BLM Artist Grant: What about the kids?

I can’t wait to hear more about the fall 2021 exhibit planned at Washington State University! The twenty Black Lives Matter Artist Grant winners have been announced. Now for the next step: showing our work on campus, in the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.

I’m glad the selection committees included a few students like Mikayla Makle, president of the Black Student Union. Now that the first jolts of excitement have worn off, though, I wonder how the exhibit will land with other WSU students. I don’t expect anti-BLM protests. But as recent graduate Promise Calloway observed, micro-aggressions are fairly common.

I’m well aware there are plenty of people who think BLM means “only Black Lives Matter.” Not just in Pullman, Washington, but in Eugene and Portland, Oregon, where the two other branches of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum are located. I hope the only thing (and it’s a big one) that might interfere with the exhibits is another spike in coronavirus infection rates. The current lockdowns in Washington and Oregon are supposed to end on December 14th and 16th, respectively. So mask up, all right? Let’s not delay The Big Show any longer than necessary.

Giving and receiving

I should be working on a grant application right now.

Image credit: shescraftyllc/etsy.com

The best I can tell you is "I'm approaching it... sideways." I know it's possible for a foundation to award me a grant. I'm still (!) thrilled that earlier this year, a group of people decided it's better to give (me money to continue making art) than to receive (a polite rejection letter instead).

Everyone receives more rejection than gifts, of course. It's just hard to focus on a new application when you've recently been notified that the last one was turned down. The check is not in the mail. Ugh.

Can I just go holiday shopping instead?

Happy birthday, little website!

The Husband just pointed out to me that my lil' website is now a toddler. It's my two-year anniversary on lisamb.com!

These last two years have been eventful, to say the least. I nearly broke my brain with all the stuff I learned in Artist Trust's EDGE Professional Development program for visual artists.

Turns out it was just a sprain. Since then I've shared innumerable work-in-progress photos and videos...

I've celebrated here when I convinced people to give me money in exchange for my art...

"Best of the Northwest" art festival, fall 2015

and this year some generous folks gave me a big hand in sustaining my career as an artist who parents small children.

So now we're here: I'd like to invite you to the opening reception for my latest show, "HEX and the Monstrous Feminine"!

Please join me at Twilight Gallery on October 13th: we'll celebrate feminine fire plus my little digital birthday!