Fine Line Group has announced more than $100,000 in grants awarded through “THE NEW NORMAL: An Artist’s Response to COVID-19.”
Following a competitive application process and juried review of artwork submitted by over 200 applicants, 43 local artists were selected to receive funding for new works that reflect life in Fort Worth during the pandemic.
Developed by Sasha Bass in partnership with program administrator Lauren Saba Childs, THE NEW NORMAL is a first-of-its-kind funding initiative designed to achieve multiple goals: empowering local artists to work, creating a lasting visual record of this unprecedented time, and bringing the people of Fort Worth together to share, process, and heal through art that reflects their experience during the pandemic, the organization said in a news release.
Applicants to THE NEW NORMAL submitted a personal statement previewing the work they intend to create and explaining how through their art, they will make a lasting positive impact on the community. A panel comprised of leaders from Fort Worth’s most prestigious museums, including the Kimbell Art Museum, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, and the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, reviewed and scored the applications.
The top 43 received $2,000 grants to fund their proposed artwork. Of those, the six artists with the highest scores received an additional $3,000 award.
“Capturing the diversity and artistic richness of our city, THE NEW NORMAL provides critical funding to 43 gifted artists whose work spans a range of mediums, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, filmmaking, and performance,” Bass said.
Examples of artwork funded by THE NEW NORMAL include:
– Short films about the community’s experience of current events and how people persevere and sustain hope;
– Public murals that the community will be invited to help create;
– Dance performance that will visit all the neighborhoods of Fort Worth;
– Portrait projects that capture the diverse faces of Fort Worth; and
– Paintings inspired by crowd-sourced commentary and storytelling.
Several of the selected artists have elected to give back 100% of the proceeds from the work they create to local nonprofit organizations such as the Creative Industry Relief Fund, the Black Lives Matter movement and the Presbyterian Night Shelter.
The program will culminate in a public exhibition of grant recipients’ work. Given the current circumstances and continued uncertainty around future public gatherings, the timing of the exhibition will be confirmed at a later date.
A sampling of each artist’s work is available online at http://www.newnormalfw.com
Fort Worth resident, documentary filmmaker, and CEO of Elevated Content, Beth Hutson, read about THE NEW NORMAL when it launched in late April and was compelled to act.
“Fort Worth is defined by our unity and collective love and passion for this amazing place we call home. I was moved by this program’s local focus and emphasis on community healing through art,” Hutson said.
Together with her colleagues at Elevated Content, Ms. Hutson produced a short documentary featuring selected artists who reflect on how the initiative’s theme and innovative approach to grant-making inspired ideas and empowered them to create. The film can be viewed at http://www.newnormalfw.com
Funded by the Fine Line Group, the Family Offices of Sasha and Edward P. Bass, with additional support from the Alice L. Walton Family Foundation, the Donny Wiley Memorial Fund at the North Texas Community Foundation, and Kit and Charlie Moncrief. THE NEW NORMAL was administered by Gallery of Dreams, a Fort Worth nonprofit arts organization established by Lauren Saba Childs of Fort Works Art.
GRANT RECIPIENTS
$5,000 Awards
– Ariel Davis, painter https://www.ariel-davis.com
– Tony Drewry, photographer
– DJ Perera, painter https://www.ro2art.com/dj-artist-statement.html
– Bernardo Vallarino, sculptor http://bernardovallarinoart.com
– Jay Wilkinson, painter https://fortworksart.com/jay-wilkinson-1
– Donnie Williams, photographer
$2,000 Awards
¬– Francisco Alvarado, sculptor
– Candy Austin, ceramics http://www.candyaustinceramics.com
– Sarah Ayala, mixed media https://sarahayala.net
– Lynn Bostick, painter
– Maryann Brummer, painter https://www.maryannbrummer.com
– Dario Bucheli, mixed media https://www.ro2art.com/dario-bucheli—bio.html
¬– Richard Budd, sculptor https://artpace.org/artists_and_curators/richie-budd
¬– Natalie Campbell, painter https://www.nataliecampbellfineart.com
– Robert Caslin, painter https://www.robertcaslin.com
– David Conn, printmaker https://shawstreetstudio.com
¬– Sheena Dorton, photographer https://www.rubybellowstintype.com/about
– Adam Fung, painter http://www.adamfung.com
– Rambo Eliot, photographer & filmmaker https://rambophotography.com
– Nathaneal Gassett, photographer https://nathanaelgassett.zenfolio.com
– Charles Gray, painter
– Penny Halcyon, photographer
– Marshall Harris, drawing https://marshallkharris.com
– Amy Jenkins, painter https://www.amyjonesjenkins.com/about
– Jill Johnson, photographer http://www.jilljohnsonphoto.com
– Michelle Kirk, performance https://www.facebook.com/mananalandtx
¬– Rachel Labedu, digital art
– Cary Meiners, sculptor http://www.caryokeefe.com
– Matthew Miller, painter https://sunflowerman.com/shop
– James Moore, painter http://www.jdmooreportfolios.com/bio
– Ricky Nevarez, painter http://voyagedallas.com/interview/meet-enrique-nevarez-enrique-zeraven-studios-fort-worth
– Chris Plavidal, photographer http://sisterbrothermgmt.com/artist/chris-plavidal
– Scott Prather, painter https://www.fwcac.com/post/defied-by-scott-prather
– Lauren Rushing, photographer https://www.laurenrushing.com
¬– Jo Rutledge, painter https://artspace111.com/artists/45-jo-lemay-rutledge/biography
– Pita Sanchez, mixed media
– Tschaner Sefas, mixed media
– Treslyn Shipley, painter
– Donny Spencer, drawing
– Guillermo Tapia, painter
– Robyn Tomiko, filmmaker
– David Varley, photographer
¬– Xavier Walker, digital art
– FWBP Staff