ArtsWestchester’s Artist Relief Fund Nearing Its $25,000 Goal

The consequences of COVID-19 on America’s arts sector are undeniable: a devastating $15.2 billion economic impact. This includes a 63 percent unemployment rate among artists and gig workers. Still, artists persist and continue their work. Knowing these creatives are at the heart of Westchester’s cultural community, ArtsWestchester began a relief fund to assist Westchester-based artists who have been negatively affected by the pandemic. Every $500 raised through its GoFundMe fundraising tool will become a grant for a local artist.

With 96 percent of arts organizations having to cancel events this past year, the fund will nurture the growth of new work and help to sustain the artists who create them. To date, 25 artists have received grants since the Artist Relief Fund’s creation.

Most recently, since the start of 2021, four artists were awarded grants: ceramic designer Adam Chau (Port Chester), visual artist Maria B. Gallo (Eastchester), stage actor Jonathan Fielding (Irvington) and actor/playwright Brenda Withers (Irvington).

The GoFundMe campaign for Artist Relief is nearing its $25K goal, in part thanks to internationally renowned 3D pop artist Charles Fazzino, who recently made a $5,000 donation to the Fund. In addition, Fazzino is donating the proceeds of his three-dimensional fine art print “This Soon Shall Pass,” created in June of last year, to a variety of charitable organizations. Anyone who purchases a mini-print of the “This Soon Shall Pass” artwork can earmark their donation for ArtsWestchester using the code: “ArtsWestchester” when ordering directly through the gift shop page of the artist’s website or by emailing his gallery representative at dddgallery@aol.com.

Artists can apply for grants online. The number of artists supported is a direct result of the funds raised.

Meet the first four Artist Relief Fund grantees of 2021:

Jonathan Fielding

Jonathan Fielding is a theater artist who has performed on Broadway (The Play That Goes Wrong, Noises Off, The Seagull) as well as regionally (The Old Globe, Penguin Rep, The Public Theatre of Maine). He also has a long history of performing and directing many shows with Amphibian Stage in Fort Worth, TX, his hometown. Fielding has been on television (Law and Order: SVU, Gotham, Castle Rock), and recently filmed a small role in Netflix’s upcoming Don’t Look Up directed by Adam McKay. He holds a BFA from Texas Christian University and an MFA from Rutgers, Mason Gross School of the Arts.

Borinquen Gallo

Borinquen Gallo is an Italian-Puerto Rican artist whose work delves into themes of beauty, transformation, community, socio-cultural systems and structures through sculpture and installations made using a range of repurposed materials. Gallo received her BFA in Painting and Sculpture from the Cooper Union for The Advancement of Science and Art, and her MFA in Painting from Hunter College. She has exhibited in many galleries and museums, has received numerous awards, and has worked on curatorial projects with BAM Fischer and Pratt Institute. She is currently Visiting Associate Professor of Art and Design Education at Pratt Institute in New York.

Brenda Withers

Brenda Withers is an actor and writer based in Irvington. Recent onstage credits include the McCarter, ART, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and Hartford Stage. Her plays include The Kritik, JORDAN, The Ding Dongs, and String Around My Finger and have been produced at places like Northern Stage, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Portland Stage (Clauder Prize), and Urbanite Theatre. She is a Huntington Playwriting Fellow, a co-founder of the Harbor Stage Company, and a grateful recipient of ArtsWestchester’s generous support.

Adam Chau

Adam Chau is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute’s Designed Objects program. His current body of work integrates digital manufacturing with traditional studio ceramics. His research has been published in numerous arts publications. In 2018, he was awarded the NCECA Emerging Artist Award; In 2019 he was accepted into the International Academy of Ceramics. Chau has had solo exhibitions in the United States and China, and has participated in international projects and residencies in Italy, The Netherlands, Taiwan, and China. In 2017 Adam curated Reinvented, an exhibit featuring 13 international artists that create ceramics digitally, which travelled the U.S. to five locations for two years.

A version of this article first appeared in the March issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews.

About ArtsWestchester

For more than 50 years, ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest, private, not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to provide leadership, vision, and support, to ensure the availability, accessibility, and diversity of the arts. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations, and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building on Mamaroneck Avenue.