Midwest Award for Artists with Disabilities

We invite mid-career 2D and 3D visual artists with disabilities to apply for this award.

You may enlist assistance from another person to complete the application. We also allow nominations with consent from the individual being nominated.

You are eligible if you:

• Live in the Midwest. We define the Midwest as Arts Midwest’s region of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, or the Native Nations that share this geography. Artists based outside of this geography are not eligible for this award.
• Have a disability/identify as disabled. Disability communities are not a singular group, and we want artists to be able to self-identify into this award. We welcome a self or medical diagnosis understanding of disability. Disability as you experience it may include, but is not limited to cognitive, learning, and developmental disabilities; emotional or mental health disabilities; and/or physical disabilities.

• Create 2D or 3D visual art. Examples of 2D art include but are NOT limited to: drawing, painting, printmaking, photography. Examples of 3D art include but are NOT limited to: ceramics, sculpture, glass.

• Are mid-career, which we interpret as creating artwork and building your artistic career for 5-15 years.

Arts Midwest uses SmartSimple grants portal for applications. You must register in the system before you apply. Please follow the steps below to complete your registration and your application.  

You may enlist assistance from another person to complete the application. We also allow nominations with consent from the individual being nominated.  

Step 1: Registration (for new users only) 

1. Register in our SmartSimple grants portal 
2. On the registration page, click “Individuals” 
3. Input your information. If you are nominating someone, please input your information as the nominator; you will share the nominee’s information in the application. 
4. Once you have filled out your registration and submitted, you will receive an email with a login link. Click on the login link. 
5. The link will take you to a screen where you will create a new password for your account. Then click submit. 
6. Once you have created the password, you may receive a verification code in your email. Copy the verification code from that email, and paste in the box on the login page. 
7. Now you’re in the SmartSimple portal! Make sure your profile is correct. Go to the top right corner with your name letter symbol and click on Personal Profile. Confirm the info is correct from your registration. 

Step 2: Application 

1. Navigate to the Individual Portal Home. To begin the application, click on “Begin a new application.” Click “Apply Now” on Midwest Award for Artists with Disabilities. 
2. Click save and begin your application.  
3. For the first question: 
   • If you completed the registration for yourself, click “I’m filling out this application for myself.” Your registration information will appear.   
   • If you registered yourself as the artist and are getting assistance with the application, you may click “I’m getting assistance filling out this application for myself” and it will prompt you to share your assistant’s contact information. 
   • If you registered to nominate an artist with their consent, click “I’m nominating someone” and it will prompt you to fill out the artist’s contact information. 

We want this opportunity to be accessible to all and will work with applicants who need to use other means to apply. Options may include but not limited to: 

• Using an adapted form in Microsoft Word
• Sharing a video application responding to application questions
• Enlisting assistance from another person to complete the application

Please complete this form if you are requesting accessibility assistance or email [email protected].

Lastly, we recognize that some awardees may experience income limitation and other barriers to receiving this award. We will work with awardees on a case-by-case basis to identify a plan, which may include options like a monthly payment plan rather than receiving the award in full at once or working with a guardian to receive the award. 

Step 1: Register in our SmartSimple grants portal 

Step 2: On the registration page, click “Individuals” 

Step 3: If you are an artist filling out the application for yourself, fill out the registration with your information. If someone is helping you with the application, you will be able to include their info once you get into the application. If you are nominating an artist with their consent, register with your info, and you will share the artists’ info in the application. 

Step 4: Once you’ve filled out your registration and submitted, you will receive an email with a login link. Click on the login link. 

Step 5: The login link will take you to a screen where you will create a new password for your account. Then click submit. 

Step 6: Once you’ve created the password, you will receive a verification code in your email. Access this email, copy the verification code, and paste in the box on the login page. 

Step 7: Now you’re in the SmartSimple portal! Make sure your profile is correct. Go to the top right corner with your name letter symbol and click on Personal Profile. Confirm the info is correct from your registration. 

Step 8: Go back to Individual Portal Home. To begin the application, click on Funding Opportunities. Click “Apply Now” on Midwest Award for Artists with Disabilities. 

Step 9: Click save and begin your application. For the first question: 

• If you’re the artist who registered yourself, click “I’m filling out this application for myself.” Your registration info will show up. 
• If you registered yourself as the artist and are getting assistance, you may click “I’m an artist getting assistance filling out this application” and it will prompt you to share your assistant’s contact info. 
• If you registered to nominate an artist with their consent, click “I’m nominating an artist” and it will prompt you to fill out the artist’s contact info. 

