Three years ago, with the death of George Floyd and too many other acts of police brutality, racism and social unrest in our country, the WCADC Board sat down to brainstorm ways in which we might collectively counter these acts of brutality by channeling our collective energies and creative powers as women and as artists. The result was the birth of our scholarship program which we are committed now more than ever to empower young women in pursuit of their dreams and careers in the arts.
The WCA supports activism in the arts to bring about political and social change. Our scholarship embraces this mission, and as such, a committee was created for our local chapter.
My sister scholarship committee members, Sandra Davis, Deborah Walmer, Cynthia Farrell Johnson and I created the WCADC Visual Arts Scholarship for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) females in their high school senior year, or college freshman/sophomore year, pursuing art and living in the Greater DC area. In creating this scholarship, we wanted to address things that would be useful for the applicant, such as offering a mentor who could help with the application process and answer general questions about a life in the arts. We also wanted the selection to be fair by making it a blind call for the selected jurors. We felt that it was critical for the applicant artist to gain a sense of familiarization with documenting her progress and explaining their art. All of the steps within the applicant process derived from things we either experienced or wished we had as young artists.
In 2021, committee members planned two exhibitions featuring WCADC member’s work through “See my Color” a show that was art for social justice, and “We who dream know no borders”, which called for visual works describing how we depict our hopes and dream, particularly in these times of social unrest. Entry fees for these exhibits went to create our scholarship fund with a dollar-for-dollar match from the WCADC Chapter.
This first year of our scholarship planning and exhibitions was met with the many challenges of COVID-19 in a locked-down uncertain world. As a result, and not to our surprise, we did not receive any applicants. So, we rolled the additional funds into the following year, and agreed that there would be two winners in 2022. What we found was that this delay made us more diligent and creative for our 2022 applicants! Once schools were back to their ‘new normal’ we reached out to guidance counselors, art teachers, community churches and colleges. We placed flyers on school bulletin boards, in our churches and around our communities. And, taking advantage of social media platforms, we created a video for the WCADC website, and posted frequently on our Facebook and Twitter feeds.
All of these efforts paid off, resulting in a number of applicants and ultimately two of our first WCADC scholarship winners: Skye Jones (Parsons School of Design at The New School in New York) and Layla Missihou (Maryland Institute College of Art). Additionally, we awarded three student WCADC memberships.
Congratulations to our 2022 winners, and thank you to everyone who applied!
Questions may be directed to wcadc@wcadc.org.
Scholarship Details
The Women’s Caucus for Art of Greater Washington, DC (WCADC) offers twelfth-grade students (enrolled in a public or private school in Washington, DC, Maryland, or Virginia for the last 2 years) and plans to attend a two or four-year college or university to study Fine Arts, the opportunity to apply for a scholarship as well as encourages and recognizes artistic excellence among DC, MD, and VA BIPOC(Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color) womxn students. WCA members and/or their family members or previous winners are ineligible.
Applicants are judged on creativity, originality, and quality.
Award Amount: $2000- up to $5000 with a 1-year student membership to WCA/DC chapter
Deadline: Entries must be received online by 11:59 pm on April 1, 2023
What does the program include? Students will apply online and upload original compositions, process folios, and other required documentation. Students can request the help of a Mentor from the Women’s Caucus of Art to do a portfolio review and or assistance with the application process.
When does the program begin? Applications will be available online on October 1, 2022. The deadline to submit an entry online by 11:59 pm, April 1, 2023. Entries will not be accepted after the deadline. Art should have been created during 2020-2023.
How will the students be recognized? The top 5 applicants will be asked to participate in an art exhibition to be held at Girls Who Paint, 10419 Fawcett St Kensington MD 20895, consisting of selections from their application.
(More selections for the exhibition may be included based on the number of applications received). Exhibition date June 29-July 29,2023. Opening reception will be Thursday June 29,2023 5:30-7:30pm.
Scholarship amount of $2000- up to $5000 with a 1-year student membership to WCA/DC chapter will be awarded at the art exhibition. WCADC will make the necessary arrangements to transfer the scholarship funds directly to the college or university of the student’s choice.
