Statement from the Staten Island Arts Board on the upcoming leadership transition

As we head into an exciting new year full of promise and purpose, Staten Island Arts will also be transitioning to new leadership. Our outstanding Executive Director, Pia Agrawal, has agreed to take on a new role as the Executive Director of the Leeway Foundation in Philadelphia, PA. Pia will remain in her role at Staten Island Arts until January 15, 2024. 

Pia has been an integral part of our team, playing a key role in advancing our strategic plan and fostering invaluable relationships with our local artists and funders. Her contributions have had a profound impact on our organization and the community we serve. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Pia for her dedication and hard work and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.  We enter next year greatly aided by Pia’s leadership and focus in furthering SIA's mission to foster and assist Staten Island artists in all of our borough’s unique forms and multifarious communities.  

During this transition, we are thrilled to welcome Jamaine T. Smith as Interim Director to guide us while we search for our next Executive Director. A seasoned leader in arts administration and equity-focused change-making, Jamaine brings deep experience and fresh perspective to our organization. His expertise in nonprofit leadership, systems design, and leadership coaching will ensure Staten Island Arts continues to thrive during this pivotal time. Jamaine will be available at [email protected] after January 8th. 

Additionally, we are eager to explore opportunities to expand our Board of Directors. We aim to welcome artists and allies with diverse skills and perspectives to further enrich our mission and strengthen our impact.

Thank you for your continued support as we continue to fortify our organization to serve the astonishing artist community on Staten Island for decades to come.

Best regards,
Kelly Yim
President, Staten Island Arts

GrantsLab: Grant-writing workshop with Dr. Lisa Sloan

Are you ready to apply for grant funding but you’re unsure how to describe your project effectively in writing? Join us for a GrantsLab session with Dr. Lisa Sloan, who will share her expertise on the fundamentals of grant writing. We get it - writing can be hard. Let’s figure it out together!

Lisa Sloan, PhD (she/her), has nearly ten years of proposal writing and grantmanagement experience in social service contexts. As a theatre historian and dramaturg, Lisa is passionate about feminist and queer activism and/as performance. Lisa recently contributed an entry on the Five Lesbian Brothers to Fifty Key Figures in Queer US Theatre (Routledge, 2022).

The GrantsLab program is designed to run alongside our annual Fall grantcycle, creating opportunities where artists can meet other artists, explore writing techniques, and learn how to write a clear grant proposal and budget.

These programs are created in collaboration with local and citywide facilitators skilled in grant writing and community-building practices. GrantsLab offers workshops and events tailored to support prospective Staten Island Arts (SIA) Fall grantees. 

GrantsLab sessions are optional and separate from Info Sessions, which are mandatory for new applicants or anyone who hasn’t submitted an application within the past two years.  Info sessions occur throughout the fall grants cycle and will walk applicants through accessing and using the Staten Island Arts grants portal. A full schedule of info sessions is available on the Staten Island Arts events page. 

What: GrantsLab: Grant-writing Workshop with Dr. Lisa Sloan
When: Thursday, December 19th from 6:30pm-8pm 
Where: Virtually on Zoom
How: Register for FREE on Eventbrite

Staten Island Arts programs are supported by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency Statewide Community Regrant Program with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. 

Upcoming GrantsLab programs throughout January!

GrantsLab continues throughout the month of January! Need help understanding budgets? Need to run your draft narrative or budget by an expert? Need a change of environment and free coffee while you work on your grant application? We've got you covered! Check out the Staten Island Arts events page for details on how to attend January GrantsLab programs on budgeting, grant-writing, and our new co-working sessions at the Staten Island Arts office in St. George!

Info sessions are a helpful way to learn more about the application portal and practicalities of the grant application process. 

First-time applicants are required to attend an application information session. We encourage anyone who has not applied recently (over 2 years) to attend as well. At the session, you will learn about our online application system, and we will review the entire application process. While some information sessions have passed, we have a few more opportunities to attend. Check our website to learn what grant you should apply for and register for the right grant sessions accordingly! 

Staten Island Arts’ grant funding is available for artists who are both Staten Island residents and creating projects on Staten Island during the year grantsare issued.

You can sign up for info sessions on our website!

FREE Mentorship and Consultation Opportunity for Filmmakers from our friends at Field of Vision!

It has always been important to Field of Vision to make themselves as accessible as possible to filmmakers around the world. They know that filmmakers often feel they’re in a place of uncertainty due to so many changes in our field, so Field of Vision wanted to make themselves available again to provide free support to filmmakers where possible.

They also recognize that access is too often out of reach to many and that it’s essential to completing one’s project and developing professionally. Underrepresented filmmakers especially deserve the opportunity of access, and they prioritize filmmakers from those communities. 

Field of Vision broadly defines “underrepresented” and hopes to support the field in order to create opportunities for people that may not have access otherwise, across a wide spectrum. They consider socio-economic status, community access, location and regionality, race, sexual identity and all other barriers to entry, and will also take into consideration where those differ globally. They strongly encourage D/deaf, disabled and neurodiverse inclusion in all their programs.

Their mentorship and consultation service started at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Field of Vision first offered virtual "office hours" for the documentary community, providing over 200 meetings to filmmakers around the world partially in response to the ever-changing landscape of our industry that was exacerbated by the pandemic.

To date, Field of Vision has taken over 300 meetings globally and has since re-launched this mentorship and consultation program twice to offer a broader range of support, allowing them to collaborate with other organizations and institutions within the documentary and filmmaking community to widen the scope of their free service. 

For this next round, they are again collaborating with their dear friends at Firelight Media and FWD-DOC: Documentary Filmmakers With Disabilities, as well as expanding their reach with their new collaborative partners here in New York: DCTV, Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Art Center, Staten Island Arts, Museum of the Moving Image, BRIC: Arts Media, and Youth FX.   

The areas which Field of Vision are able to offer consultation on are:

- Professional Development - Career guidance and mentorship for overall professional development.

- Technical Assistance - Technical problem solving and solutions for production and post production.

- Pitch Training - Guidance around how to approach, craft and conduct pitching. Both for formal pitches and in meetings with funders and potential partners.

- Project Support & Story Development - Guidance and feedback on treatments, approaches, stage and next steps of projects in development and production. How to develop your story at any stage of the filmmaking process. 

Please note: pitches are not part of this service and materials cannot be reviewed before the meetings, so this service is only for questions within the meetings.

- Press Strategy: Tips and suggestions on how to approach working with a publicist or conducting your own press strategy.

- Distribution Strategy: How to approach finding and working with a distributor, educational and self-distribution strategies.

- Accessibility Training and Support: How to ensure your film and its release are accessible. Ways to ensure the film can be accessed by the widest range of audiences possible.

HOW TO SIGN UP
If you would like to have a virtual meeting about any of the above, please follow this link to sign up for the waitlist. Field of Vision will then review and assess for a potential meeting: https://airtable.com/app2csBirgxOY6cqG/shriPWytw3lbXifLz.

This program is open to filmmakers globally, and priority will be given to those from underrepresented communities.

Please note: Field of Vision isn’t able to review work/treatments/cuts ahead of or after the meetings. These are also not pitch meetings for potential funding. If you would like to send them a project to review for potential funding, please visit the link here: https://fieldofvision.org/submit.

Staten Island Arts offices will be closed from December 21 through January 1 to allow our staff to rest and rejuvenate for an impactful 2025! All messages received during this period will be returned in January. 

Wishing you and yours a healthy end of 2024 and a joyous start to 2025!