Seed Fund Pilot Program

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Two of the main goals of Fund the Flow Arts are spreading knowledge of the Flow Arts to the general public, and deepening the artistry of Flow Arts practitioners. With these in mind, we are pleased to announce the pilot year of the Seed Fund – a grant program that will award small amounts (up to $1,000) for projects that meet these goals.

What makes this a pilot program? It’s the first time we are offering this program, and this initial run is a “proof of concept” for our grantmaking. We are testing our application procedures, seeing what kind of project ideas are generated, and seeing how the field of flow arts works with a formal grants process. What we learn through this process will help us shape and grow this program in the future, and help us learn how to most effectively serve our community.

Most likely, not every proposal will be funded. During the evaluation process, we’ll be looking at those projects that have the highest potential for the broadest public impact.

The application deadline is 14 November 2011 and the process is very simple: download the PDF or Word version of the form (“Save As” to your computer), answer the questions (you can type right in the text fields) and return by email to flowarts@gmail.com. You can either attach the completed form to the email or copy and paste your responses into the body of the email. (The submit button isn’t working properly.)

We hope to announce award recipients before Thanksgiving. Good luck!

> Click here to download the Seed Fund Application (pdf)

> Click here to download the Seed Fund Application (word)

Fund the Flow Arts launches!

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We are excited to announce the launch of Fund the Flow Arts! The Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the emergence, evolution, and expansion of the Flow Arts.

“Flow Arts” has become an overarching term for the up-and-coming movement-based artforms that integrate dance and creative exploration of movement with skill-based prop manipulation. The Flow Arts draw from a multitude of ancient and modern movement disciplines from tai-chi and Maori poi spinning, to martial arts and juggling, to circus arts, hula hooping and modern firedancing.
> Click here to learn more about the Flow Arts!

The Fund’s two inaugural programs are:

Flowarts.net: An online community portal that provides resources for beginner to advanced Flow artists. Join to connect and find tools and resources to build artistry, technique, and community.

The Flow Show: An annual Flow Arts performance showcase presented in San Francisco with more cities to follow in the future. The dates for this year’s Flow Show are 29 April – 1 May. Get your tickets, support the Flow Arts and enjoy the Show!

The idea for the Fund was planted in late 2010. Its founders Khan Wong, Prisna Nuengsigkapian and Sean von Stade have been working behind the scenes with flow artists from around the world to launch this website, and the Fund’s two inaugural programs. Since then Lily Rasel has joined the Fund’s Board and we are looking to recruit more Board members.
> Click here to read more about the history of the Fund and the Board.

We invite you to support the Flow Arts Fund by seeding it, making a donation, or getting involved.

The Flow Show channel

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Performances from previous editions of the Flow Show can be viewed at the Flow Show channel. on FlowArts.net YouTube.

FlowArts.net

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Flowarts.net is an online community resource portal created to foster the development of the Flow Arts, and to inspire and enable a broader audience to discover and enjoy the artform.

From written articles to photos and videos, Flowarts.net provides a wide range of curated informational and inspirational resources for beginners to advanced practitioners. Users can explore and discuss many forms of object manipulation, including poi, staff, hoop, sphere, wand/levi-stick, buugeng and many others.

The site also seeks to foster a global culture and community of Flow practitioners and encourage the connections between them. Dedicated users and moderators provide quality content and management of the site.

There are several other online social spaces for the spinning arts. The focus here is not on socializing for its own sake, but on quality instructions and inspiration to help users take the artform – technically and artistically – to the next level, and on providing opportunities for insight, inspiration, collaboration and connection across Flow Arts disciplines.

Flowarts.net is currently in beta and is aiming to launch this summer. Visit FlowArts.net!

Get Involved

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Fund the Flow Arts is a US 501c3 nonprofit organization in service of the Flow Arts and the Flow Arts community worldwide.

Our current program and expense areas are in the production and promotion of several Flow Shows around the US, as well as the Seed Fund grant program that seeks to provide stimulus to projects whose missions and goals are aligned with those of FFA, creating community around or promoting knowledge of the artform to the general public.

Ways to get involved:

Volunteer: Fund the Flow Arts is a nonprofit organization that relies on volunteers for most of its operations. If you’d like to get involved and help out with future events (in exchange for free admission and possibly schwag), get in touch by emailing flowarts(at)gmail(dot)com.

Join the Board! Fund the Flow Arts is currently recruiting members for our Board of Directors. If you have experience or expertise in any of the areas listed below, or if you would just like to participate in building the world’s first nonprofit dedicated to developing and spreading love of the Flow Arts, please get in touch!

Specifically, we could use individuals with experience in any of the following:

  • Fundraising
  • Accounting/Finance
  • Marketing
  • Website Development
  • Event Production
  • Strategic Planning

Make a tax-deductible contribution. While our current activities do generate a bit of revenue, our earned income will not be enough to grow our programming and offer the services we have planned in an effective way. Current plans call for supporting the Flow Shows around the US, and implementing grants to Flow Artists and communities.

Contact us: flowarts(at)gmail(d0t)com

Coming Soon

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We are currently working on getting our non-profit status and refining our other programs, including small grants and master classes. Keep an eye on this space for future announcements and look out for the Flow Show and Flow Arts.net in early 2011!