Calling All Emerging Writers, Painters Over 45, Musicians, Dancers and Other Creative Creatures in Need of Sustenance!

Hey everyone, Mirabee is still alive and kicking! Sorry about not seeing some of you in Chicago. That was pretty disappointing BUT my reading at Book Cellar has been rescheduled for September 22nd, 2011 and there will be another reading in the Chicago area that week as well, probably in Winnetka. Stay tuned....

For now, I'm trying not to sit long at the computer so I'll be brief (still very much on the mend....not great but not bad)....just want to remind you all that this coming week I will be reading at Raab Auditorium at the Boston Public Library at a free event sponsored by TransculturalExchange. My reading will be on Thursday, April 7th at 6:30 but please come to the other readings as well: Reif Larsen (reading at 5:30 pm) the amazing author of The Collected Works of T. S. Spivet, a genre-breaking illustrated novel and Jayne Anne Phillips (reading at 7:30) wonderful author of several books, most recently Lark and Termite. For more info about this event and the rest of the conference (YOU CAN STILL REGISTER FOR THE ENTIRE CONFERENCE, believe it or not!), please go here: http://transculturalexchange.org/conference_2011/schedule.htm

Also, for those of you in the Boston area who are interested in learning more about publishing your first book, from finding an agent, working with editors to promoting your book, you are more than welcome to come to on yet another TCE sponsored free public eventFriday afternoon, April 8th from 1:30 to 3:30 pm in the Boston Room at the Boston Public Library. I'll be moderating a panel with novelist and editor Jedediah Berry (The Manual of Detection) and poet Marissa Crawford (The Haunted House). For more info, go here: http://transculturalexchange.org/conference_2011/schedule.htm

I'll also be reading at Fairfield Library in Fairfield, CT on April 14th AND in New York Friggin' City on April 19th and 20th. I'll be at the Strand on the 19th and The Cake Shop on the 20th. Please check my calendar for details: www.thememorypalace.com.

Enough of THAT stuff, on to YOU:

(MUSICIANS/COMPOSERS) Exploring the Metropolis administers the Con Edison Musicians’ Residency: Composition Program. Heading into its third year, this expanding program serves three constituencies: (1) composers get consistent, long-term, private creative space; (2) host cultural facilities fill underused space and also present the composer in a public program; (3) the community is invited to at least one free program – a master class, an opera-in-progress, etc. This year, we will be expanding the program to accommodate 8 NYC-based composers in 4 sites (Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens). Online applications will be available early April 2011. If you’d like to be notified of the next call for applications in spring 2011, sign up for their e-newsletter. http://exploringthemetropolis.org/musicians-residency

(DANCERS/ PERFORMING ARTS/FILM) Dance MOViES Commission Program—The Experimental Media & Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY is now accepting proposals for the DANCE MOViES Commission program. Selected artists receive awards ranging up to $40,000, and can also apply to create their works in conjunction with the Artist-in-Residence program at EMPAC. Works commissioned may take advantage of EMPAC’s infrastructure and technology, such as computer-controlled rigging, flexible black-box studios, and post-production engineering for audio and video. Previously commissioned works range from a punk marching band creating mayhem in the streets of Chicago to a poetic film based on the autobiographical account of a US-based African choreographer returning to dance in Zimbabwe. Read more about EMPAC and the DANCE MOViES Commission. Questions: 518-276-3918 or lesteh@rpi.edu. Deadline: April 18, 2011

(ARTISTS) Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Foundation Grant is offered to American painters aged 45 or older who demonstrate financial need. The primary emphasis is to promote public awareness and a commitment to American art, as well as encouraging interest in artists who lack adequate recognition. Questions: Call 508-487-1750 or visit www.paam.org Deadline: August 15, 2011.

(ARTISTS) Galeria Bielska BWA is happy to announce the first edition of Artist In Residence programme. Artists from around the world working in the field of visual arts, are kindly invited to send a proposal for a site-specific work, an intervention in the public space of the Bielsko-Biała city.

