MakeWork program offered 2-to-1 fundraising match by Lyndhurst Foundation
Chattanooga's MakeWork program could receive as much as $200,000 from the Lyndhurst Foundation in a challenge grant that promises a 2-to-1 match of what the program can raise by November 1.
MakeWork, a program started by CreateHere, is a four-year-old program which provides grants to artists in the Chattanooga area to allow them to further their work.
"The unique aspect of MakeWork is it supports such a variety and breadth of artists and work," Kate Creason, MakeWork administrator, said.
Lyndhurst offered the challenge grant to the artist program after MakeWork approached the foundation asking for support, Creason said. The program hopes to become self sustainable since its creator, CreateHere, will be ending December 31.
While the time frame for the program to raise the money (up to $100,000 will be matched and doubled) is limited, she said she is hopeful that artists and art patrons in the community will see the opportunity to raise money to further the arts in Chattanooga.
All the money donated to MakeWork, as well as the grant from Lyndhurst, will go straight back to local artists and the artistic community, Creason said.
CreateHere's artist grant program provides project grants, studio assistance grants and career advancement grants to artists each year, awarding a maximum of $15,000 to chosen artists.
Wendy Buckner, a recipient of a career advancement grant, said MakeWork has helped her live out her dream.
Because of the grant she and her husband Brandon received to further their business, The Hot Chocolatier, they were able to travel to Belgium and France to study chocolate makers and pastry chefs. They also were able to purchase new equipment to help their business become more efficient.
"We saw the process from beans to bars and we learned so much," Buckner said. "We can never thank (MakeWork) enough. Thanks to them we've got this great equipment and it's helped us do giant batches of things. It's the gift that never ends."
Tim Cofield, a cinematographer chosen by MakeWork for a project grant, shared Buckner's feelings towards the grant funding.
His locally made web series "The Steps" is currently gathering funding for a second season. Without the money MakeWork gave him to fund the first season of the show, it would not have gotten nearly the amount of attention it did, Cofield said.
"My work has gone so much farther since then because of the people I met and the people I was able to reach on the web," he said.
Because of the grant, Cofield said he was able to keep his project from "looking like a home movie." He was also able to hire someone to promote the series.
According to Creason, MakeWork has provided over $655,000 to 85 local artists.
"We have a strong arts community right now," Creason said. "What makes MakeWork stand out is the economic aspect of the program."
Creason said the money that MakeWork gives to local artists is typically sent back into the community, either by way of a business or locally purchased equipment or studio space.
"Lyndhurst has been working with CreateHere since its conception and we felt that MakeWork gave some stimulus to the artist economy and encouraged them to grow," Karen Rudolph, program officer for the Lyndhurst Foundation, said. "It is a program that has great potential to encourage our creative entrepreneurs."
