Milwaukee Arts Board Announces 2021 Mildred L. Harpole Artists of the Year And Friends of the Arts Awards

Artists Klassik (Kellen Abston) and Anne Kingsbury were named 2021 Mildred L. Harpole Artists of the Year, the City of Milwaukee Arts Board (MAB) announced. Milwaukee Downtown BID #21 and Near West Side Partners were named 2021 Friends of the Arts.

“Our city is so fortunate to have such talented artists, like Klassik and Anne, bringing great beauty to our community, along with the many organizations that help support and showcase these local artists,” said Alderman Michael Murphy, Milwaukee Arts Board Chair. More

City of Milwaukee Arts Board to Replace Project Grant Program with Sustaining Grants

When Milwaukee arts organizations submitted their Milwaukee Arts Board Project Grant applications back in early March, no one knew two weeks later they’d all be working from home watching the spring arts season dissolve.

While the City’s arts community faces the future with creativity and determination, the only thing certain about the coming year is that it will be much different than before. The MAB has determined it no longer makes practical sense to competitively rank applications based on programs that may or may not happen despite best efforts.

 At its May meeting the MAB, chaired by Ald. Michael Murphy,  voted to suspend its annual project-based grant program and replace it with a sustaining grant program. Recipients may apply funds toward program, administrative, or facilities costs.  The grant is open to eligible nonprofit arts organizations based in the City of Milwaukee that have received a MAB Project grant in the last four years (2016-2019), a standard similar to that adopted by both the Wisconsin Arts Board and the National Endowment for the Arts.

“This approach allows us to extend assistance to a larger number of arts organizations and offer them greater flexibility to put the money where they decide it is most needed at this critical moment.” Mayor Tom Barrett said.  “These are dollars that stay in our community in support of arts nonprofits that keep many of us creatively sustained in a difficult time. They send kids home with art kits, post art lessons online, stream concerts, plays and online gallery nights, turn costume shops into mask production hubs, and raise funds for fellow independent artists. We’ll need them even more in the days ahead.”

The Milwaukee Arts Board grant program is funded by the City of Milwaukee with additional support from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.  The MAB also awards matching funds for New Works of Public Art and Conservation of Public Art.

All MAB 2021 grant funds opened in January

The City of Milwaukee Arts Board has released guidelines and applications for 2021 funding programs.

At least $240,000 in Sustaining Grant funding will be awarded to all applicants who meet the eligibility requirements.  We have opened up the next cycle to any organization that is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) arts organization (for at least 2 years as of the application deadline date) with a physical administrative office located in the City of Milwaukee that has as its sole mission the presentation and/or production of art or arts programming for the large community.  The hard deadline for the Sustaining Grant Program is Monday, March 8, 2021.

Up to $10,000 for Conservation of Public Art.  In 2021, public art applications will be considered on a rolling basis, as long as funds remain, with the first review scheduled for the March 9, 2021 Public Art Subcommittee Meeting. Organizations wishing to have their applications considered at that meeting should submit them no later than midnight, February 26, 2021. Thereafter, applications will be considered in the order received, at one of the subcommittee’s regularly scheduled meetings if they are submitted at least two weeks in advance.