Visual Arts
Supporting Oregon artists and visual arts ecology
On This Page
OUR GOAL
The Visual Arts Program honors the late Hallie Ford's interests in the visual arts.
what we do
This $6.5 million, five-year grant program (funded through 2024) provides a range of resources to assist visual artists and visual arts institutions. We focus on enhancing the quality of artistic endeavor and body of work by Oregon's most promising visual artists. We also work to improve Oregon's visual arts ecology by making strategic investments in Oregon institutions.
Applications for the Visual Arts program are through Requests for Proposals (RFPs) or similar announcements, and calls for submissions.
Visual Arts funding opportunities
Hallie Ford Fellowships in the Visual Arts: Applications open in January.
Up to three annual fellowships, each in the amount of $35,000, to Oregon visual artists who have demonstrated sophisticated practice and signficant potential. The application is available through the CaFE application website.
Artists-in-Residence: Requests for proposals are announced midyear
We support "Golden Spot" residency programs in Oregon that provide opportunities for artists to explore or produce new work. The Foundation also partners with national programs to support residences for Oregon visual artists.
Exhibition & Documentation: By invitation only - Application opens in fourth quarter.
Funding is available for the curation, preparation and traveling of exhibitions of works by Oregon visual artists, and the production of catalogues and other materials. Funding for this component is offered once per year.
Capital Projects: By invitation only - Application opens in fourth quarter.
Awards are available for improvements to and expansion of studios, and exhibition and appropriate storage space and equipment at key Oregon visual arts institutions. Funding under this component is offered once per year.
Curator/Critic Tour: Funding is offered for visitations to Oregon by national curators and critics to consult with visual artists and to participate in community forums on visual arts. Three tours per year are hosted by area institutions in partnership with the Foundation.
Career Opportunity Funding: Resources are available to artists facing unforeseen prospects for accelerated creation, production or exhibition of their work, in association with the Oregon Arts Commission's Career Opportunity Program. Awards range from $1,500 to $9,000. For more information visit the Oregon Arts Commission.
Capacity Building: A number of offerings are available to individual artists to help support writing about and documentation of their work, as well as specific skill-building workshops. Offerings will be made by invitation and broader outreach from the Foundation and our partners the University of Oregon and Oregon Arts Commission.
This site explores the depth and breadth of Oregon’s visual arts ecology. The goal is to create an accessible, permanent, virtual collection documenting Oregon’s visual arts landscape. Project Partners: The Oregon Arts Commission and The Ford Family Foundation.