Applicants will be asked to share: 

• Contact Information 
• Artistic discipline (select the best option)
• Artist Statement: Describe your work and your goals as an artist. How is your work an expression of those goals? Please add your response here or upload a document below. (200 words or fewer)
• Community Statement: Community can mean different things to different people. How does your work relate to community? You may share a reflection, story, quote, etc. (200 words or fewer)
• Growth Statement: How has your work grown over the years, and how do you think your art will continue to grow? (200 words or fewer)

Please upload 3-5 images of your artwork that you’d like to be considered by the panel. Video files no longer than 3 minutes are also acceptable. Files are preferred, but if you don’t have those, you may share a website or social media link that displays your work instead.

• As possible, please submit work from the past 5 years. You will not be disqualified if you submit older work. However, panelists are looking to your work samples to understand your current practice.
• The following file types are allowed: jpg, gif, tiff, png, mov, mp4.
• Once you’ve uploaded the files, please rename the files with the title, year, and medium. You can do this by visiting the properties editor on each file you upload in the File Manager, and click “Rename.” You will not be disqualified if you don’t, but it’s preferred. Example: “Fish, 2020, Oil paint on canvas.”
• Please acknowledge if AI is part of your artistic practice or work samples. While we do not prohibit the use of AI in our programs, we do require disclosure of its use. If you use AI in your work, you will be given the option to briefly explain your use of it in your work (100 words or fewer).

Please note that if you are selected, the work you submit will be featured on Arts Midwest’s website starting in the late summer of 2025. Staff will confirm selected pieces with awardees.

Consent for Additional Offerings

We acknowledge the effort and energy you spent applying for or nominating someone for this award. We offer the following ways to stay connected with Arts Midwest beyond this award, and regardless of the final selections. Below please select all the ways in which you would like to remain connected with us.

• Yes, add me to Arts Midwest’s newsletter options (select your preferences):
  • Grant Opportunities
  • Stories + News
  • Professional Development Tools
• Yes, Arts Midwest can share my information with the NEA so that I receive information on grant opportunities and webinars.
• Yes, I am interested in learning more about and potentially serving as a paid panelist or focus group attendee, informing future programming at Arts Midwest.

You will receive an email confirmation to confirm receipt of your application. Arts Midwest staff will contact you if we have any questions.

Awardees will be selected by a compensated panel of individuals. The panel will be selected to ensure it reflects a broad range of perspectives and experiences, including those of disabled artists, disabled arts and cultural workers, and accessibility advocates.

Review Criteria

The panel will use three criteria in the review process: artistic intentions, community connection, and mid-career artist status. We define these below and the application materials panelists will use for each. Each criterion is on a scale of 1-5 points for a maximum of 15 points per application.

Criteria: Artistic intentions (5 points)

• The connection between the purpose of the art and the artwork is clear/artist’s mission ties into artwork samples, skill is evident
• Support: Artist statement and artwork samples

Criteria: Community connection (5 points)

• The relationship, and value of relationship, between applicant’s art and community is clear
• Support: Community statement

Criteria: Mid-career artist status (5 points)

• Shows commitment to continued growth and exploration
• Support: Growth statement, artwork samples

June 9, 2025: Application opens

July 10, 2025: Application closes at 11:59 pm CDT

July 2025: Applications reviewed by an independent panel

August 2025: Awards made and awardees announced; Awardees featured on Arts Midwest website and stories

If you have additional questions, we invite you to join us for office hours. You can sign up for office hours at the links below:

Tuesday, June 17, 2025 – 11:00am (central) Register Here

Tuesday, June 24, 2025 – 11:00am (central) Register Here

This award is supported by the James Edward Scherbarth and Paul Francis Mosley Giving Fund. The award was created in honor of the late James Edward Scherbarth, an award-winning visual artist, visual arts teacher, and advocate of arts access who lived and worked in Minnesota. Jim believed that creativity lives in everyone, and he dedicated his career to helping people express themselves through the visual arts.

Established in 2022, the Midwest Award for Artists with Disabilities Award honors Mr. Scherbarth’s commitment to arts access by supporting mid-career Midwestern visual artists with disabilities.