For Immediate Release

DC Arts Center receives $45,000 grant from Andy Warhol Foundation to support its visual arts initiative.

June 29, 2005

The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts has awarded the District of Columbia Arts Center (DCAC) $45,000 over two years to support its new program to develop curators. Under the program up to eight established curators will be selected to mount exhibitions at DCAC while mentoring an apprentice curator, who will in turn, have the opportunity to create an exhibit at DCAC. As a key element of curation, there will be exhibition catalogues and discussions around the exhibitions.

The majority of the funds are to go directly to the artists and curators themselves. For four exhibitions per year, DCAC will pay the artist a stipend for exhibiting, another stipend for materials and preparation, the curator will receive a stipend, and the discussion facilitator will receive a stipend. Also included in the funds are costs associated with design and printing of the catalogue and publicity materials. Only a fraction of the grant actually covers operating expenses, and not every exhibition at DCAC will fall under this program.

The search for the curators will begin in September.

"DCAC has supported new and emerging artists for 15 years, and thanks to this grant we can actually support these artists financially, even if only through a stipend," says DCAC director, B. Stanley. "It's just getting more and more expensive for artists to mount shows, and I hope we start a trend towards other galleries paying artists to present, even if they don't sell."

The District of Columbia Arts Center is a nonprofit, artist-run, member-supported organization in Adams Morgan, perhaps Washington's most culturally diverse neighborhood. The eclectic programming of our gallery and theater showcases visual and performing arts. We are dedicated to serving artists from minority communities, artists at the beginning of their careers, artists producing noncommercial or experimental work and self-taught artists. We view these artists as typically under recognized or under served in our community.

Download an Application for Curators or an Application for Apprentice Curators.