Following a first round of emergency artist grants in August 2020, the Dallas-based public arts organization AURORA is pleased to announce a second round of relief grants for BIPOC artists in North Texas who have suffered from the devastating economic impacts of COVID-19. This round of funding was made possible by PNC in partnership with AURORA to recognize and begin to address the significant hardships faced by working artists from communities of color. Oshay Green and Hailey Summers were the first recipients of the organization’s inaugural Artist Relief Fund grants. Green and Summers, both of whom are North Texas natives, received $4,000 grant, enabling them to continue their artistic practice and community engagement. Green’s work was recently on view within the Dallas Museum of Art’s exhibition To Be Determined.
With funding from PNC, the AURORA COVID-19 Artist Relief Fund will distribute $20,000 to five grantees and will also establish a business wellness program designed specifically for independent artists. The program will include workshops and mentorship on best business practices to support the BIPOC artistic community in North Texas in the wake of COVID-19. The goal of this collaboration is to support grantees financially, and through mentorship designed to enhance the entrepreneurism of individual artists to flourish in a post-pandemic world. Submissions open February 19th and close March 15th, 2021; Individuals may submit their application at dallasaurora.com/Open-Call-Relief-Grant.
Grant recipients will be selected by an independent panel of art practitioners and community professionals who are representative of the BIPOC artist community in North Texas, including:
Liliana Bloch, Gallery Director and Founder, Liliana Bloch Gallery
Sara Cardona, Visual Artist and Executive Artistic Director, Teatro Dallas
Viola Delgado, Visual Artist
Riley Holloway, Visual Artist
Christian Vasquez, Filmmaker
“The devastating financial hardships as a result of COVID-19 have been far reaching across North Texas, and our arts and culture economy has not been spared,” said Brendan McGuire, regional president for PNC in North Texas. “This industry drives significant quality of life benefits and accretive economic impact to our region. It’s important we seek opportunities to support local artists, arts organizations and artists of color during this time.” “We are proud to be able to offer a second round of grants after a successful first round,” says Joshua King, co-founder of AURORA. “AURORA is humbled to help offer these grants to artists in North Texas and we’re grateful to see our community stepping up to support the financial fall out that artists continue to experience at this time.”
To be eligible for this grant, the artist must:
● Identify as Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color.
● Must be a working visual artist with a sustained practice in North Texas and be able to produce proof of residence.
● Must be at least 21 years of age.
● Experiencing dire financial distress due to the COVID-19.
● Must not be a full-time employee, board member, director, officer, or immediate family member of anyone involved with the Dallas Foundation or AURORA.
● Not previously awarded a relief grant from this fund.
Apply for the AURORA’S relief grant here.