From our earliest days, Great Performances has been dedicated to supporting the arts. Founder Liz Neumark, at one point a “starving artist” herself, founded Great Performances, Artists as Waitresses, to provide women pursuing their creative and artistic dreams with a source of income to help make ends meet. Fast forward almost 40 years, and we’re still providing a source of income for almost 1000 individuals in the creative fields, including artists, actors, photographers, painters, dancers, writers and more.
But for Liz, that wasn’t enough; she wanted to more actively support the dreams of the talented individuals who so deftly, diligently and distinctively provided impeccable service at events across New York City and the larger tri-state area. In 1986, Great Performances launched its first Artist Fellowship Awards with two $1000 grants. After more than 35 years of growth – of both the company and the grant – Great Performances will award four $5000 grants to fund the artistic projects of four dedicated and talented staff members.
Past projects have included short films, documentaries, magazine publishing, creative writing, devised theater and dance productions. We’re excited to see what this year brings and encourage any team members who meet our qualification criteria to apply. Submissions are open now and full details can be found on the application page. This year, the application process will be split into two rounds, with the deadline for Round 1 on Monday, February 17. Winners will be announced on Friday, May 1. Mark your calendars!