Starving Artists Fund, P.O. Box 78297, Grey Lynn, Auckland, www.starvingartistsfund.com, FEEDING CREATIVITY

ABOUT

I (A.D.Schierning) began the Starving Artists Fund (S.A.F) as a part of a broader conceptual art project. At the time of the S.A.F.'s conception I was making a series of work where I dressed as a superhero FoxRox. Under this guise I performed deeds both real and unreal, documented and portrayed, which attempted to 'save the world'. The Starving Artist Fund is a continuation of this and is my attempt to 'save' the art world.

My goal to devise a supportive creative community (completely independent from larger funding bodies, dealers, curators and all forms of art administration) generated so much support from other artists that it has become an organization that surpassed my own imagination of it. The S.A.F. board consists of myself, Ann Shelton, John Cox, Judy Darragh, Megan Hansen-Knarhoi, Richard Maloy, Saskia Leek, and Simon Cuming.

The name 'Starving Artists Fund' is an attempt to save the art world from itself. It is considered to be tongue in cheek and by no means implies that we feed anything but creativity.

Together with help from the larger community of artists, the S.A.F. board raise funds to perpetuate the S.A.F. award. The Award gives one exceptionally talented non-established artist an opportunity to realize their full potential by giving them financial support and advice to achieve a valid artistic project. The Starving Artists Fund operates as a registered charitable trust.

The S.A.F. Award is the only award of it's kind in N.Z as it is designed, governed and judged by a group of artists. It is intended to be an accessible and encouraging application process that will allow for a true and uncompromised artistic idea to be expressed.

If you want to know more about the S.A.F. project, award or related matter please email Also to keep track of all S.A.F. goings on please join our mailing list for regular updates.

Sincerely
A.D.Schierning

APPLY FOR THE 2008 AWARD

The Starving Artists Fund is offering you the funding you need to make your art dream come true!

The S.A.F. Award is the only award of it's kind in N.Z. It is the conceptual project of one artist, governed by a group of artists and judged only by artists. The concept is one of support, of artists helping other artists and creating a nurturing community. (See About)

If you are in need of help to make an artistic idea become a reality, the Starving Artists Fund wants to hear about it. S.A.F. can offer the successful applicant financial support of up to $2000.00 for the artistic endeavor outlined in their application!!

We also have a runner up prize, thanks to Studio Art supplies who have kindly donated a $300 materials voucher.

Applications are due in no later than the 22nd of August 2008. The winner of the award will be announced before the end of the following month. Complete applications must be delivered to:

Starving Artists Fund
PO Box 44-236
Point Chevalier
Auckland 1246

The winner will be expected to realize the project they stipulated within a year. The Award application form can be downloaded below.

Applications must include:

Documentation of previous work (any format is acceptable although CD's must be QuickTime, Jpegs or PDF's so that they are able to be viewed)
The official application form downloadable from this website.
Your project proposal outlined within one A4 sheet of paper.
If you wish for your application to be returned to you after the adjudication process you must include a self addressed postage paid envelope.

The applications will go through a two part judging system. Firstly the S.A.F. board of directors will select a percentage (based on the number of applicants) of proposals. Then two members of the board will be chosen alongside two guest judges (who must be practicing artists) and they will judge the remaining applications and vote to decide the winners of the award and runner up prize.

Studio Art Supplies

APPLICATION FORM

2007 AWARD

The winner of the 2007 S.A.F Award was:

Sam Hamilton

The S.A.F Award will assist Sam with his Amazon Resounding Project. Funding will help to pay for his travel to the central Amazon Basin of Brazil and then to Southern Peru. For four months he will extensively investigate and record this immense world of sound.

"The Amazon jungle is so dense with diverse life that you could walk the same 5 minute patch of jungle every day and discover a new plant, insect, fungus, worm, parasite, fruit, seed, animal, natural phenomenon or behavior every single day for a decade or more.
With each of these living things making its own individual sound The Amazon jungle is an incredibly dense and complex naturally occurring acoustic system.
A system that not only changes dramatically over each 24 hours and seasonal shift, but also goes through multiple variations dependant on height (from the river bottom to the canopy 60 feet above). Every meter that it changes new elements and combinations occur. In a jungle that stretches for millions of square kilometers from the Pacific to the Atlantic sound is the final frontier for exploration into the unknown."

Sam Hamilton

As usual the board chose a short list of applicants, which was then judged by two board members and two guest judges. This year the final judging panel consisted of Saskia Leek and A.D. Schierning from the board with Dane Mitchell and Racheal Shearer as our guests.

"The winning proposed project of this year's award hit a chord with us for its ambition, openness and lively sense of exploration. Although the shortlist of projects from which the winner was selected were all interesting and worthy of support we felt that Sam Hamilton's project stood out for its scope - including outcomes both here and elsewhere, ongoing research and a prodigious sense of wanderlust."
— Dane Mitchell

"All the shortlist proposals considered in this year's had points of merit but Sam Hamilton's proposal was finally agreed upon, for me standing out because of the huge effort and commitment he had already showed in making the journey possible, the range of outcomes planned from his sojourn and the possibilities afforded by his experience, including networking with international practitioners in the arena of field-recording sound art at the workshop he is to attend there. Sam's solid track record in generating and participating in sound events within the Auckland and NZ sound art/music community also worked in his favour, giving me confidence that in the spirit of the award - he would bring back and share outcomes from this experience in inventive ways."
— Rachael Shearer

The runner up prize of a $300 Studio Art Supplies voucher went to:

The OK Gallery Proposal

OK Gallery comprises of: Harriet Wild, Holly Willson, Selina Foote, Sarah Rose, Imogen Taylor, Ben McManus, and Sam Rountree-Williams. The collective aim to create a space to exhibit work from their own developing practices also hosting work from invited artists for collaborative projects, curated group shows, and projects chosen through a proposal submission process. OK gallery will take on a programme of solo and group shows with the possibility of smaller events running alongside all documented and made accessible on comprehensive web site. The gallery is planned to open in the New Year so watch this space…

Sarah Rose

Ben McManus

Selina Foote

MAILING LIST

Occasionally we send messages to friends. If you would like to stay up to date with S.A.F. activities please enter your details below.

