ARTIST CERTIFICATION GUIDELINES
Boston Redevelopment Authority

WHAT IS AN ARTIST CERTIFICATE?
An Artist Certificate is a letter from the BRA to an artist that confirms that the artist has been reviewed by a committee of peers and is “certified” as a working artist. An Artist Certificate qualifies an artist for a period of five years as eligible for artist spaces. Upon expiration, an artist will need to seek new certification.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR AN ARTIST CERTIFICATE?
Any artist who can demonstrate to a committee of peers that they have a recent body of work as an artist, and who requires loft-style space to support that work, is eligible. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age.

WHY DO I NEED AN ARTIST CERTIFICATE?
The BRA has launched a special initiative designed to retain and expand space for artists in Boston. A central element in this new initiative is the creation of new space permanently dedicated to artists through deed restrictions or other legally binding covenants. An individual who seeks to rent or purchase one of these artist spaces will be required to submit a current Artist Certificate as proof of eligibility.

WHO REVIEWS THE APPLICATION AND MAKES DECISIONS REGARDING CERTIFICATION?
Each application and related attachments is presented to a peer review committee. The committee is comprised from a pool of Boston artists and arts professionals who have been nominated to serve in this capacity. To make a nomination contact Heidi Burbidge at (617) 918-4306. The peer review committee certifies whether each applicant is able to demonstrate that s/he is a working artist. The decision of the peer review committee will be final. If an applicant is not certified during this round, s/he can reapply in a future round with further information.

HOW DO I GET AN ARTIST CERTIFICATE?
To obtain an Artist Certificate, an artist must submit a simple application form. Please see information below about how to receive the application form for the next certification round.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Each application must consist of any combination of the following materials:

Evidence of a recent body of work, created in the past 3 years, as documented in support materials such as slides, video, audiotapes and/or CDs; production photographs; scripts, works of fiction, non-fiction or poetry. Support materials need to be labeled (i.e. artist’s name, date of work)—do not submit original artwork;

Evidence that the artist has formal training in the arts, as documented in a resume that summarizes that training;

Evidence that the artist has presented his/her work in exhibition, performance, readings or comparable public programming, as documented in a resume, sample programs/invitations, catalogs, press clips, etc;

Up to 3 letters of recommendation from artists and/or arts professionals (i.e., curators, producers, teachers, etc.) who are recognized within the arts community and who will attest that the applicant is a serious, working artist. Please note: only submit letters of recommendation if you cannot present evidence of recent body of work, evidence of formal training and/or evidence that you have presented your work publicly.

The decision of the Peer Review Panel will be final. Please be sure to submit a complete application.

AUTOMATIC CERTIFICATION
Automatic certification is granted to artists who have received recent fellowships from the Mayor’s Office of Culture Affairs or Massachusetts Cultural Council. Any artist who has received a fellowship from the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs for the City of Boston, or been named a fellow or finalist through the Artist Grant Program of the Massachusetts Cultural Council in the past three calendar years is automatically eligible to receive an Artist Certificate. We cannot automatically certify artists who have received grants from their local arts lottery and/or the MCC’s Professional Development Grant Program, as they do not use a similar review process.

Please register for the BRA Artist Database at www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org or call Luis Thomas at (617) 918-4321.

Download application (PDF file)