At Current Rate Only 12% Of Artists Get Emergency Funds

As of April 24, 2020, Artist Trust has distributed $350,000 in rapid relief funding to WA State artists through their COVID-19 Artist Trust Relief Fund. This fund was established quickly in mid-March 2020 to provide funding for artists of all disciplines in Washington State whose livelihoods were severely impacted by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Relief Fund requests currently total $4.8 million from more than 2142 applicants. Those numbers grow weekly and applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis. Distributions totaling $50-$100K are made weekly, but the need far exceeds the available funds. At the current rate, only 12% of the applicants will receive relief. The need is expected to grow, and Artist Trust will not be able to fund all applicants. This strain is felt by all organizations offering artist, arts education, and arts organization relief funding.

To date the Artist Relief fund has accumulated $525,000 in donations from more than 360 Individuals. Over 30% of these donors are artists themselves. Artists help artists. And, by definition, artists are a creative, scrappy, compassionate, and resourceful group.

Washington State's artists, like the three profiled below, will continue to create work that inspires, confronts, comforts, and encourages social change. By supporting artists with immediate financial support to cover living expenses (food, housing, utilities, supplies, medicine) they can continue to teach, create and inspire. The artist's lifestyle has generally operated paycheck-to-paycheck and 77% of artists surveyed say they need immediate financial support. These $500-$5000 cash grants are intended to support working artists with: lost wages and earnings from event, performance, conference and/or school/community-based closures/cancellations.

Artist Trust will continue to distribute funding weekly throughout this triage period of crisis, and supporting Washington artists through sustained relief, recovery, and rebuilding. Consistent local and federal support is necessary for artists like these.

Interviews with these (and other) artists at their homes or creative spaces are available upon request. Social distance guidelines have been vetted. Contact Jennifer Rice for location and logistical details.

Ryan in Spokane is a single dad and a multidisciplinary Native artist who earns the bulk of his income in from June through October as a musician at powwows, stickgame tournaments, and large Native social gatherings of over 2000 people. At the time Covid-19 broke he was recording music utilizing Native instruments and Salish lyrics. He also designed merchandise (t-shirts) adorned with his original artwork to sell at the gatherings.

https://artisttrust.org/artists/ryan-abrahamson/

Cecelia in Beacon Hill / SeaTac, is a teaching artist, arts advocate, and muralist currently living in SeaTac under the alias Mousy DeVilla. Her gigs and teaching artist residencies at Creative Justice, Coyote Central, and Urban Artworks, Highline and Seattle School districts have all been cancelled until further notice. She supplemented her income at pop up markets and her Earthseed Studio workspace on Beacon Hill is not accessible because of the shutdowns.

https://www.mousydevilla.com/

Johnaye in Tacoma is a wife, mother of 5-year-old twin girls, vocalist, musician, composer, arranger, and educator at Cornish College of the Arts. Her paid teaching jobs have been cancelled indefinitely. In addition to homeschooling her twin daughters, she is continuing to create new work. Her artistic process takes time. Before the pandemic hit, Johnaye used her credit card to purchase promotional materials for her next big project, thinking that money would be refunded through her upcoming work. The grant received will help her keep her living expenses covered while continuing to work.

A dedicated educator, Johnaye resides in Seattle, WA where she serves as Professor of Jazz Voice at Cornish Coll...