Marin Arts Fund Grantee quotes
From Career Development grantees:
“This opportunity reminds me of how lucky I am to live in a community that both values and supports artists. I look forward to making the most of this chance to improve my art practice, and I will also jump at any opportunity to give back.”
– Lauren Bartone, painter, Career Development Grant recipient
“Stepping more boldly into one’s passion is, of course, an ever-evolving thing. This grant, however, represents a significant point of that trajectory. My trajectory. Something tangible to reference and be inspired by as I continue taking steps forward in my evolution as a person as well as an artist.”
-Robert Bengtson, photographer, Career Development Grant recipient
“I must say that the Marin Arts Council has been the saving grace of my artistic career. Even though I continued to push on, I had stopped hoping to get grants and essentially stopped believing in myself as an independent artist. The grant I received was a major fulcrum in my life and I have never looked back…(Since then) I’ve written a full-length play each year and written several short works as well.
I am living proof of how some organizations can make a critical difference in the lives of artists.”
- Pamela Winfrey, playwright, Career Development Grant recipient
“It is a great honor to have been chosen in such a creative and artistically rich environment such as Marin County. … This grant has given me great courage to continue on my path. This passion to create has been authorized in some way, allowing for new and exciting growth.”
– Ben Nixon, photographer, Career Development Grant recipient
“Thank you for recognizing the importance of art in all of our lives. I have learned through painting how to see and think differently. I hope that people who see my paintings become engaged in that thinking process as well.”
- Suzanne C. Frazier, painter, Career Development Grant recipient
“This process is really helping me to take risks and state who I am as an artist.”
- Sasha Georgeson, photographer, Career Development Grant recipient
“This new grant category fills a huge need in the arts community. I found that the process of developing the grant application itself took me to a new level of professionalism, with regards to this project.”
- Soña Holman, painter, Career Development Grant recipient
“Not only was the grant a confidence booster and a validation that my work was worth continuing on a professional level, it also gave me crucial funds that made it much easier to take a chance on something.”
- Matthew N. Savage, photographer, Career Development Grant recipient
From Community Partnership grantees:
“Your support makes possible a new collaboration between Senior Access and a local artist to produce an exhibit of original art created by our program participants suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Our goal in creating the exhibit is to honor the contributions made by our participants and celebrate their work with their families. A secondary goal is to broaden the public perception of people with Alzheimer’s disease by showcasing the abilities of our participants rather than focusing on their disabilities. Your support…is a tangible show of support for the work we do to enhance the lives of our participants.”
- Senior Access, Community Arts Partnership Grant recipient
“The Marin Arts Council’s support has been essential in allowing the San Anselmo Arts Commission to continue the Music in the Park series in downtown San Anselmo. The response from the community for this free event has been overwhelming. Serving a broad audience across generations, this event has brought together individuals, couples, families, teens, seniors, and developmentally disabled adults and their caregivers to share the experience and joy of live music in our local park setting on lovely summer Sunday afternoons.”
- San Anselmo Arts Commission, Community Arts Partnership Grantee