| ROCKPORT, TX (September 3, 2020) – Today, Fine Line Group, the Family offices of Sasha and Edward P. Bass, announce $150,000 in grants awarded through “THE NEW NORMAL Rockport.” Following a juried review of applicant proposals and past work, 43 Rockport artists were selected to receive funding for the creation of new artwork that reflects life in Rockport during this unprecedented time.
Developed by Mrs. Sasha Bass in partnership with program administrator Lauren Saba Childs, THE NEW NORMAL: Rockport is the second in a series of funding initiatives designed to achieve multiple goals: quickly empowering local artists to work, creating a lasting visual record of this historical moment in time, and bringing the people of Rockport together to share, process, and heal through art.
Applicants to THE NEW NORMAL submitted a personal statement previewing the work they intend to create and explaining how through their art, they will make a lasting positive impact on the community. A panel comprised of leaders from Rockport’s art community and institutions, including the Rockport Center for the Arts, the Art Museum of South Texas, Moroles Art Co, and K Space Contemporary, reviewed and scored the applications. The top 43 received $2,000 grants to fund their proposed artwork. Of those, the 19 artists with the highest scores received an additional $3,000 award.
“2020 will be remembered for its abundant uncertainty and its lack of direction. That changed for Rockport’s art community when THE NEW NORMAL Rockport launched,” said Luis Puron, Executive Director of Rockport Center for the Arts and a member of the NEW NORMAL selection panel. “This one-of-a-kind grant initiative puts desperately needed income directly into the hands of our local artists, whose shows and exhibitions have been repeatedly cancelled, not just over the last few months, but for the last several years. We are grateful to the Fine Line Group and the Gallery of Dreams for investing in Rockport’s artists, and we wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the continuing support of the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund at the North Texas Community Foundation. Together, they are not only making a real difference for our artists, but they are helping to create a body of work that documents our town’s hardship and resilience.”
“Capturing the artistic richness of this city, which is so close to our hearts, THE NEW NORMAL provides critical funding to gifted artists whose work will bring the community together, both to reflect on recent events, and also, to celebrate Rockport’s strength,” said the founder of THE NEW NORMAL, Mrs. Bass, along with her husband Edward P. Bass. “Rockport’s artistic soul and generous spirit were on full display in every artist’s submission. United by a firm belief in the power of art to galvanize healing and change, every applicant proposed work that reflected the different ways this diverse community struggles with and overcomes challenge, encouraging all of us to listen, reflect, and join with our neighbors to heal.” |
