Support for Individual Artists

GIA members have been working together to promote and improve funding for individual artists for over 20 years. The Support for Individual Artists Committee has been one of the most active groups of funders within GIA. Over the years, the committee has been an incubator for such projects as a scan of scholarly research on artist support, a visual timeline outlining the history of artist support funding, major publications, and programs, and the development of a national taxonomy for reporting data on support for individual artists. The committee continues to advise, inspire, and inform GIA’s thought leadership and programming in support for individual artists.

Click here to listen to the latest podcast, and see below for resources.

July 7, 2017 by Monica

The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies has released the State Arts Agency Legislative Appropriations Preview, Fiscal Year 2018. This document summarizes how state arts agencies fared during this year's budget deliberations and includes information on the appropriations each state arts agency expects to receive for FY2018, which began July 1, 2017.

View the document.

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June 9, 2017 by giarts-ts-admin

The primary thread in my professional life over the past thirty years has been an attempt to understand, engage, and foster innovation and creativity in professional practice, public service, and the arts. For fifteen years or so I worked with foundations as a teacher, trainer, and advisor, focusing on strategic grant making, innovation in philanthropy, portfolio development, and program evaluation.

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June 9, 2017 by giarts-ts-admin

Recently, Caroline served on the jury of a government arts council. Among the forms she had to fill out were the standard nondiscrimination forms required of any vendor doing business in this city. It gave her pause, as one individual, to agree that her “firm” would not discriminate against “its employees” on the basis of “Race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity (transgender status), domestic partner status, marital status, disability, AIDS/HIV status, height, weight.”

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June 9, 2017 by giarts-ts-admin

In many ways, it has been a heartening year for champions of the literary arts.

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May 31, 2017 by Monica

From The New York Times:

Audible, the digital audiobook giant, announced Tuesday that it would create a $5 million fund to commission new works from emerging playwrights — not for the stage, but for people’s headphones and speakers.

As audio fiction seems to be having a moment, in the realm of podcasts, Audible plans to draw from the vast pool of young writers to create one- or two-person plays. They will be available beginning late this year, the company said.

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May 18, 2017 by Monica

A recent article in The New York Times discusses the modern-era revival of artist patronage, with individuals giving sustained support that funds an artist’s overall career rather than a specific project. The article discusses the impact of sustained funding as an artist develops, how this current trend differs from Renaissance-era patronage, and how online platforms like Patreon enable artists to garner sustained support from individuals across the world.

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May 16, 2017 by Monica

Native American artist and poet Joy Harjo has been awarded the 2017 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, a $100,000 award from The Poetry Foundation. Harjo was a keynote presenter at the 2014 GIA Conference in Houston, Texas (watch the video). Presented annually to a living US poet whose lifetime accomplishments warrant singular recognition, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize is one of the most prestigious awards given to American poets.

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March 30, 2017 by Monica

In 2017, The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Pew Fellowships in the Arts. Since 1992, the Fellowships program has invested annually in the Philadelphia region’s most talented artists working in all disciplines. Direct financial support through unrestricted grants affords fellows valuable time and substantial resources to focus on artistic exploration and professional development. In celebration of the anniversary, The Pew Center has launched a website and video showcasing past and present fellows.

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March 30, 2017 by Monica

Tony Grant, co-director of Sustainable Arts Foundation, has published a blog post highlighting the work GIA has done over the years to advance support for individual artists. This April, a new GIA webinar series will discuss (and dispel) the myths that surround individual artist support.

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