FILLING IN THE GAPS

BY LINDSAY BREIDENTHAL

How would you use $1,500? Seattle based non-profit Artist Trust recently awarded 65 Washington State artists the 2022 Grants for Artists Progress (GAP) Grant. Of those, ten artists live in Chelan, Kittitas, and Okanogan counties and are part of our regional, cultural wealth.

The 2023 Grants for Artists’ Progress (GAP) are described as unrestricted project-based grants of $1,500 for artists working in all disciplines across Washington State who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and/or residing outside King County.

Like many organizations, Artist Trust underwent some changes over the last two years in an attempt to “…begin reversing historic inequalities. Through artist feedback, focus groups, and research with partner organizations, our team learned that artists preferred unrestricted funding for their vision and creative projects. Additionally, we understand that King County has the greatest funding and resources for artists, and it is imperative that we attempt to reach rural artists in our state. With this new iteration of GAP, we saw an opportunity to widen our support of artists of all backgrounds living outside of King County,” according to the Artist Trust website.

This is good news for the rest of us because there’s a lot of state out there! As a lead up to the next GAP Grant application deadline coming up in May, NCW Arts reached out to several of the recent GAP Grant recipients to learn more about how they navigated the GAP application process. We spoke to visual artist Kasey Koski from Chelan County; multi-disciplinary artist/performer Dan Nanamkin from Okanogan County; and visual artist Kyung Hee “Kate” Im from Kittitas County.

Neither Koski nor Nanamkin had applied for the GAP Grant before, but Kyung Hee has been both accepted and rejected in her previous requests for funding. “The GAP Grant award is one of the proudest fundings I have received,” she said, “And I appreciate the Artist Trust and their donors for this great honor to be one of the recipients.”

We asked this year’s recipients to share their thoughts on the process:

What was the most challenging aspect of the application process?

KK: Trying to define what I would use the funds for. Although I would love to start a new project, I decided to use it for some professional development. I’ve been horrible at self-promotion and I hope to build a website.

DN: Always the suspense to know if you may be a recipient or not.

KHI: Word limits and writing a project description was the most challenging. After I moved from the Midwest to Washington, the change in environment made it hard to feel motivated to create new artwork. Thinking about new projects can come easily, but sometimes I need more time to unfold my idea visually in my mind. I am glad that I can feel the communities welcoming me here and being supportive. Now it is my time to share my artwork with the communities.

What aspect of your project or process will this award support?

KK: Time. I have spent the last few years of the pandemic working even harder than before at my day job. I’m exhausted and in order to make any forward headway on my project, I hope to take some additional time off from the daily grind.

DN: This award will help me preserve my support of our indigenous language, storytelling, cultural resiliency and humanity in support of the future generations by preserving songs and recordings of original compositions I have created.

KHI: As a visual artist, during the creative idea process, one point leads me to a financial problem. After experiencing the pandemic, a huge gap in inflation from last year to this year, and after moving from the Midwest, I am always hesitant about spending money on materials. However, with the GAP award support, I feel better about the financial burden and that makes me want to create more artwork than ever.

What advice do you have for artists who are considering applying for grant funding?

KK: Just give it a try. If you have something you believe in, others will see its value also. Spend time with your writing. Make sure you have articulated what you are hoping for. Have others proofread to be sure they also see your vision in your written word.

Visual thinkers aren’t always the best at articulating that vision. (I’m guilty of this as are, I suspect, many of us.)

DN: I would encourage indigenous artists and those who live in typically underserved areas to apply for future grants. Believe in your dreams.

KHI: I want to say go for it. After I moved to Washington State in July 2022, I set my first goal to apply for the GAP. I would advise artists who are considering applying for grant funding to take their time and gather their creative ideas and documentation. Write them down and read them, then come back to them again and again and update each time until you have nothing to change and you are ready to submit. Also, I want to say - be yourself and be honest about your work and your situation. In that way, you can share what you have in your mind, and people will understand you and your artwork better.

Congratulations to all our NCW 2022 GAP Grant Recipients!

Michael Caemmerer - Performing

Linda Cooper - Literary

Salyna Gracie - Visual

Kasey Koski - Visual

Kyung Hee Im - Visual

Dan Nanamkin - Multi-disciplinary

Lorna Rose - Literary

Claire Sianna Seaman - Media/Visual

T.L. Timpe - Literary

Hanna Viano - Visual