By By JONATHAN CLAYBORNE
Staff Writer
Want money to make art?
Working in cooperation with local arts councils, the N.C. Arts Council is pushing Regional Artist Project Grants for artists of all stripes.
Grants averaging from $500 to $1,000 or more could be given to multiple artists in 29 eastern counties, including Beaufort County.
The money is made available to artists who complete an application process and win approval from a panel.
The grants are awarded to artists of all disciplines, from dancers to painters, said Joey Toler, executive director of the Beaufort County Arts Council.
“It’s a relatively simple application,” requiring an artist to set goals and budgets and provide a narrative explaining his or her project, Toler related.
Last year, two Beaufort County artists picked up grants under the program, said Toler, who’s willing to offer guidance to people who are planning to submit applications.
“Its purpose is to help an artist move to the next level in the development of their career,” he said of the grant program.
According to the state Arts Council’s website, the grants can be made to create new works of art, buy materials or equipment, attend workshops, travel to conferences or exhibitions or develop or update promotional materials.
“Eligible artists include North Carolina residents who have resided in eastern North Carolina for at least 2 years” in one of the 29 counties, including Hyde, Martin, Beaufort and Washington counties, reads information from the Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge.
PCAC is administering the grants for the 29 counties this year, Toler said.
For more information, call Toler at 946-2504, PCAC Executive Director Holly Garriott at 551-6947 or Jeff Pettus, senior program director for artists and organizations, N.C. Arts Council, at 919-807-6513.
Local fiber artist/basket weaver Pamela Zimmerman has received the regional grant twice, the last time in 2008.
“Both times it’s been a wonderful experience for me,” Zimmerman said.
Using the grant, Zimmerman was able to focus on 14 pieces in a series of works designed for a Raleigh exhibition. That show led to national recognition when her piece “Catching the Pale, Pale Moon” placed as a finalist in the 2009 NICHE Awards.
“It’s definitely gotten me a lot more national exposure,” she said of the grant. “I’ve gotten into a lot of juried exhibitions.”
And, given the opportunity, she would apply for this grant again.
“It brings attention to eastern North Carolina,” Zimmerman said. “It gives you opportunities that you’ve never had before.”