Simone Leigh
2009 NYFA Fellowships are Cause for Hope amid Bleak Forecast for Artists
New York, NY – There is a light at the end of the tunnel for 134 artists living and working in New York State. The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) has just announced the recipients for its annual fellowship grants of $7,000 apiece to 134 artists recognized for excellence in their given disciplines. The grants total $917,000 and are intended for unrestricted use, meaning that they can be utilized for everything from art materials to rent – which is welcome news for recipients. Artists have been strongly impacted by the economic crisis. A recent survey conducted by NYFA suggested that almost half of the artists living in New York State make less than $25,000 per annum.
With recent contemporary auctions signifying that the art market bubble has finally burst, artists will need funding more than ever to survive. NYFA’s Executive Director Michael L. Royce explained, “These awards always have a tremendous impact on the lives of the recipients, but this year they will be especially meaningful. Artists across the state are suffering from substantial losses of income and these Fellowships will provide them with the resources that they need… I am so thankful to the New York State Council on the Arts and the other steadfast supporters of this program for providing NYFA with the funding necessary to help New York State’s artists weather this storm.” Since the fellowship awards began in 1985, NYFA has awarded over $22 million to over 3,688 artists.
Fellowships are awarded to artists at all career levels and are intended to give them the means to continue making work despite financial restraints. Past recipients include subsequent winners of the Pulitzer Prize, the Tony Award, the Academy Award, Guggenheim Fellowships, MacArthur Fellowships, and many other honors. Filmmaker Tamara Jenkins, poet Billy Collins, theatre director Julie Taymor and artists Barbara Kruger, Ross Bleckner and Andres Serrano were all awarded fellowship grants from NYFA.
NYFA’s 2009 Artists’ Fellowships are administered by NYFA with leadership support from the New York State Council on the Arts. Additional support is provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, BUITONI, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation and The Alex G. Nason
About the New York Foundation for the Arts:
The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) was founded in 1971 to empower artists at critical stages in their creative lives. Each year we provide over $1 million in cash grants to individuals and small organizations. The fiscal sponsorship program is the largest and most established in the country and helps artists and organizations raise and manage over $4 million annually. NYFA’s Learning Program provides thousands of artists with professional development training and the website NYFA.org received over 4.4 million unique visits in 2008.