the last place on earth you probably want to beart + space + audience

Well, it’s official. I was so moved by the effects of spending $50 on art that I am venturing to develop a model for microgranting the arts in Canada for my Criticism and Curatorial Practice thesis at OCAD. My project will have three major components: researching microfinance, arts funding policy and relational aesthetics; creating a funding model, facilitating a small number of projects and examining their effects; and organizing an exhibition of documentation, along with producing a catalogue. I’m calling it TINYGRANTS, and you can keep tabs on my progress here.

The impetus behind the project, besides the inspiration provided by Wooster Collective and Ché Francisco Ortiz, is that granting structures in Canada exclude two large groups of artists: student artists, and artists with small projects. I’m hoping that TINYGRANTS will be a plausible solution to fill this significant gap (but for the record, you won’t need to be a student in order to receive TINYGRANTS funding).

Here is a tentative mission statement. I’d love for everyone interested to submit an application once they’re available.

TINYGRANTS aims to facilitate short term interventions that foster creative collaboration, active participation and education opportunities through the distribution of small, non-renewable funding to artists at any stage in their career.