Please read this in its entirety!
Eligibility criteria:
Students must currently be enrolled in twelfth grade in a public or private school in DC, MD, or VA.
Students must plan to attend a two or four-year college or university as a Visual Arts major
Students must be U.S. citizens and have attended public or private school in DC, MD, or VA for the past two years.
The scholarships may be used for tuition, campus room/board, and instructional resource expenses at any college or university.
WCA members and their family are ineligible
Past winners are ineligible
You may apply for a chance to win this scholarship only if you meet the eligibility requirements set forth on this webpage. Additionally, scholarships are non-transferable and must be accepted as awarded.
General composition criteria include:
An entry is defined as an original artwork that must be a completed, rendered visual composition originated by the applicant. Art can be two or three-dimensional work such as drawing, painting, mixed media, printmaking, collage, photography, and sculpture. All artwork must be original and not be copied from master artworks or comic art.
Additional criteria that each applicant/composition must meet are included below:
Additional Information:
Entries produced in collaboration with others are not eligible.
A panel of at least three professionals will select a recipient. The decision of the judges is final.
Compositions/artworks count fifty percent (50%) towards the total score.
Process folios and statements count as fifty percent (50%) of the total score.
Do not place your name or other identifying information on the original work, copies, including process folio, and reflection statement. All names must be covered.
How do students apply? Eligible and interested students apply online using the link at the bottom of this document between October 1, 2022 and April 1, 2023. For more information, contact your school’s guidance department.
WCADC is offering portfolio reviews and application assistance for those students who require assistance. Please fill out the form at the bottom of this page by February 15, 2023 to be matched with a mentor.
Entries:
Please read all instructions carefully!
Applicants must submit an overall Artist Statement; one teacher recommendation (PDF format; images of three original works of art, one reflection statement, and one process folio for EACH artwork. Photos of all artwork must not include a mat or frame. All artwork must be uploaded during the application process. Artwork must NOT be signed on the front of the work. All names must be hidden as jurying will be anonymous. The filename should be in the following format: title_size_medium.jpg (format should be .jpg or .png and no bigger than 5MB per photo). Image resolution should be at least 2000 ppi so the juror can see detail.
The process folio should contain documentation of the planning and development of the artwork from the inception of the idea to the final artwork. Process folios may include support materials such as drafts, notes from dialogues with peers and/or teachers, research, inspirations, interviews, pictures, sketches, and/or events upon which you based your artwork. You should either utilize a compression program like win.zip for the process folio files or create one (1) Word document with all the work before uploading.
Applicants must also contain a one-page reflection statement addressing the intent of the artwork and comparing the final product with the original concept overall.
Artwork produced in collaboration with others is not eligible for this competition. Applicants should print a copy of the application before submitting it for review.
Incomplete applications will not be scored. If there are no high-quality applications submitted, a scholarship will not be awarded.
Selection Criteria:
Each of three (3) artworks will be rated according to originality/creativity, composition, quality of expression, and the correlation with the process portfolio. Artwork and process folio each count toward 50 percent of the total score.
The judges will consider the following when evaluating your work:
Originality/Creativity:
Use of original content, cohesive style, and innovative techniques, materials, and processes.
Composition:
Use of aesthetic arrangement of the subject matter and elements and principles of design.
Quality of Expression:
Work expresses professional and emotional qualities that convey the artist’s intent.
Process Folio:
Not merely a revision of your artwork, this should demonstrate your artistic process and the research, inspirations, drafts, interviews, pictures, sketches, and/or events upon which you based your artwork.
Reflection Statement:
Addresses how the work relates to you, and the message or inspiration for your artwork.
Awards:
WCADC Arts Scholarship for awards up to $5,000 will be awarded to a female-identifying BIPOC to attend a two or four-year college or university. Two alternates will also be selected in case of withdrawal or disqualification. The scholarship recipient and alternates will be announced May/June 2023 at the Scholarship Exhibition Reception and Awards Ceremony.
The application closes at 11:59 pm on April 1, 2023
For more information or questions, contact Tronja Anglero at wcadc@wcadc.org
