FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2020
CHATHAM ARTIST AND ARTS-WORKER RELIEF EFFORT AIMS TO HELP LOCAL ARTISTS IN THE WAKE OF COVID-19
CAARE Receives Huge Boost in Funding from Manbites Dog Theater Fund and Triangle Community Foundation to Provide Needed Support
Pittsboro, NC – COVID-19 sees no boundaries. As it crawls across the globe, it is causing many people to fight for their lives, while others are struggling for their livelihood. Small businesses, nonprofits, and restaurants have all been financially impacted by the virus. Artists across the world have been especially hit hard. With this in mind, the Chatham Arts Council created the Chatham Artist and Arts-Worker Relief Effort (CAARE).
CAARE’s purpose is to get immediate assistance to Chatham County artists and arts-workers struggling with the economic impact of the pandemic. Arts-workers include people who earn income in the arts by making arts projects possible, including exhibition managers, artist managers, stage managers, arts nonprofit administrators, sound technicians, etc. CAARE aims to help with basic financial needs for artists and arts-workers who are dealing with widespread cancellations of projects, concerts, plays, events, and art shows – the outlets that musicians, actors, dancers, painters, sculptors, and teaching artists rely on to pay their bills.
“Providing needed financial support in the community means rounding up dollars in a time when many organizations are worried about making ends meet,” explained Cheryl Chamblee, Executive Director of the Chatham Arts Council. “In this pandemic, we’ve been fortunate to mobilize quickly because we received funding from two generous organizations who are huge supporters of the arts: Manbites Dog Theater and the Triangle Community Foundation.”
CAARE was created with initial seed money granted by Manbites Dog Theater Fund and has sustained a huge bump, thanks to a charitable donation by the Triangle Community Foundation. “In response to the current pandemic, Manbites Dog’s board has chosen to support local artists by making emergency grants totaling $12,000 to five Triangle artist support funds in Wake, Durham, Orange, and Chatham,” said Ed Hunt, Managing Director, Associate Artistic Director of Manbites Dog Theater. “All of these funds are prioritizing getting funds as quickly as possible to artists in need of immediate emergency assistance. We believe that supporting the arts means supporting the artists, and are heartened by the way the arts community is rallying to help its own.”
Most CAARE grants to artists and arts-workers will range from $50 to $250. The funding amount provided is based on incoming donations to the fund, balanced with the number of grant requests.
How to Apply
A small group of Chatham artists reviewed the CAARE application to provide input and ensure appropriate considerations were made. Artists and arts-workers can fill out the application at ChathamArtsCouncil.org. Dollars are not awarded based on any opinions of an applicant’s work. CAARE seeks to help as many artists and arts-workers in the community as possible.
“Artists and arts organizations are truly the heart of our community,” expressed Lori O’Keefe, President and CEO of Triangle Community Foundation. “Triangle Community Foundation is proud to continue supporting the talent and creativity that exists here in the Triangle now more than ever, because we need them more than ever.”
Funding Distribution
Funds from CAARE will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, with specific consideration to application requirements and available funding. Decisions for CAARE funds will be made each Thursday, beginning April 9. Applications must be received by Tuesday to be considered by the CAARE committee for that week’s disbursement. Applications received after Tuesday at 5 pm will be reviewed the following week. Disbursements will be made weekly.
For more information on CAARE, or to donate, please visit ChathamArtsCouncil.org.
ABOUT THE CHATHAM ARTS COUNCIL
The Chatham Arts Council nurtures creative thinkers in Chatham County. We do this in two ways: we invest in artists and we educate kids through the arts. In its thirty-seventh year as a nonprofit arts agency, Chatham Arts Council’s flagship programs include Meet This Artist, Go See This, Grassroots Arts Grants, and the Chatham Artists-in-Schools Initiative – serving more than 3,500 children this year. Chatham Arts Council is proud to partner with the NC Arts Council, the Durham Arts Council, Chatham County Schools, and numerous Chatham arts organizations, human resource nonprofits, and local businesses. For more information, visit www.chathamartscouncil.org.
CONTACT: April Starling, Marketing/Public Relations Leader of the Chatham Arts Council, april@chathamartscouncil.org or 917.544.0608.
NOTE: Feel free to publish partially or in its entirety, with or without a byline. The article was written by April Starling, Marketing/Public Relations Leader, Chatham Arts Council.
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