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Deadline Extended:

The new deadline to submit a nomination is November 20, 2020.

Ask Us Anything:

Current Fellows Council members hosted an info session on November 11, 2020, to provide more information and answer questions from interested Fellows. Email Sheila Pleasants to request access to the recording.


To Prospective Fellows Council Members,

Leading up to the 50th Anniversary of VCCA, we invite nominations from VCCA Fellows to serve on the Fellows Council. Thank you for your interest! 

The Fellows Council serves as a point of communication among Fellows, the VCCA Board of Directors, and staff. The Council works closely with the Board and staff on improving the Fellow experience, on issues such as outreach to diverse populations of artists, raising awareness of VCCA, and broadening its base of support. The Fellows Council also administers the VCCA Wachtmeister Award, consisting of a sponsored month-long residency awarded every two years to a distinguished artist who has not yet been a Fellow.  

It is an honor as well as a responsibility to serve on the VCCA Fellows Council. We are strongly committed to diversity and encourage all residents to apply, especially those who will help increase the representation and range of Fellows’ voices.

The Council requires active participation in supporting the vision and objectives of VCCA. The following are recent Council initiatives: 

  • Fellows’ gatherings in New York City, DC, around the country and abroad
  • Outreach to International Fellows, resulting in a special representative on the Council
  • Initiative to bring more diversity to the VCCA community
  • VCCA Composer Playlist

A VCCA Fellows Council member:

  1. Believes in the mission of the VCCA, supports its core values, policies, vision, and long term goals as stated in the VCCA Board Mission Statement: “The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA) provides time and space for national and international writers, visual artists, and composers of talent and promise to bring forth their finest works, because the arts are vital, diversity is a strength, and creativity is essential”
  2. Facilitates Fellows’ contributions to VCCA as a whole by reviewing comments and suggestions by recent Fellows on their VCCA experience and by talking with Fellows when in residence.
  3. Is willing to take a leadership role on the Council and allocates time to be an active member of a standing committee: Governance, Special Projects, or Cultivation.
  4. Helps identify and encourage future Council members and sets Council direction.
  5. Attends quarterly Council meetings, standing committee meetings and other VCCA events when possible. Meetings usually last about an hour, and committees work principally by email and virtual meetings.
  6. Makes an annual donation to VCCA that indicates support.

Elected members of the Council hold four-year terms, which may be extended for a year for those who become officers, but members may not serve two consecutive terms. Every two years, five or six members rotate off the Council and five or six new members join. One of the international members of the Council is designated as the International Representative. 

Should you be interested in serving on the Council, please tell us about yourself in an email to spleasants@vcca.com by October 31, 2020 November 20, 2020. Your email must:

  • be no more than 500 words;
  • include your genre, residencies at VCCA, any skills you would bring to the Council, and any specific goals or projects you would like the Council to consider;
  • state that you have read this letter and commit to honoring its tenets;
  • include “Fellows Council Nomination” as the subject line.

Results of the election will be announced in December, and new members will begin their terms on January 1, 2021. 

This is an exciting time in the history of the VCCA. Membership on the Fellows Council is an opportunity to give back to VCCA, to work with your peers for its benefit, and to help determine its future direction as it approaches its 50th anniversary in 2021.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Warmly,

The VCCA Fellows Council