RHA Gallery – RHA E-bulletin Monday 18th May
A Message from Patrick T. Murphy
We had been troubled, since the lockdown began, by stories we were hearing from artists having difficulty coping with the financial pressure brought on by the lockdown. While I wish to avoid that Victorian sounding word “destitution”, some were near enough to that situation. We as an institution are struggling enough to keep going for the coming months and we don’t have the capability to reach out and comprehensively assist each case. However, the RHA as an artist owned organisation did know that some way to help had to be found.
Last year we inaugurated the first biennial award of the Hennessy Craig Award, worth €20,000, quite a sum. So in this in-between year the Council of the RHA decided to give permission to take up to €10,000 from the bequest to create a challenge fund of 2 to 1 to bring about a pot of €30,000 to be offered to artists in the form of mirco-grants (from €150 to €1000). These awards, while not substitution for an income, may go some way to alleviating a worry or an anxiety about a bill, a rent payment, the cost of materials or even a grocery shop. They are our way of giving back some companionship to artists in their time of trouble and to acknowledge the great salve the arts have given all of us over the past two months.
Really Helping Artists launched on the Gofundme platform here: www.gofundme.com/really-helping-artists at noon last Friday. As of today, we have raised just over of €11,000 with over 105 donations. Donations range from €6 to €1000 and as the advertisement says ‘Every Little Helps’ so please do visit the fund raising page and pledge something and show our artists how many of us cherish and value the work that they do.
From July we shall start dispensing the funds to professional artists based on a simple 150 word email outlining the need. And that’s about it, without extensive administration due from the artist we will give this helping hand and hope that it lifts the clouds a little and offers some solace from the pressure of making do and getting by in these troubled times.
Thank you all for your support of the RHA over these last few months and our best wishes to you and your family in these challenging times.
Don’t let art slip out of our grasp #ReallyHelpingArtists
DONATE HERE
Patrick T. Murphy RHA Director
