2006-2007 San Antonio Individual Artist Awards

 

 

Gerardo Cabrera, San Antonio, TX                     Visual Arts               $3,000

$3,000 Match from the Cultural Collaborative

For   a series of paintings of bullfight scenes in which the cape is the subject rather than the human figure or animal, as a way of extracting and presenting the beauty of Latino culture (the removal of violence envisioned and realized)

 

Awards $126,000 to Support Latino Artists and Cultural Organizations

SAN ANTONIO – The National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC) awarded 32 grants totaling $126,850 to 16 Latino artists and 16 Latino arts and cultural organizations in the United States. These awards are made through the NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA) with funding from the Ford Foundation and the JPMorgan Chase Foundation. Southwest Airlines and the Cultural Collaborative of San Antonio also became NFA funding partners in 2006.

Southwest Airlines is providing travel support to ten NFA grantees and The Cultural Collaborative has matched the awards made to three San Antonio artists. Visual artist Gerardo Cabrera media artists Maricela Mendez and Guillermina Zabala will double their NFA awards with this match.

Through the NALAC Fund for the Arts, NALAC has provided 78 grants totaling over $226,000 to Latino artists, ensembles and small and mid-size Latino arts and cultural organizations across the country. “NALAC’s support of Latino artists and organizations ensures that the nation’s cultural life is enriched and made vital through the diverse artistic and cultural expressions of our artists. We are pleased to support the creative process of Latino artists and organizations across the country that are engaging communities, stimulating ideas and local economies, and building audiences for all of the nation’s arts.” said Abel Lopez, Chair of the NALAC Board.

The NALAC Fund for the Arts successfully completed its two year pilot phase and will begin its third cycle in 2007. “We look forward to the continued growth of the NFA and invite others to join the circle of stakeholders who are supporting Latino creative expression,” states Maria De Leon, Executive Director of NALAC.

San Antonio’s Cultural Collaborative has set a unique model for agencies in other cities with its matching support to local NFA grantees. “The cultural collaborative matching funds enhances the capacity of our local Latino/a artists and acknowledges that their efforts are critical assets to San Antonio’s creative economy and cultural identity,” said Felix Padron, Executive Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs and protagonist of the Cultural Collaborative

The NALAC Fund for the Arts complements existing NALAC services that continue to be effective strategies to advocate for and recognize the contributions of the Latino arts field.

The NALAC FUND FOR THE ARTS is made possible with major support from the Ford Foundation and the JPMorgan Chase Foundation. Grant applications for the third year funding cycle will be available on NALAC’s website at www.nalac.org in May 2007.

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The National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC) is dedicated to the preservation, development and promotion of the cultural and artistic expressions of the diverse Latino populations of the United States. Through this effort, NALAC is committed to continuing struggle for the elimination of racism, sexism, ageism and discrimination against gay, lesbian and physically challenged populations. The objective is to recognize and support the varied standards of excellence grounded in the aesthetics and traditions of our root cultures.