Art Grants
Art Grants are administered by Kiwiburn Art Committee (KAC). Kiwiburn currently has two categories of Art Grants. Small Art Grants that are for projects under $500 and the Large Art Grants for projects that are expected to be over $500 (The biggest grant we have funded to date was $3680). The amount awarded to granted artists will vary between each project and often acts more as a contribution to the costs, rather than paying for the entirety of the project. KAC also administers an Innovation Grant (details below).
If youâre keen to apply for an Art Grant, tino pai! Get up to speed by reading this page before you submit an application. Important information ensues⌠including (but not limited to)… art grant criteria, what KAC wonât fund, important dates, and the oh-so-important ticketing information.
For an example of an exemplary Art Grant application, click here
Important Dates FOr Kiwiburn 2024
đ˘ Last minute, Last chance, Large art Logistics funding support!
Calling all big, bold, and beautiful art pieces! A new grant has been added to help facilitate the transport of exisiting large works to the paddock for Kiwiburn 2024. This includes returning artworks – so dust of your old beauties and bring them to the 20th Kiwiburn.
This grant can contribute towards costs like:
- Inter-island ferry tickets for the artwork
- Hire of trailers/towing vehicles
- Contribution towards petrol costs
But it will not fund:
- Build costs
- Artist transport costs
We aim to do three rounds of decision making – this is so that everyone in the community has maximum opportunity to access this fund while also providing fast responses to those who apply so that they can have certainty on being able to bring their art.
Key Dates:
Round 1 decisions Monday 18th December
Round 2 decisions Saturday 23rd December
Grant application closes Friday January 5th
Final Decision round Saturday January 6th
Fill out the art grant application form in the KB Portal and the artwork will be evaluated at the nearest decision date to your entry. Note the art granting criteria remains the same, scroll down for the full details.
How to Apply
You can apply for Art Grants through the Kiwiburn Portal. Log in if you already have a Portal account, otherwise follow the steps to sign up. Once you’re in, head to the Art Grants section to find the application form to fill out.
When you receive an Art Grant, youâll get an email and an electronic âkitâ to store all your bits and bobs in! You will also be assigned an artist liaison who will be your go to person to chat through any issues, support you and will let you know all the things you need to do, such as:
- You’ll be guaranteed at least one reserve ticket (but you will still need to purchase this ticket)
- Register your art piece
- Keep and record all payments/receipts (you are provided a template, and a folder to upload your receipts into). You canât be refunded if this isnât done!
- Complete a health/safety form and think through the potential hazards
- Take photos/prove ya made the thing!
- Evaluate what went well for you, what KAC could do better to support you.
Typically grants are paid in arrears, on production of valid receipts. However, if you need upfront funding, get in touch and weâll see what we can do. Weâll always hold back a little cash to make sure that the artwork was brought to life on the Paddock and that you MOOP swept your site effectively – we expect this of all our grantees.
Have a read of the Art Setup Guide to make sure you are primed and ready to set up your project once on the Paddock and please get in touch with the Kiwiburn Art Grant Committee if you have any questions.
Innovation Grants
Kiwiburn offers Innovation Grants of up to $800 as administered by KAC. The Innovation Grants fund practical projects that improve Kiwiburn and the infrastructure or the processes that enable our community to exist. Innovation Grant projects donât necessarily have to be participatory or artistic (although they can be), they can be âbehind the scenesâ or purely functional.
What is it?
Based on the Innovation Grants from the awesome team at Nowhere (the big burn in Spain), the Kiwiburn Innovation Grants only help projects that improve Kiwiburn or reduce our impact on the surrounding environment. For example, projects that might speed up the construction and takedown of Kiwiburn, provide better lighting, save water or electricity, provide greener power, reduce vehicle use, or find a clever way of reusing rubbish. Innovation projects could be a single item, a series of items or even a service (such as a bike-loan scheme). Projects can be something you have developed from scratch, something you have assembled from parts or something you have purchased and want to bring to Kiwiburn. Any project must benefit the wider Kiwiburn community and cannot simply benefit a particular person or Theme Camp. It runs alongside, but separate to the existing Art Grants scheme. If in doubt, email us at ArtGrants@Kiwiburn.com and weâll tell you if itâs suitable.
Art Grants, Innovation Grants, whatâs the difference?
