What qualifies as "service" and "support"?
The BIPOC Arts Network and Fund does not provide a strict definition of the terms "service" or "support" in order to invite applicants for the Artist Award to define these terms for themselves, to describe their own experience and commitment to community. BANF and the community reviewers are ready to learn from the artists' applications what "service" and "support" means in our communities.
The focus on service and support is a part of a BANF strategy to resource and recognize as arts leaders those artists whose community commitment will serve as a significant investment in a thriving BIPOC arts ecosystem in the Greater Houston area.
Service and support for your community does not have to include or be the focus of your art or creative practice, but it is part of what you bring to the community. That service and support can show up in many ways
Applicants should make the case for the impact of their service to their community. BANF and the community reviewers will learn from award applicants what service and support mean to them, and how it is recognized in our communities. The community reviewers will also take into account the applicant's Advocate Statements to understand how that service is recognized.
How do you show that your service is “worthy”?
From the January 10, 2023, Information Session
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxO3Yaep0GofqZ3MCOfEE7bzBCIKg15etF
All service is worthy, and BANF wants to uplift that truth.
However, in a competitive awards process, the community reviewers will be able to select only a few people for this award, so the ways that applicants articulate the service -- and how that service manifests, and how their advocates can attest to it in their statements of support -- must “stand out” as a model for others to learn from and learn with.