Madrid and Liverpool launch emergency artist support funds amid COVID-19
Madrid, a significant hub during the COVID-19 crisis, has launched a €500,000 program to purchase contemporary art from local galleries and artists. This initiative is part of a broader €460 million yearly budget that covers subsidies, grants for creative works, exhibition funding, and international educational exchanges. Both established and emerging artists are invited to pitch their artwork for purchase, with decisions made by the Commission for the Valuing of Acquisitions during an urgent meeting. In Liverpool, the FACT media arts center is offering £1,500 grants to ten up-and-coming artists from the North of England for digital projects, paired with three months of mentorship. These works will be showcased in The Living Planet, FACT’s year-long online project about humanity’s impact on nature. The application deadline is midnight on April 26.
Key facts
- Madrid created a €500,000 fund for purchasing contemporary art from local artists and galleries.
- The fund is part of a €460m annual fund including subsidies and grants for art creation, exhibition, international exchange, and education.
- Decisions on purchases will be made by the Commission for the Valuing of Acquisitions by the Community of Madrid.
- Madrid's local government committed to all pre-crisis municipal exhibition programming regardless of delay.
- FACT in Liverpool offers £1,500 grants to ten early-career artists from the North of England.
- Grants include career support and mentorship over three months.
- Digital works will be part of The Living Planet, FACT's 12-month online programme.
- Applications for FACT grants close midnight on 26 April.
Entities
Institutions
- FACT
- Commission for the Valuing of Acquisitions by the Community of Madrid
- The Living Planet
Locations
- Madrid
- Spain
- Liverpool
- England
- North of England