WHAT WE DO
WHAT WE ARE DOING
Launching a $400,000 arts endowment, Women Artists Forward Fund, to be held at Madison Community Foundation (MCF) in order to support 2 women visual artists in Dane County with two annual Forward Art Prizes of $10,000 each.
Creating an ongoing photo documentary piece titled, Being Forward, which features black and white portraits of exceptional, contemporary women artists and arts supporters in Dane County. They are all in the pose of "Forward", Jean Pond Miner's sculpture created in 1893. Being Forward and the statue Forward calls attention to the strong 125-year legacy of hundreds of local women artists, arts activism and arts philanthropy in our community.
Celebrating MCF’s 75th anniversary, the Capitol’s 100th anniversary, and the 100th anniversary of Wisconsin’s ratification of the 19th Amendment, with a community challenge, gift and opportunity.
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Art provides important civic assets for our community, but current funding for artists is bleak.
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Wisconsin is ranked 49th in the country for arts funding, with just 14 cents per capita dedicated to the arts. (Neighbor Minnesota is first with $7.00 dedicated to arts)
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Madison does not have adequate funding for the arts.
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Madison Arts Commission and Dane Arts together distribute $300,000 to ALL Madison and Dane County artists and arts organizations yearly, but just under 4% goes to individual artists in all media. Wisconsin Arts Board discontinued its grants to individual visual artists in 2010; MCF, MAC & Dane Arts discontinued Creative ArtistsFellowship in 2010.
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Women artists have far fewer opportunities than their male counterparts.
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27% of solo exhibitions in the US are by women.
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3-5% of artwork in permanent collections of major museums are made by women.
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2 women artists made the top 100 artists lists by income yet, 65-75% of MFA candidates in the US are women according to the National Museum of Women’s Art in Washington, DC.
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OBSTACLES?
