Feeling the Pinch: Part 3

Today’s Feeling the Pinch post is taken from an email by and individual artist. Though the arts organizations are hurting badly, we can’t forget how funding cuts hurt individual artists as well!

We are still collecting stories of how less arts funding affects you, so please email artpride@artpridenj.com with yours!

Hi, Ann Marie –

I appreciate your outreach (Art Pride eNewletter and survey).

I am a recipient of an NJ Individual Fellowship Award this year. I am a full time studio artist. I attended the NJ State Council on the arts Annual Meeting yesterday in Trenton – just to see what is going on in the art world in NJ. I can’t help but to feel that much of the focus goes to non-profit organizations, groups, collaborators and arts education. What opportunities are there for individual artists in the state of NJ?

I am extremely grateful for winning a NJ Individual Fellowship Award
– I believe there were 26 award winners, out of the over 450 who applied. Who in the state is working on individual artist needs? With no lobbying group for individual fine artists, we are invisible. I thought I heard at the conference yesterday, that due to the economy, the Individual Fellowship Awards were being suspended. Is this true?

Thank you for any information you can give me.

Regard,
Joan Dreyer

*Joan later emailed writing, “It is true, that the Individual Fellowship Awards have been suspended,” and inquiring as to how that decision was made.