The first round of artists to receive grants in the ArtsWestchester Artist Relief Campaign have been selected. The $500 grants will help local artists and creatives who live or maintain a studio in Westchester and are suffering from the loss of work due to cancelations resulting from the novel coronavirus. The artists selected include:
- Margaret Fox, Visual Arts, Sleepy Hollow
- Hiroshi Yamazaki, Music, Tarrytown
- Sidra Bell, Dance, White Plains
- Gina Bergamini, Music/Performance/Dance, Mt. Kisco
- Rukhshan Haque, Visual Arts, Yonkers
- Jackie Meier, Visual Arts, Mamaroneck
- Logan Wall, Visual Arts, White Plains
- Mansheng Wang, Visual Arts, Dobbs Ferry
- Hubert Williams, Visual Arts, Mount Vernon
Janet Langsam, ArtsWestchester CEO, explains, “We are thrilled to be able to provide some support to members of the artist community who have been deeply hurt due to the abrupt loss of work due to the COVID-19 crisis. Artists throughout Westchester County are feeling the pinch of canceled gallery exhibits, darkened theatres, shuttered museums and no artist residences in schools or community sites.”
The application process opened on May 1, 2020 and will continue on a rolling basis. Submissions are reviewed by ArtsWestchester staff and the Grants Committee of ArtsWestchester’s Board of Directors. Donations will continue as long as funds are available from the public. Distribution of funds to artists will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. The number of artists supported is directly dependent on how much funding is raised, so the public is asked to please share widely with their social media networks.
Nationally, the COVID-19 outbreak has dealt a $4.5 billion blow to America’s nonprofit arts sector as of April 6. *Much of these devastating losses are trickling down to creative practitioners locally with no end in sight. (*2020 national survey by Americans for the Arts.)
Individuals and businesses interested in participating can donate by visiting: charity.gofundme.com/awrelieffund