Emerging Artist Grant From Creative Pinellas Opens Today

Creative Pinellas announces the return of their Emerging Artist Grant, designed to assist artists early in their career with the tools to make the leap to their next step as professional artists.

The program provides grantees with a financial award geared toward the production of new work, leading to an exhibition at the close of the grant award period. Creative Pinellas will work to pair recipients with an artist mentor to guide the grantee through their development as a professional artist. The online application period opens on Feb. 1, 2018, and closes on March 12, 2018, at 11:59 pm (Eastern).

Grants will be awarded for original work in the disciplines of choreography, literature, media arts, music composition, theater/musical theater, visual arts and interdisciplinary arts. Program guidelines and eligibility details, a sample application, grant FAQs and the online application will be available at creativepinellas.org starting Feb. 1, 2018.

"This grant program reflects our desire at Creative Pinellas to recognize the potential of our County's emerging artists and support them in developing their careers," said Christopher Hubbard, programs manager for Creative Pinellas. "Last year we launched the program to great success; the feedback we got from participating artists was that this grant was a game-changer for them in moving their work forward. We also came to recognize this program as a vehicle for supporting and showcasing innovative and exciting work, contributing to the expansion of Pinellas County's status as a vibrant arts and cultural destination."

Funds for the grant program will be available in the spring, for use throughout the summer, culminating in an exhibition of the grantees' new work at the end of September 2018. Over the course of the funding period, recipients will provide an insight into their creative processes for interested visitors through blogs posted at impactreturns.org. Past awardees have written about current projects, critiques on work in progress, reflections on life as an artist, and more.

"We have an amazing community of emerging artists here in Pinellas County who are driving a tremendous amount of artistic and creative energy and innovation," said Barbara St. Clair, executive director of Creative Pinellas. "By combining financial support, mentoring and an opportunity for an exhibit or performance, we believe this grant hits the sweet spot for what an arts organization like Creative Pinellas can do to support individual artists, to encourage and sustain the arts and cultural community, and to enhance the audience experience for residents and visitors as well."

For more information about all of Creative Pinellas' Impact Returns Grant Programs and to apply, please visit creativepinellas.org/grants or contact Christopher Hubbard, programs manager, at christopher.hubbard@creativepinellas.org.

About Creative Pinellas At Creative Pinellas our mission is to facilitate a vibrant, integrated, collaborative and sustainable Pinellas County Arts Community and cultural destination. We strive to be the premier Local Arts Agency, recognized locally and globally for our contribution to arts and culture. We are focused on creating vibrant communities; supporting artists, arts organizations and the creative community; supporting economic development; showcasing Pinellas County as a cultural destination; and making arts and creative expression and experience available to all.
As the County's Local Arts Agency, Creative Pinellas and the programs we deliver are funded by the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners, Visit St Petersburg / Clearwater, the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and by sales of the State of the Arts specialty license plate in Pinellas County.

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