Apply for Chapter Recognition
What Makes It an Art Cheerleaders Project?
The Art Cheerleaders are open to adaptation, but not every cheerleading-themed art project is part of this lineage. A project may be recognized as part of the Art Cheerleaders lineage if it:
- acknowledges the original Art School Cheerleaders;
- uses cheerleading as a performance language;
- engages art, artists, art institutions, art education, cultural labor, or arts advocacy;
- includes satire, critique, or public commentary;
- documents its authorship and participants;
- respects the project’s anti-harassment and anti-hate principles;
- receives review and acceptance by the archive stewards.
A project may be described as “inspired by the Art Cheerleaders” if it draws from the lineage but has not been reviewed or accepted as an official chapter. A project should not be presented as an official Art Cheerleaders chapter if it:
- uses the name without attribution;
- treats the project only as a costume party or novelty act;
- removes the art advocacy / art critique framework;
- uses the form to harass, demean, or target vulnerable people;
- promotes hate speech or discriminatory content;
- misrepresents its relationship to the original group;
- uses historical images, cheers, or logos commercially without permission.
Recognition Categories
Official Archive
Historical materials from the SMFA Art School Cheerleaders, the Richmond Art Cheerleaders, and related institutional documentation.
Official Chapter
A new or revived group reviewed and recognized by the Art Cheerleaders stewards as part of the ongoing lineage.
Affiliated Project
A temporary collaboration, event, exhibition, workshop, class project, or performance connected to the Art Cheerleaders but not operating as a continuing chapter.
Inspired By
A project that acknowledges the Art Cheerleaders as an influence but is not reviewed, governed, or archived as part of the official lineage.
Under Review
Submitted materials that have not yet been verified, captioned, credited, or approved for public archive inclusion.
Contextual Reference
Related feminist cheerleading, performance-art, arts-advocacy, or institutional-critique projects that help explain the broader cultural context but are not Art Cheerleaders chapters.