Excerpt from:
KWMU: Arts group tries new community funding approach (2010-03-01).
ST. LOUIS (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - Around the country arts organizations are starting a new trend in community arts funding. Groups like Feast in Brooklyn and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis are hosting soup dinners where for about $10 patrons get soup, bread and a packet containing proposals submitted by artists. After a vote by everyone at the dinner the proceeds are awarded to the artist with the most votes.
Last week, the first of these dinners in St. Louis, called Sloup, was held at a poetry chapbook shop on Cherokee street. Inside the two-story brick building on Cherokee street a couple dozen people are spread out around the room holding hot bowls of Carrot Leek soup, discussing which art project they plan on voting for.
Maggie Ginestra and Amelia Colette Jones got the idea for Sloup after attending a dinner at Incubate, an artist’s residency program in Chicago. It was Incubate’s last dinner at their current location.
“So they did kind of a retrospective on what the soup dinner has meant to Chicago and how it spread to different cities,” Ginestra said.”And what projects got funded.” Jones interjected.
“The projects that were submitted to the soup dinner were so diverse,” said Ginestra.
Maggie and Ameilia were inspired by the idea that a small group of people could not only help fund an art project, but be a part of the process and bring artists and art patrons together for a meal and discussion.
Jordan Hicks was one of the artists who submitted a proposal for the dinner.
” Yeah, I don’t really see it as a competitive sort of thing. It’s just a fun night to get together,” said Hicks.
More@ KWMU: Arts group tries new community funding approach (2010-03-01).
