The Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture commissioned six Arizona artists and teams to create performances and installations as part of the IN FLUX series of temporary public art projects. The projects will debut throughout 2021 as public health and safety permit. Many of the works will be featured online, including a January 22, 2021 film screening of The Story of Our Journey.  

The 51-minute film was created by clarinetist Csaba Jevtic-Somlai, composer Dylan Findley and Their Story is Our Story, an international refugee advocacy organization. The film combines an original musical score and electronic media with interviews of refugees detailing their journeys to America. Premiering on the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture website, the video airs at 5:00 p.m. Friday January 22, 2021 and will be available through 10:00 p.m. Saturday January 23, 2021.

This is the first in a series of six IN FLUX performances by Arizona artists and teams. Other featured performers will include the Central AZ Chapter of Barbershop Harmony Society, the team of dancer Nicole L. Olson and ceramic artist Patricia Sannit, Katharine Leigh Simpson, Erin V. Sotak, and the artist collective Whistling Moon. To ensure public safety, most of the events will be presented online. The city’s IN FLUX web page will provide ongoing updates and information about the projects and their schedules.

IN FLUX is a collaboration with Artlink and five other Valley cities, including Peoria, Chandler, Scottsdale, Tempe and Glendale. 

Each January, residents from the cities and towns of Chandler, Gilbert, Guadalupe, Mesa, Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale gather at Tempe Town Lake to celebrate diversity and culture during the annual Regional Unity Walk. While it's still not safe to gather in large groups, the need for unity is greater than ever.

In honor of the 18th year of the Regional Unity event, these Valley cities are coming together to host a “Unity ArtWalk: A Visual Journey of Diversity, Culture and Equity" from January 5-31, 2021. Each city has compiled a list of signature art pieces, including murals, photos, performances and sculptures for the community to experience. The majority of the featured art is accessible without going indoors, so it's a safe activity to enjoy as a family outing, date night or even to escape your neighborhood to explore a nearby city.

An online map is available of the selected ArtWalk destinations that includes information about each piece, including the artists.

The Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture is looking for a dynamic individual to join the Public Art Program team. The Public Art Project Manager will coordinate and direct activities and personnel involved in the implementation and completion of Capital Improvement Program (CIP) arts projects, programs and contracts, including but not limited to, design, scheduling, construction, legal procedures, budget, maintenance, and construction compliance.

First review of applications will occur the week of January 25, 2021. Recruitment will close when we have received a sufficient number of qualified applications or on February 8, 2021, whichever is sooner.

Apply online by completing the required information and attaching, as one document, your cover letter and resume. Please include your experience as it relates to the qualifications stated above. Only the highest qualified may be posted to the eligible to hire list. The results of the resume screening process will be sent to your primary email address.

Guidelines and application materials for Grants for Arts Projects funding are now available on the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)’ website at arts.gov/grants. Grant applications previously submitted to the Art Works category will now be submitted to the Grants for Arts Projects category. The NEA supports projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.

Application Deadlines: February 11 and July 8, 2021, for projects taking place beginning in 2022.

These grants support artistically excellent projects that celebrate our creativity and cultural heritage, invite mutual respect for differing beliefs and values, and enrich humanity. Cost share/matching grants range from $10,000 to $100,000. A minimum cost share/match equal to the grant amount is required.

Our colleagues at the Arizona Commission on the Arts released the information below to connect all Arizona constituents with timely resources. The Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture is re-posting information from the Special Update issued by the Arts Commission, in coordination with the Arizona Commission on the Arts and the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona.

Paycheck Protection Program 

Last week, the US Small Business Administration (SBA) re-opened applications for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). PPP provides loans to help businesses keep their workforce employed during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.

SBA is currently offering:

· PPP First Draw Loans, beginning January 11, 2021, for first time program participants

· PPP Second Draw Loans, beginning January 13, 2021, for certain businesses who have previously received a PPP loan.

Applications will be accepted through March 28, 2021, but we suggest you apply as soon as you are able. Please visit the SBA's PPP page for more information.

Note: To promote access for smaller lenders and their customers, SBA will initially only accept PPP Loan applications, whether First or Second Draw, from participating community financial institutions (CFIs), which include Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), Certified Development Companies (CDCs), and Microloan Intermediaries. Paycheck Protection Program lending will reopen to all participating lenders shortly thereafter.

On Friday, January 22, the Americans for the Arts' Arts Action Fund will present a webinar on the new Payroll Protection Program rules for a first and second draw/increase in loans and forgiveness, EIDL loans and advances, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and general appropriations updates. Register for this webinar at ArtsU.

New to this round of federal relief funding is the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG). Under the program, eligible organizations with a reduction in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic will have the opportunity to receive up to a $10 million grant.

While the particulars of this program’s eligibility requirements and application process are still being hammered out, the SBA hosted a webinar on Thursday, January 14, to give a preliminary overview. The webinar provided introductory information about the grants, who can apply, how potential organizations can prepare, and additional details regarding eligibility and applications. You may access the webinar recording on YouTube. Learn more about the SVOG program at the SBA website.

CERF+ announced the third cycle of their COVID-19 Relief Grants, one-time $1,000 grants made to artists working in craft disciplines who continue to face dire food, housing, and medical insecurities caused by the pandemic. Priority will be given to eligible artists who have traditionally been underserved by the grantmaking community, including Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and materials-based folk and traditional artists.

The third cycle will open for applications on Wednesday, January 13, and close on Wednesday, February 3.For more information, please visit the COVID 19 Relief Grant page on the CERF+’website.

The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) announced this week an open call for Latinx artists, cultural workers and arts organizations to apply for emergency grants through its Actos de Confianza relief efforts.

In collaboration with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Intercultural Leadership Institute (ILI) partners, the $2,500 artist grants and $5,000 organization grants aim to support those facing critical financial emergencies due to the impact of COVID-19 in the United States and Puerto Rico.

The open call for applications for Actos de Confianza relief grants are organized by geographic region. The first call will launch on January 13, 2021 for applicants in the Mid-America region; the second call will launch on March 3, 2021 for the Eastern United States and Puerto Rico; the third call will launch on April 28, 2021 for the Western United States.

For more information, please visit the 2021 Actos de Confianza page on NALAC’s website.