During three months artists will have the time and chance to research, develop and make an art project in the public space which will relate to the subject of Beyond the time and to the history of the city. Besides the opportunity of showing your work in a public space Galeria Bielska BWA will include the digital presentation of the works made during the residency in the exhibition 1^st of September. The Gallery provides two apartments, living room, fully furnished with kitchen and bathroom. Artist pays own travel expenses, materials and personal needs.

How to apply: Please send the project proposal, CV/Statement (maximum 3 A4 pages) and portfolio (preferred format: Pdf )- in Polish or English via e-mail to the project coordinator Izabela Ołdak, e-mail: izabela.oldak@gmail.com before 30^th of April. For more information please contact the project coordinator. Deadline April 30, 2011.

(ALL) Vermont Creation Grants—Applicants to this category must be able to demonstrate that the primary component of the proposal is to fund the time, supplies, facilities (rehearsal or studio), etc. for the creation of new work. Work may be at various stages of completion. Grant amount $3,000. The council typically
awards 10-12 grants. Deadline May 2, 2011.For more info, go to: http://vermontartscouncil.org/Grants/ForArtists/CreationGrants/tabid/80/Default.aspx

Calling all Sound Artists, Composers, Performance Artists, Architects, Artists, Choreographers, Sculptors and Landscape Designers!

(ALL) Call for Proposals—Thanatopolis at I-Park: The I-Park Foundation, a not-for-profit international arts community sited within an expansive nature preserve in East Haddam, Connecticut (USA), is seeking creative proposals in the
following disciplines:

Music Composition/Sound Sculpture
Visual Arts/Environmental Sculpture
Theater/Choreography/

Performance Art
Landscape/Garden Design
Architecture
Landscape Architecture

Thanatopolis, an alternative memorial park/space in the advanced conceptual phase of its development, is looking for works that harmonize with the long-term goal of the project, which is to re-imagine our cultural and personal relationship to death, memory and memorialization - and to engage the above creative fields to bring about a new, profoundly sacred and evocative landscape/sound-space.

Those invited to execute their physical, performance or music/sound sculpture pieces for the Thanatopolis Exhibition will receive a creative fee of $2,000 plus a budget for travel, materials and incidental expenses. Applicants invited to exhibit 'paper' (un-executable, future, conceptual) projects will receive a creative fee of $700. Additional funding may be available depending on the scope of the individual projects. Selected projects will be presented at the Thanatopolis Exhibition on October 2, 2010

Deadline: all submissions must be received by July 5, 2010.
See links for details. Thanatopolis Overview: http://www.i-park.org/Thanos.html
FAQ: http://www.i-park.org/Thanatopolis2010_FAQ.pdf
I-Park Website: www.i-park.org
Detailed Call for Entries, Music/Sound Sculpture:
http://www.i-park.org/MusicandSound.html
Questions: contact Agnes Miyuki at thanatopolis@gmail.com
Application Deadline: July 5, 2010.

DANCE RESIDENCY IN TRINIDAD, LBGT SCHOLARSHIPS, FIBER ARTS GRANTS AND MORE!

(DANCERS & PERFORMANCE ARTISTS) Artist Residency in Trinidad: The Republic of Sydenham welcomes proposals from international dance and performance artists who are interested in a self-directed residency in Port of Spain. Self-directed residencies are opportunities where the artist is free to experiment and explore new directions in the production of his or her work. Interaction with other artist residents is encouraged through creative collaboration, showings, and informal discussion. Applications are open to professional dance and performance artists from all around the world. The next application submission date is January 1, 2010. Please contact the Program Coordinator, Jennifer Joyce at republicresidency@gmail.com and/or visit the website for more information: http://makedathomas.org/resapp.aspx.

(ARTISTS) NYC Residency in the Art of Illumination: The Illumination Atelier, an on-going project in the arts, seeks individuals interested in learning the fine art of illumination. The Illumination Atelier will provide an introduction to the history and special characteristics of manuscript illumination and illuminated painting. Apprentices will work on and complete the actual illuminated paintings, utilizing knowledge gained in the Atelier setting and the specific characteristics of illumination pertinent to the current project. The Atelier accepts two live-in interns per internship period; non live-in interns are welcome at all times during the year, depending upon available openings. Interns are provided with full board during their internship residency.

