Spencer Museum, Charlotte Street announce Rocket Grants 2024 call for artists
LAWRENCE — The Spencer Museum of Art and Charlotte Street have announced the 2024 open call for Rocket Grants, with applications accepted through June 24.
Artists interested in applying can attend an information session at 6 p.m. May 23 at the Spencer Museum or at 6 p.m. June 14 at Charlotte Street, 3333 Wyoming St., Kansas City, Missouri.
With support from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Rocket Grants provide direct funding to artists in the Lawrence and Kansas City area who are creating exceptional, under-the-radar and artist-centered projects in public spaces. Artists, curators, collectives and collaborative groups residing within an 80-mile radius of the Kansas City metropolitan area are eligible to apply.
The Rocket Grants program awards grants of $6,000 to individuals or artist groups for projects that exist outside established venues such as museums, galleries, theaters or arts districts. Artists are encouraged to address the community at large or choose a smaller targeted audience. The long-term goals of the Rocket Grants program are to encourage emerging and nontraditional artistic practices in the Lawrence and Kansas City area, to contribute to a thriving arts community, and to build bridges between geographic and cultural communities.
“It was so inspiring to see all of the Rocket Grants come to fruition this year – and to have the Fruit Tree Community Choir be a part of this endeavor to grow public art in our region. Rocket Grants is so important for this work of funding local artists and nurturing a creative ecosystem,” said Hazlett Henderson, a 2023 Rocket Grant recipient whose project planted fruit trees outside the Lawrence Public Library.
Rocket Grants projects are selected by a jury of four arts professionals working both locally and nationally. Proposals are evaluated on criteria including innovation, thoughtful context, feasibility and meaningful impact.
To apply, artists must submit a Letter of Interest (LOI) online by June 24. The LOI should include a project summary, the artists involved, the intended audience, the specific context of the work, budget needs and relevance of the project. The jury will assess submissions and invite selected projects to complete a full application in July 2024. Rocket Grants recipients will be announced in September 2024.
For any questions regarding the application process, please contact Kimberly Kitada by email.