Fall 2020 Arts Grants for Individuals and Collectives
Artists in our community create space for us to challenge our assumptions, better understand our past, explore new ideas or revive old ones, and gain a better understanding of who we are as a city. And as the world around us changes, funders must adapt so these vital perspectives continue to be supported.
In spring 2020 the EAC made temporary but significant changes to our programs in response to the pandemic health crisis. This included supporting 121 artists through the new Creators’ Reserve program and suspending the 2020 summer Artist Project Grant deadline.
The health restrictions and their impact on our community have pushed us to revise some timelines in the implementation of Connections & Exchanges, putting the support of individuals front of mind as we come into the fall of 2020.
In June we administered an online survey to individual artists in the community. More than 250 individuals responded to questions about their current practice and what the EAC might change for the remainder of 2020. The three most-supported actions were:
Focus on supporting artists to pursue individual creation. 90% positive
Focus on equity and inclusion in grant applications and the granting process. 79% positive
Change the focus of project grants to emphasize the value of creation or professional development and reduce the emphasis on public presentation when assessing support for individual artists. 73% positive
Based on that input, we have chosen to focus on the following specifics from Connections & Exchanges for the fall of 2020 (addressing the Aims and Actions found in Connections & Exchanges in Book 4, on page 8):
Foster experimentation
Artists from equity-seeking groups
Professional development and mentorships
Last week the EAC re-committed to the September 1, 2020 deadline for the Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund, which is a partnership with the Edmonton Community Foundation. This award recognizes artists from the Edmonton region that have pursued and achieved excellence in their artistic discipline, and provides an investment of $15,000 to ten individuals that they can use to support their ongoing artistic experimentation.
This week we have released the guidelines for the 2020 Arts Grants for Individuals and Collectives, with a deadline of September 15, 2020. This program is split into three streams, with different funding levels and application requirements, to help support a broader range of artistic exploration, development, and creation. The three streams are broken down as follows:
Stream 1: Exploration and Experimentation To support an artist to work on current solo creation, experimentation or research activities. Grant amounts are fixed at $5,000 to support subsistence while the artist takes the time to work.
Stream 2: Skills and Career Development To support professional development and mentorship-based projects for artists and arts professionals. Projects may be solo or collective, and grants are available up to $10,000 based on actual or projected project expenses, including artist subsistence.
Stream 3: Major Artist-Driven Projects To support artist-initiated projects, including production/presentation that is clearly considered in light of public health advice and restrictions. Projects may be solo or collective, and grants will be available up to $25,000 based on projected project expenses, including artist subsistence.
Connections & Exchanges also commits the EAC to increasing our support and investment in artists from Equity-seeking groups. To that end, in the coming weeks we will be finalizing and releasing revised guidelines for an October 15th deadline to replace the Cultural Diversity in the Arts program. In the past 12 years that program has provided an access point, investing in artists that have faced barriers in the past. The intent of the revised program is to expand on that access, in line with more current definitions and the directions provided in the Connections & Exchanges plan.
The guidelines and FAQ documents will be posted on edmontonarts.ca. If you are interested in nominating an artist for the EATF, or applying for one of the other grant opportunities, please be sure to read through the guidelines first. If you have any questions or need any support, the EAC staff is available to assist: [email protected] or 780-424-2787.