Interns also receive nine months of free studio space within a larger, shared space with 24/7 access. Living space is not provided. There is a modest one-time stipend depending on funding. There is no monthly living stipend.The deadline is April 2010. Please check website for more details: http://www.efiaf.org/atelier.htm or write: info@efiaf.org.

(ALL/SCHOLARS) Five College Women's Studies Research Center Associateships: The Center invites applications for its RESEARCH ASSOCIATESHIPS for 2009-2010 from scholars and teachers at all levels of the educational system, as well as from artists, community organizers and political activists, both local and international. Associates are provided with offices in our spacious facility, faculty library privileges, and the collegiality of a diverse community of feminists. Research Associate applications are accepted for either a semester or the academic year. The Center supports projects in all disciplines so long as they focus centrally on women or gender. Research Associateships are non-stipendiary. Deadline is February 8, 2010. For further information, contact the Center at TEL 413.538.2275, FAX 413.538.3121, email fcwsrc@fivecolleges.edu, or visit the website: http://www.fivecolleges.edu/sites/fcwsrc/.

(STUDENTS) Scholarships for LGBT Students: Point Foundation (Point), the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students of merit, announces the opening of its 2009 application season. Students who will be enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs for the 2008-09 school year are eligible to apply for the prestigious, multi-year scholarships. Applications for the 2009 cycle will be available January 2, 2009 and close March 1, 2009. The application process is open to all LGBT students in the U.S.A., regardless of level of education or citizenship. However, all scholars must attend an accredited college or university in the United States.For more info, go to: http://www.pointfoundation.org.

(CHILDREN'S BOOK WRITERS & ILLUSTRATORS) SCBWI Golden Kite Awards: The Golden Kite Awards offers $2,500 to authors and illustrators in four categories: fiction, nonfiction, picture book text, and picture book illustration. Editors of winning books will also receive $1,000, and for the winning book in the Picture Book Illustration category, an additional $1,000 will be given to the book’s art director. Authors and illustrators must be SCBWI members. Please visit the web site for more details: www.scbwi.org. Deadline is December 15, 2009.

**I will do a special post (hopefully soon), addressing the very underrated yet incredibly vital world of Children's book writing and illustrating, so stay tuned!

(ALL) The Harry Ransom Center Fellowships: The Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin annually awards over 50 fellowships to support scholarly research projects in all areas of the humanities, including literature, photography, film, art, the performing arts, music, and cultural history. Applicants must demonstrate the necessity of substantial on-site use of the Center's collections. The fellowships range from one to three months, with stipends of $3,000 per month. Also available are $1,200 to $1,700 travel stipends and dissertation fellowships with a $1,500 stipend. Complete applications for the 2010-2011 Research Fellowships in the Humanities must be received by February 1, 2010. More information about the fellowships and complete application instructions are available online at http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/fellowships/

(WRITERS/SCHOLARS) Schomburg Center Fellowships: The Schomburg Center Scholars-in-Residence Program assists those scholars and professionals whose research in the black experience can benefit from extended access to the Center's resources. Fellowships funded by the Center will allow recipients to spend six months or a year in residence with access to resources at the Schomburg Center and other centers of the New York Public Library. The program encourages research and writing on black history and culture, facilitates interaction among participating scholars, and provides wide-spread dissemination of findings through lectures, publications, and colloquia and seminars. It encompasses projects in African, Afro-American, and Afro-Caribbean history and culture. For more information and for application qualifications and instructions, please visit the website for deadline and application information: http://www.nypl.org/research/sc/scholars/aboutscholar.html.

(FIBER ARTISTS) Fiber Artist Grant: This $500 grant is open to all national and international artists who work with Fiber Materials/Fiber Techniques (Textiles). All media welcome, traditional & contemporary, including public art and installation. Open to photography, ceramics, fibers, sculpture, printmaking, and video artists who tap into the fiber realm. If you are the winner, your images & a short bio will be added to the IFC website. Images of your work and research along with descriptions will also be included in the International Fiber Collaborative's 2009 May Newsletter. Deadline is February 15, 2010. For more information go to www.internationalfibercollaborative.com

NATIVE AMERICAN FELLOWSHIPS, DANCE GRANTS, BIG MONEY FOR FILMMAKERS AND MORE!

