Support for Individual Artists

The Arts and Activism (A&A) ColLABoration, a pilot project funded jointly by The CrossCurrents and Compton Foundations to support the work of artists in partnership with organizers and activist organizations, announced five projects that were awarded $30,000 to engage in arts-integrated organizing through themes of democracy, power, and freedom in the United States.

Boots Riley, the Oakland filmmaker, musician, and activist who wrote and directed the satire Sorry to Bother You believes in making art "that makes people understand that they have the power to change things…that’s what you can do with narrative.”

South Arts launched a program that seeks to provide significant support to projects that harness the power of “Arts & …”.

"Artists contribute artistically, economically, socially, and culturally within our communities. By engaging public consciousness and discourse, artists can and do catalyze social change," writes Vickie Benson, McKnight Foundation's Arts program director, as she prepares to step down from the foundation at the end of June.

Five dance companies were selected to participate in Momentum, a new three-year initiative from South Arts, to build their capacity regional and national touring. Over the course of the program, according to South Arts, each company will receive professional development, residency opportunities, and touring grants to fund their work.

“Imagine a monument for today, for your city, for your community.” That's the question “New Monuments for New Cities,” a public art project, asked local artists when encouraging them to create proposals (in the form of posters) for new monuments. Houston, Austin, Chicago, Toronto, and New York City will produce an exhibition of the resulting 25 artworks specific to their site, as ArtNews reports.

Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA) announced Interchange, a new pilot program created to strengthen communities and individual artists within the organization's region by supporting artist-led projects focused on social impact.

"The Artist as Problem Solver II: Building the Capacity of Artists & Cultural Workers as Civic Leaders" is the theme of the Joyce Foundation’s Creative Placekeeping & Placemaking Summit in Cleveland from March 21 to 22.

A post in Medium points out "artists and governments have a future together," reflecting on how a group of residents had gathered together to brainstorm for a community garden and sculpture project following the call of artist Carolyn Lewenberg.

"Artists are used to dancing in the complexity. We like to make something where nothing exists; to explore new language around a struggle; to listen profoundly; to create new ways to see the world. Why not put artists in problem-solving roles?"