Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons
By Hiba Nawaid ’23
A&E Reporter
Last week, Northampton Arts Council announced that it will be distributing aid from its COVID-19 Artist Relief Grant to 120 local artists and cultural producers. An official press release stated that the council had raised $29,000 and redistributed $11,000 from its budget to the relief fund, which was initially announced in April.
The allocation of funds was motivated by an input survey in which 74 local artists expressed concerns about financial losses incurred due to the cancellation of concerts, plays and art exhibitions. As a result, 120 local artists who contribute to the cultural vibrancy of Northampton, Florence and Leeds and who have been impacted by COVID-19 will each receive $330 in grants. Moreover, recipients of the Arts Council's 2019 grant cycles have also been given a six-month extension to apply.
“Artists and cultural producers play a vital role in making Northampton a great place to live and work. We want to ensure that members of our artistic community have the support they need to make it through this crisis and create beauty on the other side of it,” said Brian Foote, executive director of the Northampton Arts Council. “I’m grateful to the Northampton Arts Council Board for making the decision to allocate funds towards artist relief and to the community for an outpouring of support for local artists at this time.”
The relief fund replaces the annual ArtsEZ grant cycle that the Arts Council offers. In addition to the fund, the Arts Council has also set up a GoFundMe for those in the community looking to donate to local artists.
The press statement further elaborated on the value of art for the Northampton community in these unprecedented times. “The board, under the leadership and vision of Executive Director Brian Foote, hopes to use art and culture to build community in this time of isolation, to shine a light on underlying inequities in our world, and to inspire collective action and change for the betterment of each of us. This work is aligned with our commitment to equity and inclusion,” the Northampton Arts Council said on their website.
Other organizations that announced similar grants for local artists include the Easthampton City Arts Council and MASS MoCA's Assets for Artists.