2009 - 4CULTURE INVESTS OVER HALF A MILLION IN
COUNTY ARTISTS
Arts Projects Program Supports Artist Jobs and
Provides Access to Art in Communities throughout King County
4Culture is delighted to announce that the Board of Directors has approved $626,110 in awards to King County groups and individuals for arts projects. The awards will support projects by 94 individual artists and 75 groups, in all artistic disciplines: media, music, theater, dance, interdisciplinary, visual and literary. 4Culture's Group Arts Projects and Individual Artist Projects programs are evaluated in two separate application and panel processes.
This year's panelists remarked that the number of applications requesting support to pay fellow artists or collaborators was particularly high. For example, in the Individual Artist Projects process, 51 of the 94 recipients stated that they would be using 4Culture funds to support the work of other artists in conjunction with their project. Forty-four (44) of the 94 recipients stated that they would be using 4Culture funds to purchase materials, pay professional fees (e.g. film duplication) and equipment rental or purchase. Additionally, the number of applications received overall was much higher than in previous years. 4Culture's Executive Director Jim Kelly remarks:
Even as private and public support for the arts ebbs in response to economic uncertainty, artists' ability to respond and create new work is as strong as ever. Likewise, our communities continue to crave opportunities to come together, experience and be inspired by art. We're pleased to be able to help foster the creation of 169 projects in the coming year, which will benefit citizens throughout the county.
INDIVIDUAL ARTIST PROJECTS
Through Individual Artist Projects, $330,015 was awarded to 94 projects, such as, adapting printmaking to animation, providing venues for critical writing about visual art, continuing the development of a film about a wetlands area, taking time away from a day job to complete a novel. For the second consecutive year, applications to Individual Artist Projects were significantly increased. The individual peer panels reviewed 341 applications, up from 220 applications in 2008. Ninety-four (94) individual artists were awarded a total of $330,015 in funding this year.
A full list of funded Individual Projects can be found here.
- Shawn Wong - Funds to offset expenses while writing a new novel The Ancient Life of an Asian Businessman, about a man who finds himself entirely anonymous on a trip to Europe.
- Heather Ayres - Finishing funds for My Time with Betty, a short, character-driven narrative film about mental illness, exploring truth vs illusion and captivity vs the chase for freedom.
- Thione Diop - Funding to help pay artists and offset production and publicity expenses for a new CD/Video project featuring local musicians from Senegal, West Africa.
Heather Dew Oaksen, Individual Art Projects recipient states,
"The peer panel review process is rigorous and highly competitive so it is truly an honor to have my art recognized by experienced artists who have been engaged by what they see, and hear. Their positive response and 4Culture's financial support remind me (daily) that we do not create in isolation, but depend on our communities to thrive. Halleluiah!"
GROUPS ARTIST PROJECTS
Through Groups Arts Projects, $296,095 was awarded to 75 projects, including community art festivals, film festivals, concert series, music recordings, exhibitions, dance, and theater performances. The peer review panels reviewed 106 applications from groups and organizations. Sixty-four (64) groups – 60% - were awarded $296,095, with 55%, receiving the full amount of funding requested.
A full list of funded Group Arts Projects can be found here.
- CineSeattle - Funds to curate and produce the first International Latino Film Festival in the region; screening four days of independent Latino films.
- Erwilian - Accessible and family-friendly Folk Music concerts in Auburn.
- James Washington Jr. Foundation – Funds for a poster workshop and exhibition for Central District youth focusing on Dr. Washington's legacy in the visual arts and social activism.
Lonnie Tristan Rentieria of CineSeattle, Groups Arts Projects recipient states,
"CineSeattle appreciates the support to establish a diverse ensemble of films that focus on International Latino realities. We appreciate that our voices for representation are being heard and that public agencies recognize the richness of what our collective cultures bring to the region." |