Greetings all...naturally, the announcements below have the usual Mira's List annoying formatting issues due to her inability to figure out the easy transition from Word doc. to Blog (great solutions from people who use PCs but not Macs...oh well). Anyway, the following announcements are from the Artist Trust, The Chicago Artists Resource, the Foundation Center and my own little meandering through cyberspace....happy hunting....more to come of course. And by the way, thanks for the donations this week! Cheers,

Mira

(ALL) Artistay Residency in France: Artistay is a service for artists, writers, architects, academics, art teachers, curators, etc looking for a short term stay as part of a residency program in France in order to realize a personal artistic project. Artistay works with several art places in France - artists residencies, writers retreats, art colonies, art centers, etc., offering a professional support to artists from all over the world. Residencies can last anywhere from two weeks to six months. Artistay service is free of charge. For more information visit: http://artistay.com/home.html.

(FILMMAKERS) Cinereach Grants: Cinereach is now accepting letters of inquiry and sample work for their winter grant cycle. The deadline is December 1, 2009. They will request full proposals from selected projects in January. Grants range from $5,000 to $50,000 and are awarded to films at any stage. For more information, visit their website: http://www.cinereach.org/.



(PERFORMING ARTS) Travel Subsidy Grants: Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and administered by Arts Presenters, the Cultural Exchange Fund (CEF) Travel Subsidy Program is a travel subsidy program awarding grants from $2k - $10k to assist US-based presenters working to build partnerships and collaborations with international touring artists, companies, and their collaborators. In promoting the display of work by artists from around the world in its own cultural context, APAP strongly encourages travel to the the following locations: the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Africa. More info: artspresenters.org

(DANCERS) Free Rehearsal Space for Chicago Dancers/Choreographers: DanceBridge is an initiative of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs to support Chicago's professional dance artists and choreographers and is now accepting proposals for its Winter 2010 sessionDanceBridge, an initiative of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. Its goal is to foster the creation of new and innovative work by Chicago-based dancemakers/choreographers. DanceBridge offers 10-12 hours/week of free rehearsal space in the Dance Studio of the Chicago Cultural Center for 12 week periods in the winter, summer, and fall. Application Deadline: November 13, 2009 for the Winter session, January 11 - April 9, 2010. Guidelines as well as the application can be found at www.cityofchicago.org/CulturalAffairs. On the left side of the screen, there is a link "Apply to DanceBridge."

(PERFORMING ARTISTS AND WRITERS) Kresge Foundation's Detroit Fellowships: The Kresge Foundation's Kresge Arts in Detroit initiative provides financial support for eighteen Kresge artist fellowships annually. Each fellowship consists of a $25,000 award and customized professional development opportunities for emerging and established metropolitan Detroit artists working in the visual, performing, and literary arts.

Applications are now being accepted for fellowships in the performing and literary arts. Performing Arts includes choreography, music composition (in all genres — classical, country, electronic, folk, hip-hop, jazz, rap, rock, etc.), performance art, spoken word, sound art, and interdisciplinary work within the above disciplines. Literary arts include art criticism in all disciplines (including literary, performing, and visual arts), creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, playwriting, and interdisciplinary work within the above arts disciplines. Deadline Feb. 26, 2010. http://www.collegeforcreativestudies.edu/.

(NATIVE AMERICAN ARTISTS) Expressive Arts Grants: NMAI's Expressive Arts program awards grants of up to $10,000 to support the creation and presentation of new works through the collaboration of two or more Native artists. Awards will specifically support the creation of new works for public performance that may include, but is not limited to, music, dance, spoken word, electronic media, costume design, mask making, set design, performance art, photography, painting, and other forms of expressive culture. The award is open to all indigenous peoples who hold citizenship in the Americas. Deadline: January 15, 2010. Complete program information is available at the National Museum of the American Indian Web site.

(ALL) Black Metropolis Research Fellowships: The Black Metropolis Research Consortium is accepting applications for two fellowship programs: One-or two-month fellowships plus a stipend of up to $3,000 will be offered to scholars, artists, educators, writers, and researchers for studies relating to African-American and African diasporic culture, history, and politics. http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/rfp_item.jhtml?id=272300024. Deadline: January 11, 2010.

