Grants, Services and Commissions for Individual Artists

Houston Arts Alliance presents Grants, Services and Commissions for Individual Artists Tuesday, July 7, 2015, 5:30 – 7 p.m. at Houston Arts Alliance, 3201 Allen Parkway, Suite 125.

Individual artists (visual and literary artists, composers, choreographers, etc.) are encouraged to attend this information session on Houston Arts Alliance’s offerings in support of their work and to hear from artists who have received these grants and commissions.

The civic art panel and commission process will be discussed, as well as how to apply for Individual Artists Grants.

Presented by:

Jonathon Glus, HAA President + CEO
Richard Graber, HAA Director of Grants, Programs + Services
Sara Kellner, HAA Director of Civic Art + Design
Visual artists Anthony Shumate and Shane Allbittron

About Individual Artist Grants
The Individual Artist Grant (IAG) program seeks to support the development and presentation of new artistic works by local Houston artists to help advance Houston’s reputation as a vibrant creative hub and a destination for cultural tourism. IAG provides opportunities through a competitive application and review process. Applications for these grants are reviewed by external peer review panels composed of inclusive groups of artists, arts professionals and community volunteers selected for their expertise and objectivity.

About Civic Art + Design
HAA’s Civic Art + Design champions projects that transform urban space in order to express and celebrate Houston’s distinctive identity.

It does this by:

• Commissioning new permanent public art
• Invigorating public spaces through its Temporary Art Program
• Conserving art in the City of Houston collection for future generations to enjoy

Creating public spaces for civic and cultural use requires artists, designers, architects and the community to collaborate. By actively fostering these partnerships, both public and private, Civic Art + Design initiates, manages and maintains civic artworks throughout Houston. It serves a vital role as catalyst for change that generates a culturally relevant and rich environment for residents and visitors alike.

Civic Art + Design commissions of permanent artwork have ranged from Houston artist Bert Long’s monumental mural ART/LIFE for the Looscan Neighborhood Library to Dennis Oppenheim’s graceful Radiant Fountains at the gateway to the Bush Intercontinental Airport to Matthew Geller’s witty Open Channel Flow at the Sabine Street Pump Station.

The Temporary Art Program, launched in 2009 with an exhibition of works by James Surls on the Rice University campus, provides curatorial vision and professional expertise for projects that take art beyond the walls of museums and galleries. Temporary Art Program installations have included Konstantin Dimopoulos’s The Blue Trees, a response to the loss of millions of trees during the 2011 drought and Hurricane Ike, and Jo Ann Fleischauer’s What Time Is It?, a collaboration with the contemporary music group Musiqa.

The City of Houston Art Collection comprises all works of art in all media that have been purchased, commissioned, or donated to the City and accepted into the collection by City Council. In its role as manager and conservator of the collection, Civic Art + Design monitors the condition of pieces, performs conservation, contracts with outside conservators, and recommends accession and deaccession policies.

Funding for many Civic Art + Design projects derives from Houston Arts Alliance’s contract to provide professional services to the City of Houston’s General Services Department, Houston Airport System, and Houston First Corporation. The City generates funds for the aesthetic enhancement of public facilities and civic space and for the conservation of works in the City of Houston Art Collection through the percent-for-art ordinance, which sets aside 1.75 percent of eligible city capitol improvement project funds for these purposes.

Houston Arts Alliance also raises funds from private donors. The Temporary Art Program is financed primarily from these sources.

Civic Art + Design also administers private commissions and conservation efforts. It provides exhibition planning, placemaking services, urban design consultation and temporary artwork project management.