If things keep going the way they have been for the folks over at the Cadre Visual Artists' Grant, they may have a hard time giving away the $2000 (US) they have specifically earmarked for visual artists. The grant, spearheaded by photographer and Code Z affiliate Carla Williams and artist Deirdre Visser, is made up of small donations gathered from the general art community and set aside with the intent of helping one artist realize a personal project. Most donations were in the amount of $10.
Over the months, the art community has come forward with plenty of donations, but ironically few artists have stepped forward to apply for the no-strings funds. We've heard of this before. After all, we've seen the lists of college scholarships that routinely go unclaimed because no one applied for them. We even recall serving on committees of various charitable organizations and practically having to beg to give money away.
The original deadline has been extended, so artists now have until December 1 to pull together an application for the cash (did we mention it's $2000?), and the organizers are hoping that artists will step forward. The application requires little more than an artist's statement, a proposal of about the same length as this post, and a link to a blog or website. They couldn't have made it any easier.
Deirdre told us that they started the grant in an effort to form an artistic community that would be self-sustaining and ongoing. Instead of looking for money-bag donors to descend from heaven and anoint the same artists that everyone else is anointing, the small-donation system is designed to foster involvement from below. Artists supporting other artists.
The grant is open to international entries and there is no limitation on genre, age, or career level. This is the first round of granting; Deirdre and Carla plan to repeat the grant twice a year.
