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Grant opportunities are now open to local visual artists and nonprofit or government organizations that want to address community issues through art.
Arts Build Community Grant
Applications for the Tennessee Arts Commission’s Arts Build Community Grant are due July 1. ARTSmemphis administers the grant in West Tennessee.
Applicants must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization legally chartered and headquartered in Tennessee or a local government entity. The grant is a non-matching grant.
The projects must take place in Shelby, Fayette, Tipton or Lauderdale counties, between Aug. 16, 2026, and June 15, 2027. Grants can be for a one-day event or for a project that runs during the entire period. Applicants can receive up to $5,000.
ARTSmemphis seeks projects that “broaden access to arts experiences, address community quality of life issues through the arts or enhance the sustainability of asset-based cultural enterprises.”
Projects can include performances, concerts, festivals, creative placemaking and/or training.
Applicants from Tipton and Lauderdale counties are encouraged to apply to increase representation in those counties.
Applicants can contact Nur Abdalla, community impact manager at ARTSmemphis, with questions.
Current Art Fund
Tri-Star Arts is in its seventh grant cycle for its Current Art Fund. The organization, which provides grants to Tennessee artists, is a partner in the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts' Regional Regranting Program.
This year, the Current Art Fund will grant $7,500 each to eight contemporary visual artists and artist collectives, “towards the realization of a dynamic and accessible project.”
According to Tri-Star Arts, its fund “seeks to support visual artists and artist collectives in creating independent, nontraditional, public-facing projects that contribute to the rich dialogue within contemporary visual art scenes across the state of Tennessee.”
Each year, the fund distributes $60,000 to Tennessee artists aged 21 and older for project expenses. The fund has distributed $360,000 to Tennessee artists since 2020, according to the organization.
Projects can be 2D, 3D, 4D or a combination.
Applications are open through Monday, Aug. 31. There is no application fee.
A four-person jury panel selects the grantees. They are artist Lester Merriweather of Memphis (a 2022 grantee); Red Arrow Gallery Director Ashley Layendecker of Nashville; Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition Executive Director Rebecca Kinslow of Oklahoma City; and Director of Curatorial and Educational Affairs at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University, Chris Molinski of Auburn, Alabama.
Tri-Star Arts has a mission of “cultivating and spotlighting contemporary visual art in Tennessee, championing innovation within our local art communities and supporting artists across the state.”
Upcoming Q&A sessions include an in-person session at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 6, at Crosstown Arts, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, in the Glassroom Classroom.
A virtual Q&A session will take place at 11:30 am. Friday, June 26, via Zoom.
Tri-Star Arts is based in Knoxville; its director, Brian R. Jobe, is originally from Memphis.
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