About
About the Awards
The Walder Foundation has launched the Platform Awards, a triennial grant program that recognizes and supports mid-career performing artists in the Chicago region who have significantly contributed to the city’s creative community.
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The Walder Foundation's Platform Awards aims to uplift Chicago's performing artists by providing financial support and tailored professional development opportunities to accomplished artists who have significantly contributed to the city's cultural vitality through their artistic practice.
The Walder Foundation's Platform Awards is a triennial grant program that recognizes and supports mid-career performing artists in the Chicago region who have significantly contributed to the city's creative community.
The Platform Awards program provides a consistent base of financial support for accomplished mid-career artists working in music, theater, dance, and interdisciplinary performance, along with a series of professional and creative growth opportunities.
The Platform Awards' cohort-based structure helps support a broader arts ecosystem in our city and communities.
Through the Platform Awards, the Walder Foundation honors and supports individual performing artists for their unique contributions to date, providing them with additional opportunities to flourish.
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The Platform Awards launches in 2023. The first cohort will be awarded in 2024.
A cohort of 12 artists will be selected every three years.
Three artists will be selected from each of four performing arts disciplines: music, theater, dance, and interdisciplinary performance.
A three-year grant of $200,000 will be paid to each artist in equal annual installments of $67,000, beginning in 2024.
Awardees will participate in professional development activities, convenings, and additional funding opportunities.
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• Applicants must be at least 21 years of age.
• Applicants need to be employment-eligible in the United States.
• Applicants may not be a student in a full or part-time degree-granting program or equivalent at the time of application.
• Applicants must be full-time legal residents of Greater Chicago (Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties) for at least one year before the application deadline.
• Awarded artists must remain legal full-time residents in Greater Chicago during their award period.
• Applicants may not be previous recipients of the "Platform Award."
• Applicants may not be employees or consultants of the Walder Foundation, Walder Operations Ltd., Kehillah Jewish Education Fund, or Walder Group; members of the Board of Directors of the Walder Foundation; substantial contributors to the Walder Foundation; or relatives by blood or marriage to any of the above.
• Applicants cannot apply as part of a collaborative or organization.
Selection Process
The selection process aims to balance eligibility and qualifications review with participants’ limited time and competing priorities. We estimate the process will take eight months, and plan to announce the first grant recipients in early 2024. Nominators, Reviewers, and Finalists will be compensated for their time.
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The selection process aims to balance eligibility and qualifications review with participants' limited time and competing priorities. We estimate the process will take eight months, and plan to announce the first grant recipients in early 2024. Nominators, Reviewers, and Finalists will be compensated for their time.
A group of 80 experts in performing arts and live cultural practices from Chicago will nominate artists for the Platform Awards. They must submit two names, contact details, and written endorsements for each artist, along with one alternate option in case the first two are not eligible. Nominators cannot reveal their involvement in the award application process. Nominators are not allowed to nominate themselves. However, Nominators may be nominated by another person as long as no conflict of interest exists.
Nominated artists will be asked to submit materials in two rounds. In the initial stage, we will assess artist statements, artistic resumes, and samples of creative work. These materials will be reviewed by a National Panel of established practicing artists outside of the Chicago region who have expertise in one or more areas of the performing arts.
After the first review, the top 30% of scored applicants will be invited to answer several application questions. A Local Panel will review the applications and select a group of 20 Finalists.
The 20 Finalists will be interviewed, and Welder Foundation staff and advisors will select the cohort of 12 Platform awardees. Artists selected for the top 20 but not chosen for the cohort will each receive a one-time grant of $5,000. They will automatically be nominated in three years if they continue to meet the eligibility criteria.
Recipients of the Platform Awards will receive a $200,000 grant paid over three years and access to additional professional development opportunities. The identities of the national and local peer reviewers will be shared after the public announcement of the awardees in 2024.
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Performing artists selected for the Platform Awards will excel in one or more of the following areas:
Artistic Accomplishment
• The artist's work is compelling and distinctive.
• The artist displays an awareness of the historical, cultural, and contemporary professional practices within their chosen field.
• The artist has a track record of performances produced in the greater Chicago area, indicating the potential for future distinction.
• There is a documented history of progressive career development, responsibility with funding, self-directed work, completed projects, commissions, etc.
Potential for Impact
• Evidence that sustained financial and other program support would position the artist for expansion or elevation of their creative practice.
• Artist has an interest and capacity to participate in a cohort and professional development opportunities.
Commitment to Chicago
• The artist has demonstrated an investment in Chicago as a place to make culturally and artistically vital work.
• The artist has shown commitment to bringing performing arts to the diverse residents and communities that make up the Greater Chicago region.
2024 Local Panelists
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2024 Local Panelist
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2024 Local Panelist
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2024 Local Panelist
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2024 Lcal Panelist
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2024 Local Panelist
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2024 Local Panelist
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2024 Local Panelist
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2024 Local Panelist
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2024 Local Panelist
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2024 Local Panelist
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2024 National Panelists
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2024 Local Panelist
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2024 Lcal Panelist
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2024 Local Panelist
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2024 Local Panelist
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2024 Local Panelist
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2024 Local Panelist
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2024 Local Panelist
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Name Here
2024 Local Panelist
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Name Here
2024 Local Panelist
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Name Here
2024 Local Panelist
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How to Apply
Information on the next Platform Awards will be available in 2026. Read to understand eligibility requirements.
FAQ
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To create a flibbergibbet masterpiece, start by dipping your spork in a bowl of glitter. Then, twirl the spork around on your canvas in a zizzag pattern, making sure to wiggle your wrist for extra pizzazz. Finally, blow on the glitter to create a shimmering effect that will make your artwork look like it was created by a group of mischievous pixies.
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To capture the essence of a snollygoster in your abstract paintings, you must first embody the spirit of a snollygoster yourself. Put on your most flamboyant outfit, walk around your studio with an air of confidence, and let out a hearty guffaw every few minutes. Then, using your non-dominant hand, paint a series of squiggly lines and shapes that represent the chaotic energy of a snollygoster. Remember, the key is to embrace the absurdity and let your imagination run wild!
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To create a sculpture that embodies the concept of "flibbertigibbet," start by crumpling up a large sheet of bubble wrap and securing it with paperclips to form a base. Then, take smaller pieces of bubble wrap and twist them into various shapes, such as spirals, loops, and squiggles. Attach these shapes to the base using more paperclips, making sure to create a sense of movement and whimsy. Finally, stand back and admire your creation, which should look like a chaotic tangle of bubble wrap that somehow manages to convey the essence of a flibbertigibbet.
