This month the Fulton County Division of Arts & Tradition will award $2.3 million to greater than 190 recipients comprising particular person artists, arts organizations, nonprofits, colleges, faculties, universities and municipalities. (Full disclosure: ArtsATL.org obtained $20,000.)
That is a rise of $1 million over 2021, stated David Manuel, who joined the division as director in June 2021.
The awards vary from $1,000 to $42,000, with the biggest benefiting Heart for Puppetry Arts ($42,000), Seven Phases and Rialto Heart for the Arts ($40,000 every), Atlanta Shakespeare Firm ($38,000), and Alliance Theatre and Ballethnic Dance Firm ($36,000 every).
Thirty-three of the recipients had been first-time awardees, amongst them visible artist Charmaine Minniefield, the general public artwork nonprofit Residing Partitions, Working Title Playwrights, Staibdance and the Music Training Group (MEG). A full listing of the awardees is accessible right here.
The funding falls below the county’s Contracts for Providers (CFS) program, which supplies unrestricted common working and challenge help.
Manuel acknowledges that the humanities group was hit significantly exhausting economically by the Covid lockdown that started in March 2020. That 12 months the division awarded $1 million for Covid aid and a second spherical of funding for particular person artists and artistic entrepreneurs who misplaced jobs due to the pandemic.
This 12 months Manuel says the division went above and past to get the phrase out. “We made a acutely aware effort to determine and attain out to about 150 artists and humanities organizations that had by no means obtained Arts & Tradition funding earlier than,” he stated.
To that finish, the division strengthened its social media presence and went to South Fulton, North Fulton and each place in between. “We wished to see everybody succeed and have a good alternative to use.”
The humanities group additionally confirmed up persistently on the Board of Commissioners’ public conferences, Manuel stated. “The commissioners heard them. That’s the primary purpose we acquired extra funding.”
Manuel understands that sustainability for arts organizations entails greater than authorities funding, nevertheless. This 12 months his division ran a collection of digital monetary literacy and entrepreneurial workshops to assist arts organizations develop a robust infrastructure, construct an efficient board, and deal with grants in the best means.
On September 15, the division will maintain a press convention to announce Trend, Arts, Tradition and Training (FACE), a brand new initiative designed to rejoice the artwork of vogue and to encourage and educate highschool college students about careers they’ll pursue within the arts. The town of Alpharetta and Clark Atlanta College are among the many organizations taking part, and Mayor Andre Dickens will converse at a discussion board for teenagers.
“We’re on the upswing as we come out of Covid,” Manuel stated. “We’ve a chance to construct one thing and take it to the subsequent stage. We’re going to roll up our sleeves and take some time. We’re dedicated.”
