding final reports cannot be considered for additional Forecast grant funding until all final reports have been submitted and approved.An artist is not eligible to receive a project grant from Forecast in two consecutive years. An artist can receive a Research & Development grant in consecutive years, or a Research + Development or Professional Development grant followed by a Project Grant.