The Community Foundation for South Central New York and the Broome County Arts Council are collaborating on a new program to provide funding to individual artists. A two-year pilot called the Artists Fund will be unveiled at a joint news conference at 10:30 a.m. today (March 15) at the Community Foundation’s offices, 520 Columbia Drive, Johnson City. The Community Foundation will fund the grant program, and BCAC will administer it.
In prepared remarks, Community Foundation Executive Director Diane Brown said, “We created the Artists Fund in response to a real need that the Community Foundation identified during a wide-ranging community needs assessment last year. BCAC is a perfect partner because of its expertise in administering local arts grants and its deep connections to the arts community. We are excited about this opportunity to collaborate on a pilot that serves the missions of both organizations.”
For 2012-2014, grants will be made only to Broome County artists in the visual arts, including painting, sculpture, print-making, mixed media, collage, graphic design, illustration and fine art photography. Grant awards will range from $250 to $750. In prepared remarks, BCAC Executive Director Sharon Ball said, “That may not seem like a lot of money, unless you are a cash-strapped artist struggling to develop yourself professionally. A little help can make all the difference between benefitting from an opportunity and missing out on one. We are thrilled to be working with the Community Foundation to expand the pool of resources for local artists.”
Eligibility guidelines, submission instructions and application forms may be downloaded from BCAC’s website at www.bcartscouncil.com or from the Community Foundation’s website at www.donorswhocare.org. The deadline for submission is 5 p.m. May 9 to BCAC’s offices in downtown Binghamton. For more information, call 723-4620 or e-mail information@bcartscouncil.com.
