I am a '95 graduate of the grad program in visual arts at the California
Inst. of the Arts. The Durfee Foundation makes grants to a few recent
graduates  to support year-long residencies (full- or part-time) with
California non-profit organizations. The residencies are designed to give
the artist an opportunity to work in collaboration with the non-profit and
to complete an art project that will benefit both the artist and the
non-profit.

I am very interested in doing a video project exploring mirages -- how they
happen, why we believe what we see, mirages in history and myth, our
attempts to reconcile the many ways we have of understanding the world --
and am interested in working with a science-center doing inquiry-based
science. I would like to work in collaboration with a group of students,
sharing what I am interested in, finding out what they know and what they
are curious about, etc. I used to work at the Computer Museum in Boston, so
I have some experience in museum education, but would really want to work
with an organization that has a pretty good program in place.

I am in the early planning stages of my grant-writing, and wonder if anyone
on the list has suggestions for approaching non-profits about this kind of
project. What is the best way to approach an organization? Who in the
organization might be most helpful? Are there any organizations that you
think might be interested?

Thanks much!

Margaret Pezalla
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