The Art Grants fund participatory art projects at Kiwiburn that bring people together and get them to interact and have fun together. The Innovation Grants fund practical projects that improve Kiwiburn and the infrastructure or processes that enable our community to exist.
For example! The Innovation Grant has previously funded better WiFi for set-up crews, the Two Moons Temple (a safe space for wÄhine identifying folks) and The Royal Pootanical Gardens in 2023. It’s a good idea to think about whether your idea could benefit Kiwiburn for years to come.
How do I apply?
You can apply for an Innovation Grant through the Kiwiburn Portal, the same as you would an Art Grant. Log in if you already have a Portal Account, otherwise, follow the steps to sign up. Once youâre in, head to the Art Grants section to find the application form to fill out.
Criteria
The KAC team uses the following criteria to support decision making and grant allocations. This year weâve added two new criteria!
Interactivity with people and the environment
Interactive Art is our particular obsession. It transforms participants into active contributors to the artist’s creative process. It transcends the static conception of an art object that is contemplated by a detached audience. Interaction may be achieved in a variety of ways. Sometimes, a single encounter is sufficient, sometimes youâve gotta go back for more! Artwork may impart a gift or token. Likewise, works may be designed to receive something from the participant.
Works may be activated by participants or by forces of nature, or they may function as social environments. Interactive artworks may also be made mobile, bringing an experience to passers by. When art is placed within an interactive environment like Kiwiburn, participants will invent unexpected forms of interaction, and you should be prepared for this. However, with planning, we have found nearly any form of conventional art can be created with an interactive aspect.
Relevance to theme
Relevance is about pertinence and connectedness. Most Kiwiburn themes are quite open to interpretation and intended as a springboard for creativity, so how your art is relevant to the theme is up to you. What weâd like to see is your interpretation of how your art interacts with the theme based in your own paradigm. We ask you to provide an explanation of your art with your submission to help us see its relevance in the overall space of Kiwiburn.
Wow factor
Wow factor is the degree to which the first impression of something makes a person say âWow!â You know when you randomly come across something someoneâs made, and you stand there with your jaw on the floor, trying to find words to articulate what youâre feeling? Or even how it was created? Thatâs what weâre looking for here. Whether itâs an amazing application of a simple idea, an abstract concept made simple, a new take on an old theme, or just something really really cool/funky/shiny, if it makes us go âWowâ we want it at Kiwiburn.
Ingenuity
Ingenuity is what happens in the space between a problem and a solution. Ingenuity isnât a linear process but involves various dimensions of human cognition, intention, learning and the creation of novelty. These processes interact with each other as we try out ideas, fail, learn, modify, and try again. New ways of organising ourselves, new ways of communicating, new ways of making things work. How can we use the natural environment? Or minimise waste in interesting and new ways? Kiwis are famous for this, Burners are famous for this â show us your ingenuity!
Cost effectiveness
What weâre looking for here is âBang for the Buckâ. We might be artists, but weâre also practical. Does the amount youâve asked for realistically coincide with what will be produced? Is there evidence of use of recycled and naturally-sourced materials? Have you borrowed your mateâs tools instead of buying new ones? While we understand that any creation will cost money to make, weâd like you to show us how your art will be produced in the non-consumerist spirit of Kiwiburn by avoiding unnecessary expense, and how the cost will be used to create an experience for the participants interacting with your piece.
Ability to produce what is proposed
This takes into consideration an artist’s track record with building or making stuff on the paddock at other festivals and in the default world (if they have – we welcome first timers)! We will also consider other transferable skills and the strength of the application to assure us that you are capable of bringing your ideas to life. We often consult as a team and with external experienced artists about ambitious plans – can it be pulled off?
Environmentally Aware
While new materials are sometimes needed, the Leave No Trace principle requires us to consider our impact on the environment and our planet, beyond just MOOP. We want you to think about the life cycle and supply chain of all of the components of your piece. What are the materials made from? Who makes them, where have they come from? What will happen to your piece once it leaves the Paddock? Not all projects need to be 100% upcycled and made from reusable materials (although weâre not against it!), but we want evidence that you have thought about and included a sustainable approach. It ties in with Cost Effectiveness too!
Accessibility
Radical Inclusion requires art to be accessible by all. We want to know how your art brings radical inclusion to life. We will be looking for ways that our community can engage with your art, whether it is big or small. Does it awaken the senses? Does it create a physically and culturally safe place? Does it encourage a diverse range of engagement?
