• Award Criteria

• Application Procedure

• Application Deadline

• Portfolio Delivery and Return Information

• Other Information

• Questions

• Download the Award Criteria

All applications will be considered for the Jean E. MacDonald Memorial Award.

To qualify for this award, you must be enrolled in a secondary school in Muskoka, be pursuing a post-secondary education in the visual arts or craft field and be in your graduating year or have graduated within the past year but are not already attending college, university or another form of post-secondary education.

Your application must include a portfolio, letter of intent, copy of your college or university’s acceptance letter or a copy of your application and contact information for yourself in Muskoka.

PORTFOLIO
The portfolio is your opportunity to present a visual representation of your artistic development, potential, interests and creative explorations. It may be a collection of original pieces or a documentation of previous work in the form of photographs or slides. The means of presentation is up to you, however, the kinds of work you select and how you present them are important.

The work you submit for these awards should be a thoughtful selection of those pieces that you wish the committee to consider when assessing your application. Some students may have been developing their portfolios over a number of years while others will be approaching this activity for the first time. In both cases, you should take this opportunity to develop and select work that indicates your seriousness in applying as well as your level of maturity, self-motivation and commitment to a visual arts education. The care taken in the presentation of your work should assure that the presentation will not distract from the work. Remember that your submission represents more than your work – it represents you.

The selection of work should show a range of interests using a variety of materials. This shows that you are willing to experiment with different media in response to your observation of a particular environment, situation or subject. If possible, do not limit your portfolio to a small number of works of one type.

Your portfolio should contain original work. Original work excludes direct copies of other people’s work but may include variants or modifications of other work. These are viewed as examples of research and technique or to indicate your understanding of art history.

The portfolio should include your self-initiated projects as well as your response to class assignments. Works drawing on personal experience, works-in-progress or those requiring observation, study and research are encouraged.

Submission of notes and sketches indicating the process and activity generated by a particular response are also welcomed but should not comprise the majority of your portfolio. The information you include about your work (written descriptions and labels for example) should be clear in indicating what you have done.

Review your work and set it out either sequenced – showing development over a period of time – or grouped together by media such as drawings, prints, paintings and so forth.

Small or medium sized work may be presented in their original form. Large-scale work should be presented by means of photographs or slides. All work should be clearly labeled with your name.

The portfolio should contain no fewer than ten works and should not exceed twenty works. Items such as bound sketchbooks, which may contain multiple images, count as one item.

LETTER OF INTENT
The letter of intent should be approximately 500 words in length. It should describe past achievements, short range and long term goals, the reasons for pursuing a post-secondary education in the visual arts and expectations of this education.

ACCEPTANCE LETTER
A copy of the letter of application or acceptance letter for post secondary education must be included.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Include with your application, a current contact address and telephone number for you in Muskoka.

TUESDAY, JUNE 15 THROUGH TO SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2010.

Your application must be delivered to the Chapel Gallery, located at 15 King Street in Bracebridge, during its hours of operation which are Tuesday to Saturday, from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm. Please note that e-mail submissions are not accepted.

Each portfolio must include:

• Your name, telephone number and return address clearly marked on both the inside and the outside of the portfolio
• Your name clearly marked on each work within the portfolio.

Portfolios that are sent by mail or courier must also include a self-addressed return label as well as sufficient postage and packaging for its return.

Portfolios submitted to Muskoka Arts & Crafts are retained during the entire selection process. Adjudication occurs within the week after the deadline. Every precaution is taken by Muskoka Arts & Crafts to ensure that portfolios are handled carefully. Muskoka Arts & Crafts does not accept responsibility for loss or damage to materials submitted.

When you submit your portfolio, you will be notified of the date to retrieve your portfolio. It is your responsibility to provide correct and complete information which will facilitate the return or retrieval of the portfolio. After July 31, Muskoka Arts & Crafts will dispose of any portfolios that have not been picked up or that it has not been able to return.

Once the award recipient has begun his or her studies, it is the recipient’s responsibility to ask the Registrar’s Office to forward a letter of confirmation to Muskoka Arts & Crafts that his or her studies have begun. The award is payable once Muskoka Arts & Crafts has received written confirmation from the Registrar's Office. With this letter, the award recipient must also supply Muskoka Arts & Crafts with his or her out-of-town contact information.

Within two weeks of being notified that you have received the Jean E. MacDonald Memorial Award, the Silver Bridge Gallery Student Art Award 2D or the Silver Bridge Gallery Student Art Award 3D you must supply Muskoka Arts & Crafts with a professional quality portrait photograph. This photograph may be a graduation photograph or one taken of you with your work. A media interview may also be required as part of the announcement of the awards.

In any given year, the jury reserves the right not to grant the Jean E. MacDonald Memorial Art Award. The decisions of the jury are final.

If you have any additional questions, please contact Muskoka Arts & Crafts.

Copies of the award criteria are available by mail, fax or e-mail. When making your request, please indicate how you would like to receive your copy of the award criteria. The e-mail and download versions require Acrobat Reader, a free program available by download. To download the award criteria, click on the following link: Student Art Award.