Impact Story: State of the Artist blog

“We” in this context is The McKnight Foundation, a foundation based in Minnesota that, among other things, has given fellowships to artists for the last 30 years. Thirty years of support to artists—more than 1,500 awards to 1,100 individuals and counting—should be marked somehow, shouldn’t it? As we plotted what kind of commemoration to make, we were drawn to the irresistible tributaries every discussion about funding for artists inspired. What makes a fellowship successful? Ought artists be obliged to use their talents for social good? Is it harder or easier to be an artist than it used to be? Should fellowships support only artists who don’t find commercial success in the market? Is YouTube a benefit or a threat to an individual artist? What makes someone “professional”? Who decides who’s an artist anyway? What value do artists have in the world?

From all our mental meanderings, we came to two conclusions:

1. A formal study of the program over time would likely result in the not-very-radical conclusion that fellowships are good; and
2. It is more interesting to engage in a conversation about the future for artists than about the past.

Within the cultural sector, conversations about artists often derail in one of two ways: Either the discussion quickly turns to one about “the arts” rather than artists, spinning unspecific platitudes about “intrinsic value” or building wobbly arguments about the economic benefits of having a big theater next door to your restaurant.

Visit the blog: www.StateoftheArtist.org