Application Process

(Photo: Ceaseless Waves by Esther Kondo Heller, 2022 Cornell Biennial)

Read Guidelines
  • Read through all guidelines listed in the next section
  • If you are unsure of your project’s eligibility, contact cca@cornell.edu
Create Account
  • Applicants will need a SlideRoom account to submit an application
  • For questions about SlideRoom or creating an account, contact SlideRoom
  • For all other questions, contact cca@cornell.edu
Complete Application
  • Access the application, which includes:
  • Profile: One-page resume/bio for each artist, presenter, group
  • Proposal: 1,000-word narrative describing project, key people, merit and significance to community, and schedule
  • Budget: Access budget form here or on SlideRoom
  • Media: Images, video, audio, and/or PDFs of your prior or proposed work

Requirements

All applicants must be part of the Ithaca Cornell community through project completion.

All projects must be exhibited via a free public event/showing on the Ithaca Cornell campus during the academic year when funding was received.

All projects must be new work conceived outside of any regular academic or studio class.

Students cannot submit proposals related to theses or coursework.

Students cannot apply on behalf of a faculty member (i.e., students cannot request funding for a faculty member’s work).

Faculty, departments, and programs must secure funding outside of CCA.

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Review Process

Grant applications are reviewed each cycle by the Grant Review Panel which consists of Cornell faculty from CCA member departments. Each application is evaluated on the merits of project concept, impact (how it expands boundaries of a particular discipline), feasibility (location, budget and timeline), experience or expertise of applicant, and how it contributes to the understanding of the arts at Cornell.

Students, faculty, departments, and programs from across Cornell’s campus are encouraged to apply with projects for which there is insufficient departmental funding or for work which could not be made or experienced without independent financial support. However, substantial artistic merit, rather than financial need, is the first priority of both the review panel and the CCA.

(Photo: At what point does the world unfold? by Sara Jimenez, 2022 Cornel Biennial)

Artistic Excellence
  • Quality of the artistic work and project concept
  • Artistic significance of the project
Project Merit
  • Potential impact on the academic, artistic, and cultural community
  • Quality and clarity of the project goals and design
  • Qualifications of the applicant and other project leaders
Feasibility
  • Potential for the project to achieve the applicant’s intended outcomes
  • Appropriateness of the budget and resources required

Exhibition Spaces

The CCA does not manage or have control over any on-campus galleries, exhibition halls, performance spaces, or outdoor sites. The grantee is responsible for securing event space. The below list is intended to serve as a starting point; it is not a comprehensive list of all available on-campus spaces.

NOTE: All outdoor art is subject to the rigorous approval process of the Committee on Outdoor Art at Cornell. Please take this into consideration when submitting a proposal for outdoor art.