If you're an artist in Dallas, chances are you feel undervalued. It's easy for this city to get lost in the mentality of proving one's worth with monetary value, or asking not what a city can do for its people, but what its people can do for it. Especially its artists. The stuffy conservative ideals of only giving out money where there's a foreseeable ROI just doesn't work in the art world. It's hard to put a price tag on creativity. But luckily for artists and for all the people who enjoy art made by artists (you know, any art), the institutions consistently take the leadership role in supporting a sustainable art community.
Last week, the Nasher Sculpture Center announced a series of microgrants for local artists. Twice annually, the Center will host an open call for small-sum grants, amounting from $250-1000. These grants will be available for artists working in any media, and valid proposals for use include studio rent or art materials. These are grants limited to large-scale projects, they're grants to assist with an artist's daily life -- the things that allow an artist to create.
On the heels of this exciting news, there are rumors that the Office of Cultural Affairs will soon be announcing artist grants of their own. Could this be part of a sea change in Dallas' artistic life? Don't get ahead of yourself, but things might just be looking up.
Applications for the Nasher's micro grants are due April 3, 2015. Winners will be announced in May.
