For years I have talked to people about bringing artists to Buffalo in order to broaden the art scene. The problem is that while Buffalo is extremely affordable, there are still the issues of room and board that must be dealt with. Now artist Tina Dillman (relatively new to Buffalo) would like to start a program on Grant Street, where she plans to offer room and board to qualifying visiting artists. The artists would also have access to exhibition space, and would be given a stipend during their stay.
Remember when the Olmsted Parks Conservancy brought Augustina Droze to Buffalo from the West Coast to create a giant mural? Well, Augustina fell in love with this city, moved here, met a guy and fell in love, is now raising a family and creating public works of art year round. That’s pretty powerful.
Now Tina Dillman, an MFA graduate from the San Francisco Art Institute, wants to take this same sort of artistic empowerment strategy and flush it out into a bigger and broader movement.
After spending six figures on school, and finding that the job pool was limiting, Buffalo presented itself as a pretty incredible opportunity. This city is affordable and supportive of artists. In Buffalo many artists only need one job, and can spend time working on their art – something that can be tough in larger cities.
Now that Tina has set up shop in Buffalo, she wants to share her good fortune with other artists.
Over the course of the next two years, Tina plans on hosting nine artists, in a six week residency program, which she plans on hosting out of her home in Buffalo. That means that over the next 29 days she needs to raise $3000 to pull of this inspirational feat. If you think that this sounds like a worthy endeavor, consider donating to Tina’s campaign (see Hatchfund). Hopefully Tina can raise the money and turn this program into an ongoing initiative to bring more talented artists to this city. Be sure to watch the pitch video at Hatchfund to get a true feel for the artist’s cause.