Exciting News to Kick Off 20 Years of Creative Capital

For two decades, Creative Capital has helped to make possible some of the most powerful and enduring works of art produced in the United States. I began my tenure as Executive Director of Creative Capital in 2016 by soliciting feedback from our community—our artists and supporters, staff, and partners. What we heard was that after nearly 20 years, the ways that the Creative Capital Award provides support in a wide-ranging, holistic program for artists is still very much needed. We are proud to announce that, in recognition of our 20th anniversary, Creative Capital will move to an annual cycle of awards and retreats, allowing us to provide more support for artists, and on a more responsive schedule.

This new award cycle is a natural extension of our mission to advocate for artists who explore and push boundaries. It will allow prospective awardees more clarity and flexibility in the application process, and ensure that Creative Capital is available for cutting-edge projects when that assistance is most critical. Ultimately, an annual award cycle, open to projects of all disciplines, will ensure that we’re accessible to artists when and where they need us.

Awardees will each continue to receive $50,000 in project funding, supplemented by an additional $50,000 in career development services, for a total value of $100,000. What I hear from artists is that the nonmonetary services we offer are just as valuable as the project funding. This is particularly evident with the community-building Artist Retreat. In fact, as you read this, we are at Bard College presenting our 2019 Artist Retreat with over 70 Creative Capital Awardees. Bringing together field experts and cultural leaders, the retreat provides important networking and collaboration-building opportunities for Creative Capital Awardees, and is the heart of our ongoing work of building a flourishing ecosystem of artist support.

Offering awards and retreats on an annual basis is an indication of our commitment to amplifying the full spectrum of the country’s artistic voices, but we need your continued support to make it happen. If you feel as passionate as we do about the artists who are tackling the toughest issues we face today, then I encourage you to make a donation. We raise every dollar that we give away, and even a small commitment will go a long way to helping artists establish thriving creative practices.

Thank you for your support of this incredible organization over the last twenty years. I hope you will join us in celebrating how far we’ve come, and join in our vision for the future.


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