United Arts is offering Artist in the Community Grants.

Posted on by Thor

I went to a workshop offered by Mary Giraulo, the United Arts of Central Florida Manager of Grants and Arts Education at the Maitland Arts Center (231 Packwood Ave, Maitland, FL). The room was pretty full and the Power Point presentation was already started. An author had read about my Life Sketch project where I went to retirement homes to sketch people and get their life stories. I had collaborated with several authors in the past. While they conducted the interview, I sketched. This worked for me because once I start a sketch, I’m lost in the moment until the final wash and lines hit the page. Any conversation is a distraction that takes me cot of my “zone”. One author I worked with took her own life and the other decided it was too much work after a few write ups.

I decided this grant would help pay for the author’s time as well as my own. She was considering a grant for another project as well. I asked at the workshop if an author could collaborate on one project and also get their own grant and it is possible. The tricky loop hole in this grant is that United Arts would only fund half the amount needed. The rest of the funding would have to come from private sources.  The maximum grant amount is $2,500. So I would need to match that amount.

Via e-mail the author let me know that she decided against collaborating on my project. I have 3 days to decide if I will apply for the grant on my own. Perhaps I don’t need an author but instead I could use a tape recorder. When I’m sketching people, they tell me stories even when my attention is mostly on the sketch. Perhaps I could ask a few questions and keep working. I have to finish a large illustration in the next few days and then maybe I’ll fill out all the paperwork. I’ve started keeping track of all the opportunities that are available as I move ahead and this is just one of many. As an artist, you have to pick your battles as you learn to survive as an artist.

Artist in Communities Workshop

Posted on by Thor

On February 1st I went to Casselberry Art House (127 Quail Pond Circle Casselberry, FL) to learn about the Artist in Communities Grant. Mary Giraulo outlined how to apply for a grant from United Arts. Several thousand dollars could be made available for individual artists who submitted community service projects in literature, media arts (film and digital), performing arts or visual arts in Lake, Orange, Osceola or Seminole counties. I was in the process of spending over $5,000 to frame work for a retrospective show. I hoped that a grant might help with the cost of showing my work to the community. I quickly learned that this years grants would not cover such expenses.

The Artist in Communities Grant insists that artists find a community organization like Community Centers, Social service, Main Street organizations, hospitals or schools to partner with. The grant is for a maximum of $2,500 and the grant award must be matched dollar for dollar by cash income from other sources. The artist project must be open to the public and must offer a service to the community and or involve community Collaboration..

I considered the idea of using a grant to expand the LifeSketch project I had started several years ago. That project involved going to retirement homes with an author and interviewing people to learn from their life experiences. While the interview was conducted, I would sketch. I had been working with an author but she commuted suicide.  I would have to sketch and conduct an interview myself moving forward. Perhaps I should consider that option. The deadline for the grant application came and went however. I was so wrapped up in all the plans to mount the exhibition and I couldn’t find the time to fill out all the grant forms. United Arts has $25-30 thousand dollars allocated to fund 10-12 artist proposals. Perhaps I’ll apply next year.