About Arts in Action on Grounds

"Arts in Action on Grounds," a new public arts initiative at the University of Virginia, will bring artists who have achieved excellence in their fields and modern master works to Grounds to engage students and faculty in academic, arts-based research and to support the development of an arts-informed curriculum.

The two-year initiative, led by the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts, is funded by the Commission on the Future of the University

"This money will allow us to develop the culture for the arts at U.Va. as we move to a new level of interaction and engagement with artists, both inside and outside the University," Elizabeth Hutton Turner, vice provost for the arts, said. "By providing resources for faculty research and increasing the connections with the arts University-wide, this money will highlight the arts in the teaching and research mission of U.Va.

"We are most interested in the creative practice, allowing artists to grow, develop and share their work. The initiative will be broad and deep – not staging come-and-go events, but bringing artists and activities for extended dialogue and increasing our ability to showcase the arts."

The initiative will include four main components:

• Plan, site and present a work of world-renowned sculpture in diverse areas around Grounds each year. The Public Art Committee will work in collaboration with the University Art Museum and the Office of the University Architect to make the final selection of the sculpture and the appropriate campus site.
• Enhance the visiting artist-in-residence program to bring professional artists to Grounds to work with and enrich students' experiences. Selected in consultation with the Arts Grounds Committee, a world-renowned artist or artist group will prepare performances or exhibitions that increase the visibility and influence of the arts at the University. This program will especially seek to commission new work, or to act as a partner in the development of new work.
• Create an Arts in Action Project Grant to provide funding for an annual collaborative public art project in the new Betsy and John Casteen Arts Grounds. This grant will be open to teams of U.Va. faculty and students and could take the form of performance or exhibition. It is also meant to highlight faculty research and to encourage the creation of new work that engages a University-wide audience.
• Launch Arts in Action Online, an interactive website designed to encourage students to explore their relationships to works of public art. Using audio and video discussions, edited blogs, interviews, images, drawings and designs, the website will be a valuable resource and site for multi-disciplinary online participation.

These components build on collaborative initiatives coordinated through the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts. Over the past three years, students, faculty, staff and community members have worked together to enhance the University's arts community through the creation of the Creative Arts Awards, open to all student artists and coordinated through the Center for Undergraduate Excellence; and by connecting the museum's collections and offerings more closely to the University's academic mission.

Request for Proposals

Arts in Action Project Grants

The Arts in Action Project Grant provides funding for an annual collaborative public art project. This grant is open to teams composed of any combination of UVA faculty and students, and could take the form of performance or exhibition through visual art, music, dance, drama, media arts, or multi-disciplinary arts. It is also meant to highlight faculty research and to encourage the creation of new work that engages a University-wide audience. Proposals will be vetted through a peer review process, organized by the Arts Grounds Committee.

Only collaborative projects will be considered for this award. While not required, we encourage projects that involve students and faculty from multiple schools or departments, and which take advantage of the resources of the new Arts Precinct. The committee intends to make one or two grants in the $20,000-$50,000 range per year. Projects funded this year may take place in the spring or fall of 2012.

Application Deadline: October 14, 2011

Notification Deadline: November 1, 2011

Please provide the following information:

• Project Title
• Collaborators (indicate student/faculty)
• Briefly describe the project you envision. What is the main subject? Who will be involved? How many (and which) departments will be included?
• What programs and events will be included? What do you hope people will learn from this project?
• A plan of work
• A breakdown of the proposed budget
• A brief biography for each of the collaborators

Please submit proposals to Lindsey Hepler (contact infromation found below)

Contact Us

Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts
Lindsey Hepler
Arts in Action Coordinator
Email >
434.924.3728
PO Box 400308
Booker House, University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4226

In the News

UVA Today, Two Teams Garner First U.Va. Arts in Action Project Grants, December 6, 2011, by Jane Ford

The Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts at the University of Virginia has awarded the first Arts in Action Project Grants to two collaborative teams of faculty artists.

The grants are a component of "Arts in Action on Grounds," a new public arts initiative to increase the public profile of the arts Universitywide by facilitating arts-based research and to supporting the development of an arts-informed curriculum. Funds were provided by the Board of Visitors as part of its commitment to the Commission on the Future of the University, a group charged with proposing strategic directions for the University for the next decade and beyond. The grant winners were selected by a faculty peer review committee.