ART AUCTION

On the 23rd of August at Artspace on Karangahape Road Auckland The Starving Artists Fund had its first art auction to raise funds for the annual award.

The event was a huge success raising $8500 in all!

Thanks again to all the artists who donated work:
David Bennewith, Kiri Gillespie, Kate Newby, A.D.Schierning, Stella Corkery, Megan Hansen-Knarhoi, Sriwhana Spong, Marie Shannon, Judy Darragh, Richard Maloy, Julian Dashper, Ani O'Neill, Daniel Malone, Peter Madden, David Hatcher, Andrew McLeod, Howard Matil, Dan Arps, Saskia Leek, Billy Apple, Ann Shelton, Simon Cuming, Violet Faigan, Emily Mafile'o, and Nathan Gray.

And a special thanks to:
David Bennewith, Simon Cuming, John Cox, Angela Day, Christopher Devereaux, Derek Gehring, Vikki Henderson, Artspace, Warren Olds, Matthew Timpson, Holly Vaihu', Jennifer Ward Lealand, Sharp Frames, Inhouse Design, Eftpos NZ and everyone else who worked so hard to make the auction the success it was.

click here for documentation of the event

OTHER FUNDRAISING

BUSKING

FoxRox raised a whopping $6.00 for the S.A.F. during her trip to Wellington in winter of 2004. For details visit the ARTBOX website:

http://www.artbox.org.nz/starvingartistsfund.htm

PURCHASE MERCHANDISE

Badges and Monograms: $15 each or $25 set

Monograms and Badges
$15 each or $25 the set

Send your order and cheque made out to the "S.A.F." or
"Starving Artists Fund" with your postal address and name to:

Starving Artists Fund
PO Box 44-236
Point Chevalier
Auckland 1246

DONATE FUNDS

To donate money to the Starving Artists Fund you can pop into any post office and fill out a deposit form or if you have internet banking you can make donations in the comfort of your own home.

S.A.F.
Kiwi Bank
38-9003-0017669-00

PRESS

Please Do Feed the Artists
Nicholas Chidley, URBIS Magazine
Photo: Ann Shelton

Young artists come down from your garrets and starve no more. Help is at hand! A new award which goes by the evocative and ambiguous name of the Starving Artists Fund aims to give hitherto unknown artists the wherewithal to realize their projects.

An annual prize of at least $1,000 will be awarded for the presentation of a true and uncompromised artistic idea.

The Starving Artists Fund differs from existing grants and scholarships in that it is wholly designed, governed and judged by practicing artists. It is registered as a charitable trust and is overseen by a board of trustees including, among others, artists AD Schierning, Judy Darragh, Saskia Leek and Sriwhana Spong, this year's winner of the prestigious Waikato Art Award.

Having been through the often onerous and protracted process of applying for awards themselves, the trustees wanted to create an application process that was relatively free of red tape. In fact, the candidate can almost present his or her idea as they wish. They can make their case with diagrams, illustrations or in writing.

"One scholarship I applied for in Germany required me to state my blood type, which I thought was odd," says AD, who is president elect of the Starving Artists Fund. "We have, however, designed the application process to be as accessible and encouraging as possible. Candidates can make it as simple or as complex as they like."

The name, intent and underlying concept of Starving Artists Fund references and acknowledges both the real and mythological hardships artists face.
"They choose a hard road with little security and no guarantee of success. There are very few professional artists in this country who can live off their art without having a supplementary income," AD says.

"Our award will offer a platform for talented artists, talented artists who are not necessarily talented at filling out forms, to get the support they need for a particular project."

While the fund's DIY ethos is uncommon in a world frequently (and sometimes reluctantly) linked to commercial and academic institutions, the simple acts of fun and kindness that gave birth to the idea were equally unusual. It had its genesis in the deeds of one Fox Rox, a benevolent fox and one of AD's many art alter egos.

"Fox Rox tries to make the world a better place by doing little things. For example, one day she gave out balloons promoting 'peace, love and happiness' in Western Springs park. I thought we could start by making the art world a better place," explains AD.

Like many honourable offices, the Starving Artists Fund president has its vestments, its symbolic accessories or garments. "For this role I developed an outfit based on the Girl Guide's uniform, because they are universally recognised as do-gooders."

A recent art auction held at Artspace gallery in Auckland's Karangahape Road raised $8,500 for the Starving Artists Fund. Some 25 specially created works sold under the hammer to punters ranging from seasoned collectors to first-timers. The auction was so successful, in fact, that the value of the initial award has been increased to $2,000.

The Fund has not planned any major fundraisers for next year, but will stage another event in 2007. In the meantime please support the Starving Artists Fund and help feed a new generation of up-and-coming artists.

click here for more press clippings