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RAC President and CEO Vanessa Cooksey spoke with DELUX Magazine for their 314 Day Edition. Read what she had to say about what sets St. Louis apart from other cities, the healing power of art, and our collective role in building a creative environment that supports our youth.
PNC ARTS ALIVE NOW ACCEPTING GRANT APPLICATIONS FROM GREATER ST. LOUIS ARTS ORGANIZATIONS
– Applications for 2023-2025 grant programs will be accepted until March 31, 2023
– Grantees will receive funding and participate in a customized capacity-build experience
– For more information, visit www.pncartsalive.com
PNC is now accepting applications from visual and performing arts organizations in Greater St. Louis for $250,000 in PNC Arts Alive grant funding to support new and evolving programs.
Built on the premise that engagement in the arts enriches lives and builds stronger, more vibrant communities, the PNC Arts Alive initiative – through which PNC has awarded $3.5 million in grant funding to Greater St. Louis arts organizations since 2010 – is designed to increase engagement in the arts and make the arts more accessible to diverse audiences.
For the third consecutive year, the scope of support provided to PNC Arts Alive grantees in Greater St. Louis will include, in addition to grant funding, a highly customized capacity-build experience and access to experts ― including members of PNC’s Experience Innovation team ― to help organizations adopt modern problem-solving practices such as design thinking. A 24-month grant funding cycle provides the space and time for leaders of grantee organizations to incorporate learnings from the capacity-build experience throughout the execution of their grant projects and beyond.
“As we consider the challenges and opportunities unique to local arts nonprofits in today’s environment, we’ve enhanced and re-envisioned how we deliver PNC Arts Alive in Greater St. Louis – with a pronounced focus on sustainable philanthropy,” said Michael Scully, PNC regional president for St. Louis. “The capacity-build experience leverages the robust resources and expertise of PNC – including a specialized team that harnesses the power of design thinking to ideate and develop solutions to some of the company’s most business-critical, multi-faceted challenges – to help arts organizations improve their business resilience and maximize the impact of grant funding.”
As part of the capacity-build experience, leaders from grantee organizations will participate as a cohort in a six-week design thinking program facilitated by PNC’s Experience Innovation team. Design thinking, by definition, is a process, mindset and approach combining critical and creative thinking to solve complex problems. Among the outcomes of applying design thinking within an organization include the development of better solutions, the refinement of business strategies, re-energized employees and streamlined efficiencies.
The deadline for submitting grant proposals is 5:00 p.m. March 31, 2023. Additional information about eligibility and the application process can be found here. The 2023-2025 grant recipients will be announced in June 2023, and the funding period will run Aug. 1, 2023-July 31, 2025.
PNC Arts Alive is a multi-year initiative of the PNC Foundation dedicated to supporting visual and performing arts groups with the goal of increasing arts access and engagement in new and innovative ways. The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group, actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. For more information, visit www.pncartsalive.com.
(St. Louis, MO) – The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RAC), the largest public funder of the arts in St. Louis, has opened 2023 grant applications to local artists and arts organizations. Submissions for both Artist Support Grant and Program Support Grant categories are due on March 27, 2023.
Since RAC began in 1985, the organization has provided more than 7,000 grants worth over $100 million. “RAC’s top priority has always been supporting the diverse collective of artists and arts organizations that make our world-class arts and culture community so vibrant,” said RAC President and CEO Vanessa Cooksey. “A thriving arts sector is critical to our region’s current and future growth.”
2023 grantmaking updates include a more efficient application process, more clearly defined evaluation metrics, and increased opportunities for technical assistance.
Prior to the opening of the current grant cycle, RAC provided support to potential applicants in the form of detailed grant guidelines posted to the organization’s website, in addition to a series of free, accessible grant workshops covering a variety of helpful topics from writing grant narratives to developing budgets.
Eligibility requirements for individual artists include being 19 years or older and maintaining primary residence in St. Louis City or County for at least one year. Arts organizations must have a programming focus local to St. Louis City or County and be in good standing as a nonprofit organization.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to review all eligibility requirements, the full list of guidelines, and recordings of the grants workshop series found within the newly updated grants section on RAC’s website, where applications can also be created and submitted. These materials and more are accessible at www.racstl.org/grants.
A New Temporary Artwork by Jacob Stanley Illuminates the Park Pacific Apartments Parking Garage at Tucker and Pine
Ribbons of Light is a sculpture of LED tentacle-like lines of light that engulfs the corner of the Park Pacific Apartments parking garage at Tucker Street and Pine Street by St. Louis artist Jacob Stanley. The work is visible as lines of color many stories above the street throughout the day and glowing lines at night. It will be on view through the end of 2023. Click here to view more images of this installation.
Stanley’s installation explores the dynamics of movement, balance and light on the parking garage using commonly found utilitarian materials and techniques. The light sculpture merges and juxtaposes with the surrounding urban fabric and uses the details of the site to reward viewers from multiple vantage points. Stanley hopes that the elegant movement of the cascading lights will interrupt the rigid grid of the city and spark a sense of curiosity in those who view the work.
Ribbons of Light is part of InSITE STL a collection of temporary art installations sited throughout Downtown St. Louis presented by the Regional Arts Commission and Greater St. Louis, Inc. The installations, created by area artists, explore Downtown St. Louis and the possibilities in our region’s core neighborhood. Other projects include works by Jenny Murphy, Van Dyck Murphy Studios, and Tim Portlock.
What: Ribbons of Light temporary public art installation
When: Now through the end of 2023
Where: Park Pacific Apartments Garage at Tucker Boulevard and Pine Street
Visit racstl.org/insite for more information about Ribbons of Light and InSITE STL. Join us on social media: #insiteSTL
For more information about the Park Pacific Apartments and garage, including available units and parking contracts, visit www.liveparkpacific.com or call 314-242-1440.
INVITATION TO SUBMIT QUALIFICATIONS
Sculpture of Dr. Jeffrey Bonner RFQ/ RFP 2023
The Saint Louis Zoo is seeking to commission a commemorative sculpture, cast in bronze, for a past president and CEO of the organization. The work will include a plinth to be set and attached to a foundation provided by the owner. The style shall be realistic to an extent that harmonizes with the existing commemorative sculptures at the Zoo. Composition to be 10% to 20% larger than life size. The artist will be responsible not only for the artwork, but shall include contracting with an experienced foundry, supervision of the casting process, packing, shipping and installation.
Scope will include:
The Saint Louis Zoo has commemorated past CEO’s and presidents by commissioning full scale bronze sculptures, placed on the campus in Forest Park. Subjects in the past include George Vierheller, Marlin Perkins and Charles Hoessle. Dr. Jeffrey Bonner recently retired after serving the Zoo for twenty years.
CLICK HERE to view all details and submission documents regarding this project.
CLICK HERE to view photography of the installation site.
Sketch of Dr. Jeffrey Bonner