Artistic Disciplines
Select one (1) Primary Discipline and up to four (4) Secondary Disciplines.
The definitions provided below may assist applicants when selecting appropriate disciplines. The disciplines are only used to support the review process by aligning applicants into peer review panels.
Primary Disciplines - select the one that best describes your work:
| Community / Teaching | an artist of any discipline with a focus on teaching, mentoring, and integrating their art form(s), perspectives, and skills into a wide range of settings such as classrooms, community, social, etc. |
| Choreography / Dance | performing art form using human movement in a rhythmic/sequence of steps |
| Cultural / Traditional Arts |
Artistic practice such as music, dance, visual arts, oral narrative, etc. created and preserved within communities that share cultural connection such as a common ethnic identity, language, religion, occupation, or geographic location. Whether performed or handcrafted, these deeply rooted cultural expressions reflect a community's aesthetic heritage. Cultural / Traditional Arts are usually learned from skilled practitioners steeped in the tradition, through an informal but intensive process that takes place over a long period of time rather than through books, classes, or institutional instruction. |
| Design | creative development that often results in functional applications |
| Digital Media / Film |
artistic work where the primary focus of audience engagement involves digital content that can be transmitted over the internet or computer networks -may include text, audio, video, graphics or may primarily be developed for cinema viewing |
| Literary Arts |
written works on any subject (poems, novels, etc.) |
| Music | art form using sounds made by instruments, voices, computers, or a combination of them |
| Theater / Playwriting |
performing art form with live performers typically on a stage for a live audience and/or the writing of theatrical plays |
| Visual Arts | art created for visual perception (drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, installation, etc.) |
Secondary Disciplines - select up to four (4)
- One (1) Secondary Discipline - required
- Three (3) additional Secondary Disciplines - optional
Applicants may select disciplines listed below or include others that more appropriately define your work.
| Animation | a technique involving a succession of images, puppets, models, to create the illusion of movement |
| Architecture | the design of structures, often reserved for functional purposes but includes conceptual design renderings of complex structures |
| Ballet | highly formalized set of steps and gestures performed to music with precision |
| Book Arts | artistry of bookmaking, books made as art objects either as a single object or in a limited series |
| Children's Music | music developed specifically for young audiences |
| Choreography | composing and arranging various movements of dance through steps, patterns, and composition |
| Classical Music | genre of music composition and includes forms such as symphony, concerto, sonata, etc. |
| Collaborative Art | art made in collaboration with others (often with non-artists) as part of the process and end product |
| Crafts | made substantially by hand, primary artistic process is skill and technique |
| Creative Non-Fiction | distinguished by a strong narrative voice, such as memoir, personal essay, or descriptive prose |
| Documentary Film | nonfictional production generally for the purpose of education, historical record, or instruction |
| Dramatic Writing |
a prose or verse composition with a storyline presented in dialogue for the purpose of developing a stage play, screenplay, musical, etc. |
| Environmental Art | artistic work integrated into the environment or makes a statement on environmental issues |
| Feature Film | generally between 70 and 210 minutes long |
| Fiction | all varieties and genres of fiction, including novels, short stories |
| Film |
developed primarily for cinema viewing |
| Folk Dance | dance typically passed down from one generation to another and is based on customs and traditions often used in storytelling |
| Folk Music | music typically passed down from one generation to another and is based on customs and traditions often used in storytelling |
| Functional Art | artist made objects that serve a utilitarian purpose such as furniture, lighting, pottery, etc. |
| Graphic Design | visual communication that combines images, words, and ideas to convey information to an audience |
| Hip Hop | a subculture which includes rap music, break dancing, and graffiti art |
| Illustration | visual explanation of a text, a picture in a book, for a poster, or other graphical purpose |
| Improv Theater | live theater in which the dialogue and plot are made up in the moment |
| Installation | a relationship / interaction between the art (primarily 3D sculptural elements) and a viewer within the space occupied by the artwork |
| Interactive Art | art that is interactive and/or engages an audience in a time and place, the spectator is often the key piece that allows the art to achieve its purpose |
| Internet Art | internet- and social media-based art in which distribution and interaction via the internet is central to the creation, presentation, or understanding of the work |
| Jazz / Blues | genre of music composition and includes styles such as jazz, blues, swing, bebop, etc. |
| Mixed Media 2D | two-dimensional art using a combination of material, includes collage |
| Mixed Media 3D | three-dimensional art using a combination of material, includes assemblage |
| Modern / Contemporary Dance | a broad genre of dance using the entire body in movements that express abstract ideas |
| Multimedia | integration of different media forms such as visual arts, literary, audio, video, dance, etc. |
| Music Composition | compositions in any style of music |
| Music Production | music composition that primarily uses electronic technology as part of the production using electronic instruments, synthesizers, computers, etc. |
| Musicals | a play in which singing and dancing is an essential part |
| New Media | digital and technology-based art in which the computer or a form of digital technology is central to the creation, presentation, or understanding of the work - includes multimedia arts, electronic arts, virtual reality |
| Opera | genre of music composition developed for singers and musicians, performance of dramatic work |
| Orchestra / Ensembles | genre of music composition involving a group of instrumental musicians |
| Painting | painting of any medium or combinations of mediums - oil, encaustic, watercolor, acrylic, etc. |
| Performance Art | a combination of visual art and dramatic performance disciplines, typically in a live performance |
| Photography | any work in which photographic technique is the primary emphasis |
| Playwriting | the writing of theatrical plays |
| Poetry | all forms and genres of original poetry (translations are not eligible) |
| Pop Music | genre of music that is continuously evolving and borrows elements from other styles to create music of popular appeal |
| Printmaking | artistic process that involves transferring images from one surface to another, includes woodcut, etching, engraving, lithography, screenprinting, etc. |
| Public Art | any artistic media planned and carried out in a public domain (typically accessible to all) |
| Puppetry | the production and creation of puppets and puppet performances |
| Screenwriting | the writing of stage plays, screenplays, teleplays, libretti, radio plays, and audio dramas |
| Sculpture | sculpture of any medium or combination of mediums, includes stand alone or suspended work |
| Short Film | generally has a run time of 40 minutes or less (including credits) |
| Social Practice | art medium of any kind that focuses on social engagement and invites collaborations, typically the focus is on social issues within a community |
| Songwriting | the process of writing lyrics, melodies, and chord progressions for songs |
| Soundscape | music composition with a focus on natural environmental sounds, sound design, and acoustics |
| Spoken Word | oral art form with a focus on the aesthetic of word play and voice inflection, performance-based poetry recitation, includes poetry slams, traditional poetry reading, and prose monologues |
| Storytelling | interactive art involving words and actions to reveal a story while encouraging the imagination of active listeners |
| Textile Design | the process of creating designs that are printed on fabrics, woven, knitted, etc. |
| Young Readers | literature developed specifically for young audiences |
| Youth Theater | theater developed specifically for young audiences |
Program Guidelines: