Grant Proposal ...Awarded October 1999 Over the past five years I have been a student of the Japanese Tea Ceremony, through lessons at the Japan Center of the University. Recently I had the opportunity to further these studies by participating in monthly lessons from a master teacher at the teahouse in the botanical gardens in Birmingham. My interest in Japanese culture and arts has been growing, and has taken several forms, particularly in the shaping of a garden at my own residence. As an artist I have worked in many different media but the most satisfying work has come from making first hand observations and bringing together images and materials in a way that creates a personal statement of my own vision. For some time I have been planning a trip to Kyoto, to the heart and capital of Japanese arts and culture, to experience for myself the famous gardens and temples there. I plan to take two cameras to collect the sights, textures and images of the city. One will be a traditional camera and the other a digital camera. . I plan to create a CD containing images in a Jpeg format which I will most likely entitle "Six Days in Kyoto". My traveling companion, Nancy Tanton is a former Tuscaloosan and professional photographer who now resides in Raleigh, North Carolina and is the Assistant Director of an arts center there. She also has a Master's degree in Oriental Art History, so she shares my passion to experience the treasures of Kyoto First hand. I have managed to accumulate enough frequent flyer miles with American Airlines to obtain a ticket. It is an ambitious trip for me and of course there will be other travel expenses involved . My plan is to create work for a show based on the images I collect during this trip. That is in the form of approximately. six photographic images, most likely produced on a large format ink jet printer (or possibly paintings) and six mixed media sculptures in boxes that express the essence of the culture with the tea ceremony as the central theme. I anticipate that the sculptures may have elements in common with some of my earlier work, such as two-dimensional images in the tops with multiple mixed media forms inside the boxes. Some of the materials may be common materials such as rocks, straw, or rice along with those I fabricate from clay, fabric or wood. The trip will most likely be in the spring of 2000 and most of the work will be underway during the second half of the grant year. Although most all of the materials required would be purchased during this period it would be the following year that I expect final completion of the project culminating in a show. I certainly plan to have a local showing, which could possibly at the Bama Theatre Gallery. I believe that to some degree all artistic projects should remain open to the direction and exact form the work takes. Receiving funding for materials to create this work would be a major encouragement to me to produce a serious, related body of work on a central theme. A small grant would also lend support to my request to take the time for the trip as consulting time from the University to pursue an artistic endeavor. $750.00 was awarded by The tuscaloosa Fine Arts Council Statement of estimated funds I plan to spend for travel Cash value of frequent flyer award with American airlines $1,300 Travel expenses for 10 days $120 per day $1,200 Total $2,500 $750.00 was awarded by The Tuscaloosa Fine Arts Council toward these expenses The $600 dollars I am requesting would be applied to the following expenses: Materials and supplies needed to produce this show, which are broken down as follows:   Film and development of 12 rolls of film $15 each $180 Six large format Inkjet prints $40 each $240 Mounting and framing of prints $50 each $300 Six wooden boxes (approx36"x14"x8"deep) $50 each $300 Six simple wooden stands (To display boxes at correct visual height) $50 each $300 Other materials and supplies such as glass, clay, fabric,wood etc. $250 Total $1570