Thirty artists, makers and art institutions in Southern Oregon are set to receive a financial boost from the Haines & Friends Visual Arts Grant Program. Announced Nov. 22, the organization will give $65,460 to artists across Jackson and Josephine counties, with the recipients being awarded between $1,000 and $5,000 to support their creative projects.
Grant-winning individuals and organizations include Ashland printmaker Vanessa Jo Bahr, fiber artist Kristy Kun, sculptor Christian Burchard, the Grants Pass Museum of Art, multimedia artist Betty LaDuke, Rogue Gallery & Art Center and others.
This year’s grant program included more than 70 applicants requesting funds in two main categories: personal development and education and community service.
The personal development category includes requests from artists or organizations needing financial support for supplies, needing support for new bodies of work and other art-related necessities, said Paige Gerhard, program director for Haines & Friends.
For education and community service, the category is “focusing in on a person or organization providing to the community to enhance our visual arts sphere; that might be teaching a workshop or class or maybe a mural someone wants to bring to the city and get the community involved,” Gerhard added.
The Haines & Friends Visual Arts Grant Program has awarded approximately $530,000 to 155 artists in the region since the grant program was established in 2014.
“Part of the applications are that they not only benefit artist personally but also the community, which is something we really enjoy,” Gerhard said.
To learn more about the Haines & Friends Visual Arts Grant Program, visit www.hainesandfriends.org.