Artadia, a nonprofit grantmaker and nationwide community of visual artists, curators, and patrons, is thrilled to announce that in 2023 it will increase each Artadia Award to $15,000.
The decision is rooted in Artadia’s ongoing commitment to realizing a more just arts economy, and received resounding support by its Board of Directors. Where previously Awards of $10,000 were given to three individual artists in each Award city, Artadia will increase each Award by $5,000.
With few opportunities for direct grants available to individual artists, the continued investment in providing unrestricted funds is significant. Through its annual Awards program, Artadia addresses the needs of visual artists by providing funds at pivotal moments in their careers. Over its twenty-four year history, Artadia has learned from artists that a balanced approach to success often entails equitable access to funding at critical junctures as well as local and national forms of recognition, advocacy, and opportunities to engage one’s community outside institutional walls.
Artadia’s Executive Director Carolyn Ramo commented: “It’s so important to support artists who are a vital part of our communities. The pandemic has shown us that artists are a resilient, life-giving force in the face of the uncertainty we’ve all been experiencing. As an organization that has demonstrated a responsive commitment to artists, we are proud to recognize artists’ invaluable contributions in this challenging moment and once again respond to their needs for greater financial support.”
Astria Suparak, 2022 San Francisco Bay Area Awardee, expressed the relief the Award provided her “Receiving the Award gives me the time to focus on experimenting, learning, and making – I am able to decline unproductive opportunities knowing I have the funding from this Award.”
José Ibarra Rizo, 2022 Atlanta Awardee, expressed his gratitude for receiving the Award “The Award means that I have the financial backing to take risks and explore my work in new and interesting ways. I immediately thought about the possibilities for projects that up until this point were not possible because of financial limitations.” On the prospect of the Awards increase, he stated “[The increase] will make it possible for artists to take work even further.”
Read the announcement in ARTnews, Hyperallergic, or the full press release here.
Since its founding in 1999, Artadia has awarded over $6 million in unrestricted funds to over 370 artists nationally. Celebrating visual artists and their foundational role in shaping society, the Artadia Award benefits three artists annually in seven major US cities with high concentrations of creative workers—Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco Bay Area. Beyond the grant, the Award includes lifelong access to a community of fellow artists and patrons. The Artadia Award is designed to provide essential funding and recognition to artists at pivotal points in their careers, strengthen their communities, and spur new levels of career achievement.
Alex Strada and Tali Keren (2022 New York City), Save the Presidents, 2018.