A recent fellowship means that not all artists will have to be the starving sort.
The California Community Foundation (CCF) recently announced that it has awarded $260,000 in one-year fellowships to 14 artists, whose fields of expertise range from painting and sculpting to performance art and experimental film.
Antonia Hernandez, president and CEO of the foundation, said that given the trying times people are facing, artists are needed now more than ever.
"At CCF, we value creativity and the role of artistic expression as a source of great inspiration to the community," Hernandez said. "We are pleased to help these gifted artists move forward in their careers through these highly competitive fellowships."
The fellowships were divided among two skill-level groups – "emerging artists" and "mid-career" artists. Fellowships of $15,000 were awarded to four emerging artists, who are defined as those who have less than seven years of professional experience. Those with seven or more years of experienced are regarded as mid-career artists accounted for the remaining 10 fellowships, with each artist receiving $20,000.
The 14 artists who received fellowships were: Rheim Alkadhi; Edgar Arceneaux; Andrea Bowers; Juan Capistran; Sara Daleiden; Zackary Drucker; Sharon Lockhart; Euan Macdonald; John Malpede; Elana Mann; Mineo Mizuno; Sandeep Mukherjee; Jennifer Steinkamp; and Pae White.
The art fellows were picked by panel of 10 people. The total pool of applicants was up 27 percent from the year before, with 549 people applying to the CCF for awards.
The fellowships bring together a number of funds, including J. Paul Getty Trust Fund for the Visual Arts, the Brody Arts Fund, the Atlass Fund, the Joan Palevsky Endowment for the Future of Los Angeles, and other CCF funds.