Arts Council for Long Beach has awarded a total of $660,400 in grants to 31 grantees across three programs; the City of Long Beach’s allocation for the arts, the one Percent for Arts Program, and the Long Beach Recovery Act.
The grant categories include professional artist fellowships, community project grants, and operating grants. The professional artist fellowships recognize Long Beach artists who demonstrate an exhibition or production record of at least three years. The council awarded ten artists fellowships this year based on their artistic merit and professional achievement. The 2023 fellows are Gary Alvarez, Micah Bournes, Squire Dane, Jack Dubowsky, Emily Dyer, Armine Iknadossian, Eric Leffler, Toria Maldonado, Brandis Rodriguez, and Suzanne Shifflett. This fall, these fellows will be honored with a year-long exhibition at the Billie Jean King Main Library opening. CLICK HERE to learn more about these incredible artists.
The Creative Economy Grants Program, administered by the Arts Council for Long Beach or ArtsLB in partnership with the City of Long Beach and its Long Beach Recovery Act, offers direct financial relief to arts, cultural, and historical organizations and professional artists in Long Beach. These critical funds continue to help them recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This program provides grants for various categories, including operational expenses, special projects, and professional artists’ individual projects. It aims to provide much-needed support to Long Beach’s arts and cultural community as they continue to navigate the challenges of the pandemic.
Our Community Project Grant program funds innovative programming and cultural projects that serve our communities; this year, the council awarded grants to 17 organizations, all of whom present rich programming and provide free events for the public. Operating grants provide unrestricted support to arts and cultural organizations that collect, preserve, present or commission exemplary works of art. This year, the council awarded grants to five organizations. Many grantees use these funds to offset costs for educational and community programs.
In a statement, the Arts Council for Long Beach said “We are thrilled to support these outstanding artists and organizations, especially in light of the challenges of the pandemic. As a local arts agency and funder, our grants nurture and revitalize the arts throughout the city. We look forward to continuing to work with the city to build a robust arts and culture grant program as we all work to recover together.”