(DANCERS) NEFA Production Grant: The New England Foundation for the Arts invites dance artists and companies to apply for a Production Grant for 2010. NEFA grants are highly competitive and award approximately 20 grants each year. The grants range from $25,000 to $40,000. Production grants will also receive touring support for the season following their works creation. The deadline for the first round for the grant process is March 2, 2010.

It is essential that the project applying for production grants engage audiences, explore collaborations within or across disciplines and involve creative and dynamic partnerships with one or more U.S. presenter partners. Touring grants also available. Visit the website for more information. Complete information can be found here: http://nefa.org/grants_services/production_grants.

(WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS) Dorothea Lange-Paul Taylor Documentary Prize: The year 2010 marks the twentieth anniversary of the Dorothea Lange–Paul Taylor documentary prize, a $20,000 award given annually by the Center for Documentary Studies. The Lange-Taylor Prize is offered to a writer and a photographer in the early stages of a documentary project. By encouraging such collaborative efforts, the Center for Documentary Studies supports the documentary process in which writers and photographers work together to record the human story. For more information, go to: http://www-cds.aas.duke.edu/l-t/index.html. Deadline: January, 31, 2010.

(ALL) Puffin Foundation Grants: The Puffin foundation is accepting grant proposals from emerging artists in the fields of art, music, photography, theater, and video. For more information, go to: http://www.puffinfoundation.org/grants/prospectiveapplicant.html. Deadline is December 15, 2009. This grant does not provide funding for the writing of books, nor does it provide for travel.

GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS, SCHOOL LOAN REPAYMENT INFO AND MORE

Today, I'll start with a quote by Martin Luther King Jr.: "Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better." On that note, here are a few tidbits for you recent grads, for women, scholars and others in the arts....coming soon will be some new FAQs! Oh, by the way, my book is going out today to publishers! Wish me luck and best to thee, Mirabee.

(RECENT GRADUATES) I originally got this announcement from artbistro.com about the new program in the U.S. for reducing student debt:
Income-Based Repayment Program:
Income-Based Repayment (IBR) is a new payment option for federal student loans. Starting July 1, 2009, it will help borrowers keep their loan payments affordable with payment caps based on their income and family size. For most eligible borrowers, IBR loan payments will be less than 10 percent of their income - and even smaller for borrowers with low earnings. IBR will also forgive remaining debt, if any, after 25 years of qualifying payments.

Who can use IBR? IBR is available to federal student loan borrowers in both the Direct and Guaranteed (or FFEL) loan programs, and covers most types of federal loans made to students, but not those made to parents. To enter IBR, you have to have enough debt relative to your income to qualify for a reduced payment. That means it would take more than 15 percent of whatever you earn above 150% of poverty level to pay off your loans on a standard 10-year payment plan. Click here for more information: http://www.ibrinfo.org/what.vp.html

(WOMEN) Career Development Grants
American Association of University Women, Career Development Grants: Career Development Grants offer up to $12,000 to women who hold a bachelor's degree and are preparing to advance their careers, change careers, or re-enter the work force. Special consideration is given to women of color, and women pursuing their first advanced degree or credentials in nontraditional fields. Write to: American Association of University Women, Career Development Grants, 301 Act Drive, Iowa City, IA 52243-4030 or e-Mail: aavw@act.org See web site for more details: www.aauw.org/education/fga/fellowships_grants/career_development.cfm. Application Deadline: December 15, 2009.
(RESEARCH) American Antiquarian Society: Research Fellowships
Long-Term Visiting Academic Research Fellowships: Long-Term Visiting Academic Research Fellowships provide support for four-to-twelve-month residences in the Society's library and carry stipends of up to $35,000. See web site for more details and deadlines. American Antiquarian Society, 185 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA 01609-1634. E-Mail: academicfellowships@mwa.org, Website: www.americanantiquarian.org/longterm.htm. Application Deadline: October 15, 2009.

