Art Chowder January | February, Issue 25 | Page 60

SAGA GRANTS MAKING AN IMPACT I f you are active in the arts and culture scene of the region, you may already be familiar with the Spokane Arts Grant Awards (SAGA), the grantmaking program for local creatives administered by Spokane Arts. Melissa Huggins SPOKANE ARTS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR You may know that the program awards direct funding to individuals, artist teams, collectives, organizations and more. You probably know someone who has received a SAGA grant, or you’ve attended a community event that was partially funded by SAGA, like Fem+Fest or the One Heart Native Film Festival. Maybe you’ve attended a glass-blowing demonstration, drawing class, rock concert, dance production or poetry reading supported by SAGA. The fact is, over the course of SAGA’s first three years, we’ve awarded over $280,000 in direct support to local creatives. That means local artists getting paid for their time, labor, and creativity. It means local venues being booked for events and programs that feature local artists. And it means the work of local creatives being amplified far outside this region. In three short years, SAGA has supported a wide array of creatives, projects, programs, and events. You can read about each and every one on our beautiful new website, http://www.spokanearts.org. 60 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE Photo Credits: Counting Coup Media