A. EXHIBITION REQUIREMENTS AND PARAMETERS – OVERALL
- Curators shall not include more than two of their own artworks in the exhibition.
- Curators are responsible for planning, promoting, and hosting an opening reception, and at least one other exhibit-related educational program, such as artist talks and/or closing reception. These events are subject to approval by CAH and shall be planned in coordination with CAH.
- With prior arrangement, CAH will coordinate extended gallery hours on evenings and weekends for exhibit-related educational programs or receptions.
- CAH will provide curatorial guidance and editorial support to Curators to achieve the intent of the exhibition.
- Curators are required to provide, at the time of application submission, co-curator/mentee’s consent to participate in the proposed exhibition and written consent from all artists confirming that they are aware that their artwork is being submitted for consideration as a part of this exhibition proposal.
- The curator shall write informational wall texts that discuss artwork by each artist featured in the exhibition. Multilingual text is highly encouraged. Curators shall consider accessibility in reading level and presentation for all text.
- Curators shall ensure that CAH has the right to use exhibition-related images for any promotion or archival purpose that CAH may require. Although images of the artwork and installation shots of the exhibition are subject to CAH use, images will not be replicated for commercial use.
PRE-AWARD APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
B. EXHIBITION REQUIREMENTS AND PARAMETERS – AT TIME OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION
*The following application documents are mandatory for all submissions* These are in addition to the required narrative questions within the online application. Documents must be uploaded as PDFs through CAH’s online grant portal prior to the application deadline.
- Exhibition proposal with a curatorial statement as it relates to the proposed exhibition. The theme of the exhibition should be clearly defined, with an explanation of how each artist fits into the exhibition concept. (maximum 500 words).
- An optional (though highly recommended) rendering of proposed exhibition design and layout indicating the number of proposed artworks, placement, dimensions, and technology required. (See Addendum A for gallery layout.) If the exhibition has been previously presented elsewhere, applicants should provide: 1.) documentation of the show; 2.) description of how the show would be modified for CAH’s gallery; and 3.) the total number of artworks and dimensions of each work. If not including a rendering of the exhibition in the application, please upload a document stating its absence into the required document upload section.
- Proposed timeline of exhibition (including installation, display, and deinstallation dates) and detailed outline of all programming and events, with a description of each event, its purpose, target audience(s), and the curator’s plan for audience development and promotion. Outline should consider the gallery’s hours of operation (Monday - Friday, 9am-6pm), any events that may fall outside these hours, and note any technology required for programming. Templates for this proposed timeline are available here:
- Curator, co-curator, or mentee resumes/CVs, including past curatorial projects with project budget.
- Letter of consent from co-curator/mentee indicating agreement to participate in curating the exhibition.
- Comprehensive, detailed budget outline describing how grant funds will be utilized, including: curator fee (not to exceed twenty (20) percent of budget), artist fees, co-curator/mentee fees, insurance, installation, gallery signage, events, equipment rental, marketing materials, art transport, frames and/or pedestals.
- A budget template for FY26 is available here.
- Individual artist statements (maximum 250 words each) from each artist proposed for the exhibition referenced in the curatorial statement. Curators working with nonprofit organizations may submit mission statements for the organization(s).
- Written letters of consent from each exhibited artist indicating agreement to display the works in the final exhibition if the applicant is selected.
- Image list for proposed artwork (including artist, title, date, medium, dimensions, approximate weight if over ten (10) pounds). Note that these works can be subject to change based on curation and availability, with final image list submitted one month prior to exhibition installation.
- Images of each artwork proposed for the exhibition. If new works or site-specific installations are being commissioned, a description of the work should be outlined in the exhibition proposal. Electronic files should not exceed 5MB each.
- Use the Media Viewer to upload images as JPEGs.
- File names must include the artist’s last name followed by the artwork title and must correspond in number with the uploaded image list. Example: “Number on Image List_Artist Last Name_Artwork Title.”
- Compliance documents (forms and instructions are available here.
- Certificate of Clean Hands (must be dated within thirty (30) calendar days of application). See: https://mytax.dc.gov/
- Statement of Certification (signed at the time of application).
- Signed IRS Form W-9 (Note: Post office boxes are prohibited. The address on the W-9 must match the address in the grants portal, the DC Government’s PASS system, and the DC Vendor Portal. The March 2024 version of the form must be used and be dated at the time of application submission.)
- Additional Mandatory Documents for Organizations
- IRS Letter of Determination
- DC Tax Certificate of Incorporation
- IRS Form 990 from Fiscal Year 2023 or most recently completed fiscal year.
POST-AWARD REQUIREMENTS
C. EXHIBITION REQUIREMENTS AND PARAMETERS – AT TIME OF AWARD
Curators must provide proof of commercial general liability insurance in their name with minimum limits of $2,000,000 per occurrence, and property insurance with limits equal to the estimated completed value of the work, to cover any potential personal injury or loss/damage of the artwork during the installation, exhibition, and de-installation periods. Applicants should demonstrate research/awareness of insurance costs within the budget portion of the application. Please note: if awarded, terms and limits for insurance may be changed and/or updated in the grant agreement per District requirements.
D. EXHIBITION REQUIREMENTS AND PARAMETERS – THIRTY (30) CALENDAR DAYS PRIOR TO INSTALLATION
At least one month prior to installation, curators must submit items for final approval:
- Finalized exhibition layout;
- Object checklist;
- Artwork labels;
- Wall text;
- Artist bios;
- Marketing and promotional materials - Curators are responsible for leading and implementing communication strategies for the exhibit. Curators must consult with CAH on all public relations, promotions, and any media. See Addendum B for list of communication resources available to grantees;
- Final programming dates and times; and
- Background checks for any programming participants involving youth under 18 years of age.
E. EXHIBITION REQUIREMENTS AND PARAMETERS – UPON COMPLETION OF EXHIBITION
At the end of the de-installation period, grant recipients will receive a final evaluation of the return of the galleries to their original condition. Within thirty (30) calendar days after acceptance of the return of the galleries to original condition, or by October 17, 2026, whichever date comes first, the award recipient must submit a CAH Grant Budget Form and a Final Report through the grants’ portal to CAH. The CAH Grant Budget Form can be retrieved from dcarts.dc.gov (click on the “Programs” menu item, then navigate to "Grants", and select “Resources for Grant Recipients”). All grant awardees are responsible for demonstrating and documenting expenditures for the full (100%) grant amount.
Grant recipients who do not complete the CAH Grant Budget Form and Final Report by Monday, October 13, 2026, are ineligible for further CAH funding.
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