10 LOCAL ARTISTS – $200,000 INVESTMENT
ST. LOUIS (January 30, 2019) – For the sixth year in a row, the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RAC) has awarded $20,000 fellowships to ten local artists as part of its annual Artist Fellowship program. With this sixth round of grants, RAC has now awarded a total of $1.2 million to help regional artists further their artistic careers.
Instead of supplying funds for a specific project, the Artist Fellowships allow for the development of the individual artist’s craft, providing the crucial gift of time to study, reflect, experiment, explore and create. These awards are not grants in the traditional sense. These fellowships are considered a financial endowment or investment in the careers of St. Louis artists. Recipients can use the funds to buy materials or studio space, pay collaborators, take sabbaticals, or engage in residencies to focus on their art. The RAC Artist Fellowship program is one of only a few multi-disciplinary fellowship programs of its kind in the United States.
The program was inspired, in part, by a survey conducted by RAC and funded by the Kresge Foundation in 2012. The survey found that one of the most pressing needs for regional artists is financial support to pursue their art. The following year, 2013, a total of $200,000 was awarded to the first 10 fellowship recipients.
The latest fellowship recipients represent a wide variety of disciplines including visual arts, theater, music, literature, craft, media arts, and design. The 10 winners were selected from a total of 176 applicants after an in-depth review by 26 expert readers, a community advisory committee, and RAC Commissioners. A complete list of the artists and their bios can be found at https://racstl.org/grant/2019-artist-fellows/.
The 10 RAC Artist Fellowship Recipients
Tom Brady
performance artist
Gregory S. Carr
playwright, actor, teaching artist
Jacqui Germain
author, poet
Cheeraz Gormon
author, poet, storyteller
Margaret Keller
mixed media artist
Harvey E.A. Lockhart
saxophonist, educator, composer
William Morris
video artist
Tim Portlock
digital artist
Dan Rubright
composer, guitarist
Audrey Simes
multidisciplinary performance director
If you have any questions about the Artist Fellowships, please contact James F. Anderson, Director of Grants at james@racstl.org or 314-863-5811.
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