Thursday, April 16, 2009

RECOMMENDATION LETTERS

Q: Dear Mira,
I enjoyed meeting you at the TransCultural Exchange conference in Boston—your talk was so informative. I'd like to invite you to my studio in New York whenever you are in town. I'm in the process of researching residencies (there's a lot out there). I wonder how you handle the letters of recommendation that are requested by residencies, grant organizations, etc.. Do you stockpile these letters in your files and use as needed or do you ask your contact people for a letter each time the requests come up?(I hate asking-it feel like begging.) It's especially tricky when the organization wants the letter sent directly from the recommender.

A: Thanks for writing and great to hear from you. I'm glad you liked the talk I gave. As for recommendation letters, unfortunately, you need to contact those people in advance, send them a brief description of what you are planning on doing, a little info on the place, and so on. The letter should be specific to what you are asking for. I know. It's a pain in the butt and who likes to bother anyone? But it's just part of the deal and remember that those people whom you are asking have also been the ones who asked in the past. For some things you can use a standard letter from someone but not that often. An example of this is when someone is leaving an MFA program and they create a professional file in the career office. When that former student applies for a teaching job, the office just sends out the student's file which contains their CV, other related materials and general letters regarding his/her teaching experience.
A couple hints: ask WAY in advance (no one likes to get asked at the last minute), ask someone who knows you and your work well, and make sure you send a nice thank you email or card. Those thank you's go a long way! Hope that helps!
Mira

Welcome to Mira's List

This blog provides information on upcoming grants, fellowships and residencies for artists, writers, composers, and media artists. It is for serious professionals only, from emerging to mid-career to established. I also publish information for graduate students from time to time. However, I do not publish information on exhibition or publishing opportunities, nor do I advertise artist retreats and workshops that charge money. At least that is my current policy. For more info on where to exhibit or publish, please see my links section which I try to periodically update. I sift through hundreds of search engines and websites to find opportunities for YOU dear artist. In return, I ask you to pass the information along to those who need it. Also, since this is a free blog, I don't always have the time to weed carefully through everything. If you find a grant or website or residency that is not up-to-date, is dodgy in some way, or is no longer in existence, please let me know! Also, if you stay somewhere at one of the residencies I suggest and have a good experience, I want that feedback too. Please check my FAQs at the top right side bar if you have questions before starting your search. Best wishes and happy hunting!