|
by Yasi Salek In
a time when funding for the arts
|
|
||
Over
the past two years, the
Profant
Foundation has granted a
total
of $60,000 in scholarships
ranging
from $500 to $2,000,
granted
to more than 40 recipients.
While
there are a dwindling
number
of foundations and
scholarship
associations out there
that
provide grants for artists, the
Profant
Foundation is truly unique
in
several ways.. Application is not
limited
by age, and the artists can
use
the scholarships to benefit their
artistic
endeavors in any way they
see
fit. Money can go toward classes,
equipment,
airfare to attend a
distant
internship, or for completion
of
an exhibit. One prior
winner,
an artist who became
injured
and could not work, was
able
to pay his rent while he healed. Dancer and award recipient Laura Schmitz (right), with dance teacher Ellen Schipper, at the Youth America Grand Prix dance competition finals in New York City. |
The other unique aspect of the foundation is the strong commitment to fostering community involvement. A nonprofit organization, the foundation raises a good deal of the money for the scholarships through fund-raisers such as the recent Fan Project, Santa Barbara Arts Tours, and the Foundation’s biggest event, Fiesta Finale. The culmination of the annual Fiesta celebration, the Finale raises money through a gala party and dinner paired with a free public performance showcasing some of Santa Barbara’s finest music and dance artists, which also includes the famed “Painting that Comes to Life.” It is also where the Scholarship Awards—in the categories of dance, music, theater, art, and literature— are presented. In addition to the money raised through these events, members of the community can donate a scholarship award in the name of a loved one. While the awards aren’t huge sums of money, the Profant Foundation has made an impact on the lives of those who have received them. Samuel D. Williams III, last year’s recipient of the Papayan Award for Instrumental Music, has since used the money toward school and musical equipment. A senior at UCLA majoring in music with a double concentration in classical guitar performance and composition, Williams will apply again this year. “The fact that there are people out there willing to give money to support the arts is a great motivating factor for artists to keep doing what they do,” he says |
Last
year’s recipient
for
Literature, Alisha Westerman,
agrees.
The Profant Foundation, she
said,
“is encouraging and inspiring
to
people who really want to make
their
art their life.”
Westerman,
a talented writer as
well
as singer/composer, used her
grant
to purchase an Apple
computer
that she can use to write
but
also to record music. She
applied
for grants the past two years
and
is applying again this year, prior
to
her graduation from the College
of
Creative Studies at UCSB in June.
She
plans on moving to Los Angeles
to
pursue her writing career, and if
she
is funded again this year, that
money
will sure help. “Living here
in
Santa Barbara, we’re lucky to
have
a community that really
supports
the arts through things like this foundation.”
Another
aim of the Profant
Foundation
is to help artists
establish
connections in their
chosen
field by drawing community
attention
to their work. Santa
Barbara
City College student Meg
Barbour,
who received last year’s
$1,000
grant for her dance video,
was
contacted by six individuals
about
potential job contacts in the industry. And
Westerman,
Williams,
and Barbour are only a
few
of the many past recipients
who
have been motivated by these
scholarships
to continue producing
the
art that they love.
If
you’re an artist and are now sufficiently motivated, you still have
time
to get involved with this year’s
funding.
Applications are due May
23
and can be downloaded at www.profant.org. _
|
|
