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N O T I C E O F M E E T I N G
Regional Arts Commission Board Meeting
Thursday, July 9, 2020
8 a.m.
Regional Arts Commission
6128 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63112
Phone information to connect will be available by request.
Please direct all inquiries to Sherry Sissac, sherry@racstl.org or (314) 863–5811, ext. 1004.
ST. LOUIS – The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RAC) has awarded 21 Artist Support Grants of up to $3,000 each to local artists, totaling over $53,000, as part of its latest round of Artist Support Grants. This is RAC’s eighth year to offer this category of funding. In addition, 74 nonprofit organizations will receive funding through RAC’s Program Support Grants.
Artist Support Grants provide direct funds for St. Louis area artists’ projects, needs, and creative opportunities in all artistic disciplines. The funds can be designated for (but not limited to) equipment and materials, rental space, arts-related travel, conference fees, project completion, salaries, professional and artistic development, training, and other resources.
The Artists Count survey conducted in 2012 by RAC and funded by the Kresge Foundation determined that one of the most pressing needs for regional artists is to receive financial support in order to pursue their art form and further their artistic careers. This finding supports RAC’s commitment to providing a financial investment in the form of the Artist Support Grants and the Artist Fellowships.
The Artist Support Grants are designed to be flexible and accessible, encouraging creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustained commitment to artistic work. This direct support, which enables artists to complete creative projects and advance their careers, is a significant part of the platform for St. Louis to be recognized as a hub for arts and creativity.
The recipients, representing the disciplines of dance, design, literature, media arts, music, theater arts, and visual arts, were selected from among 161 applicants after being reviewed by a pool of 24 readers made up of knowledgeable volunteers from the local and national arts community and RAC staff. A complete list of the artists and past grant recipients can be found at racstl.org/explore-grants/awarded-grants/ under Artist Support.
RAC also announced the organization’s Program Support Grants, which provide funding to nonprofit arts and culture organizations that broaden participation and increases access to the arts. RAC, the largest funder of the arts in the St. Louis region, awarded Program Support Grants to 74 organizations this year for the 2020-2021 grant cycle. Program Support Grant applications are reviewed by members of the St. Louis community and consistently evaluated upon the following three criteria: artistic merit, community benefit, and organizational capacity.
For questions about Artist Support Grants, please contact Olivia Lahs-Gonzales, Associate Director of Artist Programs, at olivia@racstl.org for more information. For questions about Program Support Grants, please contact Emily Parker, Program Manager, Grants, at emily@racstl.org.
N O T I C E O F M E E T I N G
Regional Arts Commission Board Meeting
Thursday, June 11, 2020
8 a.m.
Regional Arts Commission
6128 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63112
Phone information to connect will be available by request.
Please direct all inquiries to Sherry Sissac, sherry@racstl.org or (314) 863–5811, ext. 1004.
News of the horrific killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd have filled us with deep sorrow. We are angered by these senseless tragedies, and the countless other episodes of racial violence, that continue to occur here and in communities all over the country. The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis stands in solidarity with the Black community in pursuit of equity and justice. We recognize that inequity is pervasive, historic, and systemic. Disparities and discrimination are daily occurrences rooted in long-standing majority privilege and power, both inside and outside of the arts. Sustained racialized public policies and institutional practices, both conscious and unconscious, have resulted in generations of unjust and inequitable outcomes based on race.
Artists and cultural creators have a unique role in challenging inequity and imagining new, more just realities. RAC will prioritize its support to artists and arts organizations doing this important and necessary work. We will redouble our efforts to understand our role in perpetuating inequitable practices within our organization and take action to dismantle them. We will engage with, listen to, and learn from our community as we work together to build a more equitable arts sector. As we continue this work, we want to hear from you. Please send us an email at equity@racstl.org.
The Commission and Staff
Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis
Money raised from the benefit will go to local working artists in emergency relief grants of $500 and $1,000.
Sixteen arts organizations came together on May 31 for Arts United STL, a free virtual benefit concert to raise funds for the Regional Arts Commission (RAC) Artist Relief Fund, which gives emergency grants to working artists whose livelihoods have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Arts United STL set a goal of raising $250,000 and exceeded that with a total of $350,000, including gifts and commitments made during and after the May 31 broadcast. The Arts United STL benefit performance can be viewed in its entirety at bit.ly/ArtsUnitedSTL.
“The vibrancy, diversity, and strength of the St. Louis arts community were brilliantly displayed on Sunday evening,” said Andréa Purnell, RAC commissioner and host of the Arts United STL broadcast. “At this time when we need artists’ voices more than ever, St. Louisans responded generously with love, hope, and vital support for artists across our region.”
Thanks to Arts United STL, the RAC Artist Relief Fund recently re-opened applications for working artists in urgent need due to lost income resulting from the pandemic. Donations to the RAC Artist Relief Fund can still be made through June 26, by either visiting ArtsUnitedSTL.com or texting “Artist” to (202) 858-1233. Artists interested in applying to the RAC Artist Relief Fund should visit racstl.org/covid19/relief2020. The application will close on June 12.
“We can only offer our deepest gratitude to all the donors, organizations, artists, and individuals who made this incredible evening happen,” said Andrew Jorgensen, general director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. “We are so fortunate to live in a community that cares so deeply for the arts. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank all our participants and supporters.”
Arts United STL gratefully acknowledges Presenting Sponsors Noémi and Michael Neidorff for their additional $50,000 challenge pledge to match any donations raised in excess of the $250,000 goal up to $300,000, and the Ferring Family Foundation for their generous donation of $25,000 towards that challenge. Sponsors include Edward Jones, Emerson, and Switch, with additional support from Karen & Mont Levy, the PNC Foundation, John Russell, Terry & Sally Schnuck, the Staenberg Family Foundation, Pam & Greg Trapp, and Wells Fargo Advisors. Additional media support was provided by partners HEC-TV, Guided: St. Louis, Curbside STL, Classic 107.3, St. Louis Public Radio, and WSIE 88.7 The Sound.
Arts United STL was produced by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in partnership with the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival and was directed by Tom Ridgely. The broadcast featured performances from local arts organizations including The Big Muddy Dance Company, The Black Rep, Circus Flora, COCA, Jazz St. Louis, Metro Theater Company, The Muny, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Saint Louis Ballet, St. Louis Children’s Choirs, St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, The Sheldon, STAGES St. Louis, the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis, and more.