Artist Grants Pause
January 2, 2025 Update:
In 2024, Amplify paused Artist Grants and dedicated organizational resources and time to researching and developing systems of sustainable support for the artists, organizers, and culture workers who shape how our city looks and feels. Much of that work has focused on establishing more robust Public Art Partnerships with businesses and organizations across the city.
We’re proud to say that, over the past year, significant career changing opportunities and robust project funding have been awarded to artists living and working in Omaha through Amplify’s partnerships with Kiewit Luminarium, Millwork Commons, and Omaha Public Library’s new Central Library. These partnerships have helped artists forge collaborations, secure meaningful income, and share their work outside of conventional art spaces.
Encouraged by the generosity and spirit of cooperation that Public Art Partnerships have engendered, and acknowledging the value of this work, we’re thrilled to introduce Amplify’s Slow Lab, an incubator for ongoing organizational initiatives that take time, like coalition building, gathering data and research, and cultivating organizational change.
We know there’s no quick fix when it comes to working for change that lasts. For that reason, Amplify’s Slow Lab nurtures ideas and relationships over time that help us forge intentional pathways toward more just and equitable futures. Artist Grants will remain paused while Slow Lab initiatives continue to grow and evolve.
Alongside creating more sustainable systems of support through our Slow Lab initiatives, Alternate Currents and Generator Series projects provide Omaha-area artists with direct financial support and opportunities to learn together, develop new work, and collectively realize projects and exhibitions.
In 2025, we’re committed than ever to incubating new modes of support for the artists, organizers, and culture workers who make Omaha a more thoughtful, more inclusive, and more vibrant place. Please feel free to reach out to Lauren, Melissa, and Peter, the Amplify team (info@amplifyarts.org), anytime with thoughts, questions, or to talk more about partnering with us!
February 7th, 2024:
Over the past six years, Amplify has awarded over $200,000 in direct financial support through our Artist Grants program. It’s an honor to have awarded these grants to more than 150 artists, organizers, and artist collectives working across disciplines to make Omaha a better place.
As our organization continues to evolve and gather program feedback, we recognize the potential to assist our community in achieving more broad reaching, sustained support for artists.
For that reason, we’re pausing Artist Grants in 2024 and dedicating time, energy, and resources to investigating Amplify’s role in weaving more robust artist support systems, like fiscal sponsorships, affordable live / work space, and no cost opportunities for collective learning, into the fabric of our city.
During this time of research:
We’re excited to continue to provide Omaha-area artists direct financial support through Alternate Currents and our Generator Series.
We’re encouraging artists and organizers to expand their practices by connecting them to local, national, and international opportunities on our Open Calls listing page that includes links to guides and exercises designed to help craft compelling applications.
We’re actively working to partner with local businesses and civic organizations to cultivate more opportunities and fair compensation through public art initiatives in Omaha.
We know that artists shape the social and material realities of our city and we’re incredibly grateful to work with them to build systems that support their work alongside other arts organizations, arts workers, the philanthropic community, and city government. Like they say, “it takes a village” and we’re looking forward to better understanding Amplify's role in helping our village grow.
Please feel free to reach out to Lauren, Melissa, and Peter, the Amplify team (info@amplifyarts.org), with thoughts or questions about Amplify’s Artist Grants pause.