ARTSmemphis Launches New Unrestricted Grant Program for Local Individual Artists

The only of its kind—prompted by the successful model of COVID Artist Emergency Fund—will support individual Memphis artists across visual, dance, film, and music mediums in its pilot year.

MEMPHIS—ARTSmemphis, the Mid-South’s primary arts funder, is pleased to announce the establishment of ARTSassist, an unrestricted grant program supporting individual artists across visual art, dance, music, and film in Shelby County.

ARTSassist will be overseen by an ARTSmemphis-appointed artist advisory committee:

• Carl Moore, Chair

• Khara Woods (Visual Art)

• Richard Lou (Visual Art)

• Terran Noir (Dance)

• Jayme Stokes (Dance)

• Morgan Massey (Music)

• Kayla Myers (Film)

ARTSassist is an expansion of a pre-pandemic grant program for visual artists—known as ArtsAccelerator—and was propelled by ARTSmemphis’ COVID Artist Emergency Fund and Recovery Fund models and accompanying impact.

“We granted almost $1 million to over 800 artists across artistic disciplines during COVID,” said ARTSmemphis President & CEO Elizabeth Rouse. “The immediate impact not only proved the need for but sped up our longer-term goal of making individual artist support a core budget component of ARTSmemphis.”

With a fund of $75,000 for its pilot year, ARTSassist will provide unrestricted grants to at least 15 local artists across disciplines. Awarded grants will be proportionate to applications’ artistic disciplines, and applications will be juried by out-of-market artists. ARTSmemphis grantees Indie Memphis and Music Export Memphis have been tapped to distribute a portion of the ARTSassist fund to their respective disciplines through existing granting mechanisms.

“One of the most successful elements of our pandemic grant distribution model was our partnership with existing arts organizations who are directly engaging with individual artists on a daily basis and have both the tools and practices in place to distribute dollars quickly and effectively,” said Rouse.

"Granting to individual artists has always been core to who Music Export Memphis is as an organization, but the COVID Artist Emergency Relief grants really helped to drive the conversation forward with other funders in our city like ARTSmemphis,” said Elizabeth Cawein, Executive Director of Music Export Memphis. “We believe that artists need subsidies to build sustainable careers and that, when they do, they bring lasting and tangible benefits to our city. It's about resources and education and professional development, of course - but ultimately, they need direct financial support to take that leap. These dollars will help make that possible."

“No other local organization is giving unrestricted funding directly to artists on an annual basis,” said Rouse. “As a city, we must provide resources to our creators. Whatever they might need—be it professional development, more space, supplies—ARTSassist is meant to help artists literally advance their art. This unrestricted support allows them to do their work in their practices on their terms. We look forward to growing this fund and impact year after year.”

Applications for visual and dance artists are now open on ARTSmemphis’ website and due April 19. More information may be found at artsmemphis.org.

ABOUT ARTSMEMPHIS. ARTSmemphis, a 501(c)3, is the Mid-South’s primary arts funder, working behind the scenes to expand the foundation of Memphis’ arts through diligent and diverse support. The granting organization has distributed over $94 million since 1963 to local artists and arts organizations and further provides financial guidance, organizational advice, marketing support, and networking opportunities and connections. For more information, visit artsmemphis.org.

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