Bass Family Launches Fund for Artists, Seeks Work Inspired by COVID-19

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The Fine Line Group, the Family Office of Sasha and Edward P. Bass, launched a $100,000 initiative Tuesday to support Fort Worth-area visual artists and encourage them to create works that “reflect their experience living through the pandemic as members of the Fort Worth area community.”

The Fine Line Group made the lead $50,000 gift to the project, called “THE NEW NORMAL: An Artist’s Response to COVID-19.” The Alice L. Walton Foundation, Donny Wiley Memorial Fund at the North Texas Community Foundation, and Kit and Charlie Moncrief provided additional support, according to the Fine Line Group.

According to a news release, “This innovative program is designed to support Fort Worth’s economic and emotional recovery through both service and art and will culminate in the creation of an important and profound body of work that interprets and documents the uniquely Fort Worth experience, during these uncertain, surreal, and often worrisome times."

A survey commissioned by Americans for the Arts, released Friday, found two thirds of artists in the U.S. are without income due to the pandemic.

THE NEW NORMAL is the first initiative of its kind in the country, according to Fine Line. The model will be made available via open-source to any community group interested in it to support local artists.

“Throughout history, artists have responded to major catastrophes and provided the world with visual interpretations of a reality that captures and preserves the human experience of the time,” Sasha Bass said in a release. “Ed and I, along with our partners, are thrilled to launch this program, which will provide much-needed income to our talented local artists and sustain the creative experiences essential to our communal spirit. Even in this age of social distancing, coming together through art is possible.”

A panel of eight leaders from Fort Worth museums, including the Kimbell Art Museum, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, and Sid Richardson Museum, will manage the selection process. THE NEW NORMAL is administered by Gallery of Dreams, a Fort Worth nonprofit established by Lauren Childs of Fort Works Art.

“Panelists will review candidate applications and provide awards of either $2,000 or $5,000 to Fort Worth artists based on the strength of their proposal, portfolio, and demonstrated financial need.”

Applications will include:

· A written proposal, including their views on how this opportunity will help them create

· Overview of the COVID-19-related work they intend to create

· Idea on how their art can support others in our city

· Examples of the artist’s current work

· Statement of need demonstrating loss of income due to the COVID-19 crisis

There’s no application fee. Artists can apply here.

Application deadlines:

· Cycle 1: May 11. Awards announced May 16.

· Cycle 2: May 12 – May 26. Awards announced May 31.

· Cycle 3: May 27 – June 10. Awards announced June 15.

The selection panel:

· Maggie Adler, curator of paintings, sculpture, and works on paper at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art

· Sasha and Edward P. Bass, Fine Line Group Principals

· Mary Burke, former director of the Sid Richardson Museum

· Lauren Childs, director and curator of Gallery of Dreams and Fort Works Art

· Alison Hearst, associate curator of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

· Patricia Riley, executive director of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

· George Shackleford, deputy director of the Kimbell Art Museum