Bierk Art Bursary Program for Post-Secondary Studies in the Visual Arts, Media Arts, Architecture, and Design

Congratulations to the recipient of the 2024 Bierk Art Bursary, Victoria Nunez, who is graduating from Holy Cross Secondary School and will be pursuing a Bachelor of Interior Design at Humber College in the fall.

“Victoria Nunez impressed the Selection Committee (distinguished artists and teachers, Cyd Hosker and Spencer Harrison), with her clearly demonstrated interest in examining design and the interior spacial elements of architecture. She will clearly benefit from all the possibilities the Humber program offers and we wish her every success”. --Su Ditta, Executive Director, Electric City Culture Council (EC3)

Read the full announcement.

Program Guidelines and Application Form

Program Guidelines

The Electric City Culture Council (EC3) is pleased to offer a bursary program for Peterborough high school students completing Grade 12 in 2024 who plan to undertake post-secondary studies in the visual arts, media arts, architecture, or design during the 2024-25 academic year.

The Bierk Art Bursary Program provides two bursaries of $1,000.00 each to graduating high school students in the City or County of Peterborough (including Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations) whose work demonstrates great promise (artistic merit) and who have a serious commitment to pursuing further studies at the post-secondary level in the visual arts, media arts, architecture, or design.

Students will have the opportunity to present their work (including but not limited to portfolios) to a virtual Selection Committee comprised of local arts professionals who make recommendation to EC3. The two successful candidates will be announced immediately in the media and celebrated at the next Mayor’s Luncheon for the Arts along with the Peterborough Arts Awards.

Eligible students are encouraged to fill out and submit a Bierk Art Bursary Program Application Form by Monday, June 17 at 11:59pm (NOTE: extended deadline). EC3 is offering a virtual workshop over Zoom on Wednesday, May 29 (please note: new date) from 7:00pm to 8:30pm that will provide guidance on the application process (register here).

After submitting applications, eligible students will receive a confirmation email from Bierk Art Bursary Program Coordinator Gabe Pollock, with an appointment time and Zoom link to meet with the Selection Committee for a Portfolio Review, to take place during the week following the application deadline. Appointments are 30 minutes in length. The Selection Committee will choose two winners after meeting with all of the applicants. All applicants will be assessed on the same criteria (see below). Winners will be announced later in June.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the Bursary, the student must:

• Be completing their graduating year of high school in 2024
• Live and/or attend school in the City of Peterborough or Peterborough County, including Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations
• Have applied to pursue post-secondary education in the visual, media arts, architecture or design at a recognized college or university in 2024-25 (proof of acceptance is required to receive the bursary)
• Demonstrate great promise, interest, commitment to, and ability in these art forms

Assessment Criteria

The Selection Committee will review applicant's portfolios in the Zoom review/interview and assess them on the following criteria:

• Artistic merit of the work
• Demonstrated ability to undertake study of the visual arts, media arts, architecture, or design
• Demonstrated commitment to and interest in the proposed studies
• Promise in the field

Application Instructions

In order to successfully apply for the bursary, students must do the following:

• Complete and submit a Bierk Art Bursary Program application form by Monday, June 17 at 11:59pm (NOTE: extended deadline) to bierkartfundbursaries@gmail.com.
• Attend a virtual Portfolio Review on Zoom with our Selection Committee, to take place during the week following the application deadline.

What is the Portfolio Review?

The Portfolio Review is a conversation between you and the Selection Committee. The artwork in your portfolio will give the jurors a sense of who you are as an artist. The goal of the review is to learn about your strengths, experiences, and interests, as well as your motivation for further pursuing an arts education. The assessors are in your corner! They want to hear about your artistic process, vision, and goals. For more information, you can attend the free, virtual Portfolio Workshop EC3 will be offering for this program (register here).

How can I prepare for my Portfolio Review?

The bursary Selection Committee will be assessing your work based on its artistic merit. Your overall portfolio should present the works, or documentation of the works, that best represent your abilities and potential. They might reflect your current curiosities, show evidence of creativity, research, or point of view, and may vary in size, subject, format, and materials. Painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, textiles, mixed media, book and paper arts, performance art, film, video, audio/sound art, or digital media are all acceptable materials for review. Artworks that illustrate what is important to you and allow you to speak about your inspirations and ambitions are great choices!

Be prepared to provide the Selection Committee with the title of the work, the date of production, and the length of the work if applicable. You will be able to present your work by screen-sharing during the Zoom interview. Your visual portfolio may include presentation of jpegs, pngs, video files, Word documents, PDFs, and/or online content. We suggest you organize these items in a way that is virtually accessible, like a PowerPoint presentation, or by gathering everything into a single folder.

Please let us know if you need special accommodation due to the virtual platform of this year’s Portfolio Review.

Portfolio Review Preparation Checklist

• Read the Program Guidelines, and complete the Bierk Art Bursary Application Form
• Compile documentation of 5 to 10 examples of your best work to be presented during the portfolio review on Zoom
• Be prepared to talk about the following subjects:
  • Your interests and experiences in the visual arts, media arts, architecture, or design
  • Your commitment to your development as an artist and why you want to take up post-secondary studies in the arts
  • Your short-term and long-term goals
  • Your past achievements in the visual arts, media arts, architecture, or design
  • Why you believe you should be awarded a Bierk Art Bursary

Portfolio Workshop

In advance of the Bierk Art Bursary deadline, EC3 will be running a free, informal virtual Portfolio Workshop on Zoom on Wednesday, May 29 (please note: new date) from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. This workshop will discuss portfolio creation and portfolio review prep, and answer any of your questions about the application process. Register to attend the workshop.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility

EC3 is committed to establishing fair and equitable practices for all of our programs and services in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Persons with disabilities are encouraged to come forward at any stage of the application process to request accommodations, if needed. Members of our team will consult and can adapt processes wherever possible to provide individuals with disabilities with equal opportunity to apply.

EC3 advocates for equal opportunity for all applicants from our diverse community in the application and selection process. EC3 is committed to supporting and promoting diverse artists, artistic practices, and arts communities that represent a wide cross-section of Peterborough and the surrounding area, including artists who are Indigenous, Black, or people of colour, as well as artists with disabilities, Deaf artists and those who are members of marginalized religious, sexual orientation, and gender identity groups. EC3 strives to make our juries, selection, and assessment committees equitable and inclusive by ensuring broad representation from the communities outlined above.

If you have a disability and require assistance with the process, please don’t hesitate to contact Gabe Pollock at bierkartfundbursaries@gmail.com.

Schedule

• Applications open: May 14
• Virtual portfolio workshop: May 29 (please note: new date) from 7:00pm to 8:30pm (register to attend)
• Applications due: June 17 at 11:59pm (NOTE: extended deadline)
• Announcement: late June

Download the Bierk Art Bursary 2024 Application Form. 

Applications must be submitted by email to bierkartfundbursaries@gmail.com by with the subject line "Bierk Art Bursary application." The submission deadline is Monday, June 17 at 11:59pm (NOTE: extended deadline). Late or incomplete nominations will not be considered.

For further information contact:
Su Ditta
Executive Director (EC3)
(705) 749-9101
electriccitycc@gmail.com
www.ecthree.org