What we wonât fund:
- Artist fees/artist labour
- Kiwiburn tickets
- Funding for goods purchased from the artists company. If you are getting goods at cost through your own company, you will need to supply the company purchase receipts from the original supplier to claim the goods.
- Theme Camps. We do not fund Theme Camps as these are spaces that are not always accessible to all Kiwiburners and can be perceived as decor. A Theme Camp is defined as: a group of people camping together, sharing facilities ie: kitchen, lounge, hangout space. Theme Camps typically offer gifts/services to the community. Theme Camps are awesome – but we ainât giving you money! We have recently changed our rules around funding art that is placed nearer to Theme Camps  (e.g. if you need to share a generator, or keep an eye on your art) â but we need to make sure this is a specific and separate project – please get in touch if you have questions around this  (see also: notes below regarding placement).
- Stages
- Equipment or resources that after the event become âcool things you ownâ. This oneâs a bit hard to explain and is at KACâs discretion. An example could be a Gazebo to house your project in, or a solar panel for the top of your van that you needed/wanted to buy anyway.
- Folks that might have a bad track record. You applied for a grant in the past and didnât deliver? Sorry, fool us once! However, we do take into consideration personal circumstances if you are unable to complete your art piece. Just talk to us!
- Certain elements of transportation (e.g. petrol to get to the event). We may fund transport specific to the art project, for example: trailers or international baggage.
- Artwork that will create MOOP (or is MOOP).
- Pyro and fuel for Effigy pre-show entertainment.
- When performances or workshops are funded, we may require the artist(s) to offer a certain number of these events in order to fund.
Leave no Trace/MOOP Policy
- In line with the principles of Kiwiburn, all artists are expected to Leave No Trace after the festival.
- The KAC reserves the right to partially withhold grant money if an applicant fails to leave no trace – this amount is at the discretion of KAC.
- If a grantee does leave MOOP, the KAC will take this into account when the artist is applying for another grant and they may be denied a grant on these grounds, or less funds allocated.
A few other things of note:
- Returning Art – new art that has not been to the Paddock before (or funded previously) will have priority over returning art, or art that we have funded before. This is to support new artists and encourage a diverse range of art unseen by the community. We encourage returning art (as it has a fanbase and we love âthe classicsâ) to seek funding from the community and would be happy to help promote this through the official Kiwiburn channels. KAC reserves the right to stop funding these art projects if we feel we have invested enough resources in these pieces over the years.
- Placement – We understand placing art near your Theme Camp can be helpful, so this year we’ll work with you to support this where needed (e.g. sustainability of power supply). Your art must be accessible e.g. on the road front, so participants donât have to enter your camp to engage with it. If this would be helpful for your art, please let us know your requirements in your application.
- We love seeing Kiwiburn art have life at other locations and other events â but if weâre paying for it, we want to see it first! This means that if we are funding your art, the first viewing must be at Kiwiburn. Afterwards – we encourage you to share it at other events/locations with our best wishes.
- Tickets – all granted artists are guaranteed a reserve ticket, if needed (which you still have to purchase). For larger projects, we may be able to secure more than one ticket, so let us know about your crew needs. Kiwiburn has become very popular now and tickets are harder to come by so any reserves tickets are for crucial members of the team only.
- Due to our resource consent – Early Entry (pre-event) onto site is limited to only those that have to be there! If you require Early Entry to be able to complete your project, then please make sure you mention this in the part of the form that asks about the timeline of your project and provide the reasons why. Early access is not guaranteed, your request will be considered alongside all other requests and prioritised. And donât forget – Wednesday is setup day!.
- We particularly encourage MÄori and Pasifika people to apply for these grants. We also have no lower age-limit on accepted grantees (we might just need ya parents to help you out with the money stuff)!
- It is expected that the artwork produced by the grantees maintains the spirit of the proposal submitted to the KAC. We understand that often ideas change and evolve, just flick us an email with your new thinking. If it is deemed by KAC to differ too greatly from the proposal without prior communication, KAC may withhold the grant money.
- Communication – If for whatever reason you cannot complete your art piece in time for Kiwiburn, please tell us as soon as you can! We understand life happens, but we would love to work at reallocating these funds. Communication is key! If you let us know your needs or changes in good time, youâll be in good stead for future grant applications.
We wanna see what you can do! Go on, apply!
More questions?
Contact the friendly team at artgrants@kiwiburn.com