Nearly $500,000 awarded for artists, programs
The Greater Columbus Arts Council board of trustees approved 237 grants, totaling nearly $500,000 in funding, to support local artists, art programs, projects and other initiatives on Thursday. This funding comes a year after the novel coronavirus landed in Ohio, which has crippled the city’s arts and entertainment scene. But with inperson events and performances ramping up in the coming months, these grants will give local artists and organizations a boost in financial and creative resources.
“This is money for them so they can create art, market their art better and build their life as a professional artist,” GCAC spokesperson Jami Goldstein said.
“We have incredible talent here in the form of our artists and what they create, so we’re looking forward to a better 20201 than 2020,” she added.
For the first quarter of the year, GCAC board of trustees approved Project Support grants worth $268,910, Support for Professional Artists grants for $211,079 and three Big Ideas grants totaling $7,500.
For poet Barbara Fant of Columbus, this funding couldn’t come at a better time.
“I think its important artists are supported during this time,” she said. “In order to nourish ourselves to continue nourishing the community, cultivate growth and professional development, we need those funds. It’s vital that we have them.”
Fant, who received a “Big Idea” grant for The Black Women Rise Poetry Collective, an ensemble of female poets that formed last year, said these grants will support the group and other organizations’ programs. In turn, helping to revive Columbus’ art-and-culture scene.
“We miss live performances and we miss being able to be in community with people at these performances,” she said. “We totally hope it’s going to swing back, but we also believe it will swing back.”
The recipients:
“Big Ideas” grants: Launched in 2020, these grants are intended to uplift artists’ ideas and projects in all art forms within the surrounding community.
• Barbara Fant, Black Women Rise
Poetry Collective: $2,500
• Chineze Okpalaoka, About-face: $2,500
• Rodolfo Vazquez, Latino Columbus Arts Weekend: $2,500
Project Support grants: These grants provide funding for a broad range of arts and cultural projects, programs, events and festivals, which include the Columbus Black International Film Festival, Asian Festival Going Virtual and Summer Jam West. • 934 Gallery: $10,000
• All People Arts: $10,000
• Asian Festival: $18,000
• Cartoon Crossroads Columbus: $19,000
• Cbus Libraries: $1,250
• Columbus Black International Film Festival: $4,600
• Columbus Gospel Fest/fun-fest: $11,000
• Columbus Jewish Community Center: $15,000
• Columbus Modern (Como) Dance Company: $3,000
• Education Foundation for Freedom: $8,020
• Evolution Theatre: $9,700
• Film Council of Greater Columbus: $1,800
• Franklinton Arts District: $5,000 • Harmony Project: $18,000 • Kaleidoscope Performing Arts: $3,000
• Ohioana Library Association: $18,000
• Red Herring Productions: $17,790 • ROY G BIV Gallery for Emerging Artists: $18,750
• Short North Alliance: $13,000 • Summer Jam West: $13,000 • Susan Petry: $7,000
• Thiossane Institute: $6,000 • VIVO Music Festival: $15,000 • Westerville Symphony at Otterbein University: $3,000
• Wild Goose Creative: $20,000
Support for Professional Artists grants: SPA grants are intended to assist individual artists and creative groups to come together to make new art that can be marketed to a broader audience.
A total of $183,858 was awarded to individual artists and $27,221 to group artists.
For more information about individual artist funding and programs, including guidelines and upcoming deadlines, visit www.gcac.org or contact Grants and Services Director Alison Barret at abarret@gcac.org. ehopkins@dispatch.com @Earl_hopkins1