OMNIBUS SPENDING, CORONAVIRUS RELIEF: WHAT'S IN IT FOR US? The down-to-the-wire bipartisan legislation that Congress passed on December 21 includes $900 billion for Covid-19 economic relief and a $1.4 trillion Omnibus FY21 spending bill that funds the federal government. President Donald Trump signed the bill on December 27. Here’s an inexhaustive look at what the legislation will mean for the…
MISSOURI ARTS AWARDS Congratulations to the recipients of the 2021 Missouri Arts Awards, the state’s highest honor in the arts. Honorees are recognized for their profound and lasting contributions to Missouri’s artistic and cultural legacy. The St. Louis area recipients are: Upstream Theater (Arts Organization), Cherokee Street (Creative Community), and Clayco (Philanthropy), which is being recognized especially for its equity efforts, including…
CRITICAL MASS MOVES TO GOOGLE The Critical Mass for the Visual Arts online forum has moved from Yahoo to Google. The group is monitored to keep content on topic. Subscribe by sending a blank email to: criticalmassstl+subscribe@googlegroups.com. Established in 1995, Critical Mass for the Visual Arts is a nonprofit visual arts collaborative dedicated to promoting, enhancing, and initiating contemporary visual art in…
EVERY ARTIST INSURED Open enrollment on HealthCare.gov runs through December 15. You can’t be denied coverage or be charged more because of a pre-existing condition, and most artists qualify for subsidies. Learn about choosing a plan, estimating your income, and more here. Need help? Get free, in-person or virtual assistance here or call 1-800-466-3213. CREATIVE CAPITAL Creative Capital supports artists with up to $50,000 in…
MAC LAUNCHES FEATURED ARTIST PROGRAM The Missouri Arts Council (MAC) just launched a new program that's promoting and supporting artists and showcasing the depth and variety of Missouri creativity. Check out the inaugural artists and their work here. Selected artists drawn from all disciplines — four each month from around the state — will receive a $300 stipend. Learn more…
DON’T GIVE UP! Congratulations to Jessica Baran, who described herself as “thrilled, humbled, and bewildered” after being named a 2020 Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers grantee. The program supports writing about contemporary art and aims to ensure that critical writing remains a valued mode of engaging the visual arts. She won a whopping $30,000 in the short-form writing category. On Twitter,…
By Sabrina Siddiqui Rutgers Law School Juris Doctor Candidate 2021 Social media and other online content-sharing platforms have undisputedly broadened access to all kinds of content and bolstered both fan-based and independent discussion and creation. From original works such as stories on websites like FanFiction or Archive of Our Own to digital fan art of Marvel characters on Instagram or…
By Sabrina Siddiqui Rutgers Law School Juris Doctor Candidate 2021 Laws on copyrights and trademarks are meant to protect the interests of those who have ownership of the rights to them. For example, someone who, without a license (read: permission), disseminates part of a film on an online forum could face legal consequences such as being liable for copyright infringement…
MIXED EARNER RELIEF CAN’T WAIT Unless Congress acts during its lame duck session, millions of Americans will see their Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits expire on December 31, and many mixed income artists will begin 2020 without enough money to pay their rent or buy groceries. A relief bill could fix the problem that left many creatives unable to access…
Unless Congress acts during its lame duck session, millions of Americans will see their Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits expire on December 31, and many mixed income artists will begin 2020 without enough money to pay their rent or buy groceries. A relief bill could fix the problem that left many creatives unable to access full unemployment benefits under the…