KENTUCKY — In the hopes of advancing social change through feminist-led, arts-based activities in communities across the state, the Kentucky Foundation for Women has awarded 38 Art Meets Activism Grants totaling $230,503 to artists and social change organizations.
Formed in 1985 by Louisville writer Sallie Bingham, the KFW’s stated mission is to “promote positive social change by supporting varied feminist expression in the arts.”
The foundation awards grants to individual artists and organizations, provides time and space for artists and activists at its retreat center, shares information, and builds alliances among female artists in the community.
The Art Meets Activism grants are for activities that are artist driven and include the direct participation of individuals and communities. This program “supports a wide variety of individual artists and organizations committed to building on the power of art to increase awareness about feminist issues, alter perceptions, stimulate dialogue, open new spaces for civic participation and imagine new ways to create a more just and equitable Kentucky.”
Grantees must lead community members in participatory art making that directly advances positive social change. KFW states that “active engagement in creativity and the arts, not passive observance, is what facilitates mind and body changes and creates lasting social change impact.”
Sharon LaRue, the Executive Director of the KFW, says, “these grantees are bringing artists together to recognize and address important topics such as Black resistance and joy, female farming and foodways, and mental health and inclusion. Community art and activism help build lasting change in Kentucky.”
For a complete list of the 2024 grantees, click here.
Friday, August 2, The KFW’s Artist Enrichment grant opens for applications.
