Corinne Cascioppo of Northampton paints an original design on a utility box at Main and New South streets in Northampton on June 12, 2017. She was one of four artists chosen for the "Paint This Box!" project funded by a Northampton Arts Council grant. 
Corinne Cascioppo of Northampton paints an original design on a utility box at Main and New South streets in Northampton on June 12, 2017. She was one of four artists chosen for the "Paint This Box!" project funded by a Northampton Arts Council grant.  Credit: GAZETTE FILE PHOTO

By STEVE PFARRER

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON – Responding to scores of local artists whose livelihoods are threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Northampton Arts Council plans to make $10,000 available in special grant funding to artists. 

Artists (and art organizers and arts teachers) who meet some basic criteria, such as living in the Valley, can apply for help through the council’s COVID-19 Artist Relief Grant, with all applications due by May 15.

In a statement, Brian Foote, the council’s executive director, said 74 area artists responded to a survey and detailed the financial losses they’ve suffered from canceled concerts, plays, art exhibitions and more. Given the “vital role” artists and others play in making Northampton “a great place to live and work,”  Foote added, the council wanted to help.

“We want to ensure that members of our artistic community have the support they need to make it through this crisis and create beauty on the other side of it,” he said.

Artists and others who have staged an exhibit or public event within the last three years in Northampton, Florence or Leeds are also eligible to apply for funding. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older and must also be able to document a loss of income from the COVID-19 outbreak.

Foote said all applications will be evaluated based on eligibility and need, and funds will also be supplemented by donations raised through a public GoFundMe campaign for artists that the Arts Council is also overseeing.

In addition, all recipients from the Arts Council’s most recent round of grant funding will automatically be granted a six-month extension. Grant recipients can complete the public component of their project at a later date, shift to an online format open to the public, or use funding to offset living expenses if needed, the Arts Council says.

To apply for funding from the COVID-19 Relief Grant, make a donation to the local arts community, and find additional resources for online arts activity, visit northamptonartscouncil.org.

Steve Pfarrer can be reached at spfarrer@gazettenet.com.