(PERF. ART/DANCERS) Call for Proposals
STREB is pleased to request proposals for its Emerging Artists Commissioning Program, funded by the Ford Foundation, the Jerome Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts. The Commissioning Program, housed at the company’s Williamsburg home, SLAM, will accept proposals from artists whose work is movement-based, including choreographers, aerialists and circus artists. The goal of the program is to create a pool of artists who can capitalize on the resources distinct to SLAM. Either literally or conceptually, the space’s special and unusual characteristics and qualities should inform and inspire new and exciting creative experiments. Commissioning program artists will have various opportunities to showcase work throughout its development and to receive feedback from both STREB and audiences. Selected artists will receive a $2,000.00 grant plus a specific amount of time, space and resources tailored to the nature and scope of each particular project. For more info and application guidelines, go to: http://www.streb.org/V2/vision/commissions.html. All proposals must be received by July 13, 2009, 5:00pm.

PLEASE TAKE MY TWO SECOND POLL

It's a rainy evening in Western Massachusetts and I'm sitting here wondering: who are all of you wonderful people? How many of you are artists? Writers? How old are most of you or are you an amazing range of ages, disciplines and genders? I'd love it if you went to my right hand side bar and took two seconds to fill out my wee poll. There are only three questions: What do you do, how old are you, and what is your gender? Just click the right answer or answers and voilá, you will be finished in but a moment's time! I'd really appreciate your participation as it will help me better serve the artists who come to this site. The poll will close at the end of May so please take a second to fill it out. Thanks!

CALLING ALL ARTISTS, WRITERS, COMPOSERS, MUSICIANS, DANCERS, etc.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT: So I have been getting wonderful messages from people all over the world, thanking me for this blog, people from as far away as Ghana, Hungary, Sweden, and Brazil. I know I need to set up a poll to find out where the heck you guys are finding this site but until I do that, I kind of prefer the more personal approach, which is to: A. ask you how you found this blog and B: ask you to leave a comment below about what it is in particular you are looking for (a grant to travel to West Africa, for instance, or you are an emerging painter looking for a fellowship to study in Italy for a year or you are a mid-career writer who wants to just write poetry for a month, or you are a composer who just lost his job and needs emergency funding, etc.). I will read everything I get and store it into my wee brain for future postings.

As most of you know, I do this for free and am currently unemployed (let's hope I get a big advance on my book...soon to be sent out to publishers!) so I can't promise immediate action on your requests but anything you tell me will help shape the evolution of this blog so I can serve you better. And knowing where you are all finding me will help me in the future when I try to actually sit down and make an effort to be visible on search engines. I'm just trying to keep up with posting right now. Anyway, I am hoping that down the road, perhaps MFA programs or low-residency programs will want to advertise on my site so that can help it keep going. And I promise I will never put any flashing annoying pop-up ads on it, ever! That is one of the reasons I created this site. I cannot stand those hard-to-navigate-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink flashy arts websites that not only are impossible to read but they also charge money. I never want to charge for this site if I can help it. So please, if you have a second, tell me where you found me in a brief message and let me know if you are looking for anything in particular. Here at Mira's List, we live to serve. Well. We also live for art, dogs, music, food, graphic novels, baby animals, love, dreams, and the luminous sea. Cheers y'all. Mira

EMERGENCY GRANTS FOR EMERGING VISUAL AND PERFORMANCE ARTISTS

FOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS EMERGENCY GRANTS
Created in 1993, The Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants provides speedy funding for visual and performing artists who have unanticipated, sudden opportunities to present their work to the public, or who incur unexpected or un-budgeted expenses for projects underway and close to completion. The grants are intended to support the creation of innovative and experimental work, and are meant to assist individuals and groups when there is insufficient time to seek other sources of funding. Requests are primarily granted to artists who are "emerging" and have few sources of financial support. Emergency Grants applications are accepted year round; there is no deadline. There is no application form; please go to website for more information on how to apply: http://www.foundationforcontemporaryarts.org/grant_programs/immediate_needs.html. Grants are determined on a monthly basis. In 2007, grants ranged in amount from $200 to $2,000; the average grant was $1,000. In keeping with the FCA's mission of encouraging, sponsoring and promoting work of a contemporary, avant-garde nature, applicants must demonstrate that they are working within this context.