In the greater funding landscape for the arts, it’s rare to find money for independent artists’ projects. That’s why Artblog is excited to announce the brand new, Philadelphia-specific grant source, The Velocity Fund!
Created to offer opportunities for independent visual artists working in cross-disciplinary or experimental formats in Philadelphia, The Velocity Fund will award grants up to $5,000 to 10-15, single-year projects in 2018. Applications are open now until June 1, 2018, and grants will be announced in September, 2018, for projects to be undertaken and completed by Fall, 2019.
A fund focused on independent Philadelphia artists working collaboratively
Established in 2017, The Velocity Fund is a special fund of Temple Contemporary, the award-winning community-centered art space at Tyler School of Art, with support from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Regional Regranting Program.
The Velocity Fund is the Warhol Foundation’s twelfth Regional Regranting Program in the U.S. and only the fourth Regranting Program in the Eastern U.S., joining Baltimore, Portland, ME, and Miami as other cities working with The Foundation to award individual artist grants.
Fostering connections between artists and communities
Robert Blackson, director of Temple Contemporary, whose recent and well-loved project, “Symphony for a Broken Orchestra,” raised awareness of and funds for the Philadelphia Public Schools’ music program, is hopeful that The Velocity Fund will connect artists and communities, something he is passionate about.
“This is a big deal,” Blackson said. “With federal arts funding declining, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts recognized a desperate need for artists to support their own practices, and they stepped into the breach. To do that, they partner with local arts institutions that have access to the surrounding artistic communities—places that are attuned to the needs of their city and its artists. We are honored and grateful to be the Warhol Foundation’s official partner in Philadelphia.”
Giving props to Blackson and Temple Contemporary for outstanding work with artists and communities, Rachel Bers, Program Director of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, said, “We are extremely pleased to welcome the Velocity Fund into to the Warhol Foundation’s Regional Re-granting Program, which supports experimental, artist-organized public projects in communities across the country. Rob Blackson and his team at Temple Contemporary have crafted a program that reflects the foundation’s interest in fostering the creative ambitions of a wide variety of artists who operate outside of traditional formats and venues. We look forward to seeing the range of projects that the Velocity Fund will enable Philadelphia artists to produce.”
William Penn Foundation Program Director of Creative Communities, Judilee Reed, focused her comments on the great pool of talent in Philadelphia, saying, “Temple Contemporary and the Warhol Foundation’s partnership to support socially-minded artists in Philadelphia is an exciting opportunity to highlight the enormous creative and artistic talent found here. By focusing this grant opportunity to support artists’ projects, it can provide a lens on the creative practice of local artists.”
If I live in Bucks County can I apply, and other questions?
Sorry, no. All independent artists in the city of Philadelphia are eligible to apply for project support. Also, be aware of the special focus of the Velocity Fund — experimental and under-the-radar collaborations across disciplines that will connect with communities.
INFORMATION SESSIONS
The Velocity Fund will be holding information sessions around Philadelphia in April to allow artists to ask questions about this new funding opportunity.
Two information sessions are scheduled. Both are free but require registration at the links below.
Tuesday April 17, at 5:30pm at The Print Center (1614 Latimer Street – RSVP required)
Thursday, April 26, at 5:00pm at Slought (4017 Walnut Street). (RSVP required)
See the FAQ page of the website, which answers many burning questions. Or, email velocity@temple.edu
