Chatham Arts CouncilJumpstART
A sense of place, a landscape that reflects our past, present, and future as a community, is vital to our mental health and feeling of belonging.
Performing, visual, or literary artists living in Chatham County, North Carolina · Proposal forms available online 04 October, 2026; proposal deadline 15 November, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.; awards notification 15 December, 2026; exhibition at ClydeF
From chathamartscouncil.org/jumpstart-commissions ↗About this program
We want JumpstART to inspire artists to reflect back to us who we were, who we are, and who we want to be here in Chatham County.
JumpstART commissions artists to make art, from tiny to medium-sized projects–and then to share those works in the public sphere.
For Local Ground: The Places of Chatham, we invite you to choose a place in Chatham County and let it be the muse for your work.
Each JumpstART artist will need to include a small interactive component with their project so that kids (and kids-at-heart!) can engage with the work in some way.
Individual or collaborative projects can be funded at $1,000, and we seek to commission up to 8 projects.
Questions
What level of funding is available?
Individual or collaborative projects can be funded at $1,000, and we seek to commission up to 8 projects, so you might take that into consideration when planning your proposal.
Is there any creative direction here?
Yes! This year, we're asking: What makes a place more than just a location?
Who will own the completed work?
Artists will retain ownership of their work. In accepting a JumpstART commission, you would be giving CAC the right to exhibit and/or show the work at ClydeFEST on April 25, 2027, as well as the right to reproduce digital, print, and video images of your work–or of you performing your work–for non-commercial use.
Are there restrictions around the use of funds?
At least 75% of each commission must fund your artist fees. The remaining 25% may be used for materials, rehearsal space rental, or other project needs–or it may also be used to fund your artist fees.
Does my art have to be specifically for kids?
No. You don't have to write juvenille fiction or write music like Ziggy Marley on “Family Time”–though you certainly could! Kids (and their grown-ups) like all kinds of art–not just art that's made especially for them.
Details
- Who
- Performing, visual, or literary artists living in Chatham County, North Carolina
- When
- Proposal forms available online 04 October, 2026; proposal deadline 15 November, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.; awards notification 15 December, 2026; exhibition at ClydeF
- Where
- Chatham County, North Carolina; shown at ClydeFEST
Run by
Artists-in-Schools InitiativeOur Artists-in-Schools Initiative is here to change all that.Grassroots Arts GrantsWe're thrilled to have granted nearly $200,000 over the past two decades to other nonprofits using the arts to do extraordinary work in Chatham County through annual Grassroots Arts Grants.
Artist Support GrantsGrants up to $1,500The Artist Support Grant is CLOSED for 2027.