Generous Gift Increases Reach of 4Culture’s Grants for Artists
$419,500 awarded to King County Artists
Summary
4Culture announces the distribution of $419,500 to 71 artists in King County through its annual Art Projects grant. More artists are receiving funding as the result of a generous donation from The Project Room, an experimental non-profit organization for artists.
Full Release
4Culture has placed a priority on direct support to artists since the early 1970’s. The 2017 Art Projects program is providing $419,500 to King County artists working in all creative disciplines. This year, 71 artists were selected to receive project funding from a pool of 220 applicants.
4Culture increased the number of artists selected to receive project grants as a result of a $12,500 gift from The Project Room. An experimental arts organization that began in 2011 by founder Jess Van Nostrand to offer a platform for the development of new work and allow the public to participate in the creative process through a question based approach.
The Project Room disbanded in 2016 and chose to donate their remaining funds to 4Culture, seeing that the Art Projects grant process aligned with their mission and goals.
As one of a few annual grant programs for artists living in King County, 4Culture sees the clear need for financially supporting artists, recieving more than $2.5M in requests for funding.
Related Links
Project Examples
Paul Kikuchi will use his grant to create 9066, a work of music that will be performed at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington, which housed Japanese-American families returning to Seattle after incarceration during WWII. Named after the Executive Order that enacted internment, 9066 will engage community, raise awareness of this time in history, and reflect on our current political climate.
Monica Nevi will produce 80 for 80 a video mini-series highlighting the lives and contributions of King County residents over the age of 80. Nevi, an artist and stand-up comic, will use humor and conversation to give visibility to the diverse voices of the elderly in our region.
Project Selection
Projects were selected by a jury of artists. Panelists this year included: Jordan Alam, Jade Solomon Curtis, Frances Garcia, Sara Keats, Zhenya Lavy, Xavier Lopez, Gabriel Marquez, Alejandra Salinas, Asia Tail, Gabriel Teodros, Christine Texeira, Markeith Wiley, and Huameng Yu.
Quotes
“The perspective of artists is more important than ever in interpreting the times in which we live. Every year we receive more applications for good projects than we can possibly fund. We appreciate and acknowledge The Project Room’s gift which extends 4Culture’s ability to ignite creative sparks.”
– Jim Kelly, 4Culture’s Executive Director