GAP Grant Impact Stories

GAP Grant Impact Stories

Absolute Blessing | Ray Wroten, IV

Ray Wroten has worked professionally as a musician since 2007. He is the lead singer and principal songwriter of the band Bond & Bentley, and performs solo acoustic gigs all around Anne Arundel County. His only source of income is gigging full-time playing music, playing solo in pubs and dock bars, and with his band in larger venues throughout Maryland as well as Delaware, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

In March of 2020, Ray’s livelihood ground to a halt. He went from playing 200 music gigs a year to nothing. And when things began to open up last summer as restrictions were eased, the gigs he played were at a discounted rate. He was clearly needing help to bridge the gap until the music world returned to “normal.” For Ray, that help came in the form of an Anne Arundel County Independent Artist GAP Grant.

“This grant was an absolute blessing. I was able to create a music video for one of my songs, pay off debt for merchandise I had accrued during the pandemic, and pay my rent and car payment. This money honestly gave me a bit of peace of mind in what is an uncertain landscape. Music is a hustle under “normal” circumstances, let alone during a worldwide nightmare. We work tirelessly booking gigs, humping equipment around, fixing and upkeeping that equipment, and pushing our gigs and art on several mediums. There is a ton of minutiae that goes into creating and a ton of costs that most people don’t realize. This grant made it possible for me and several of my colleagues to continue our passions. Thank you very much for this, we appreciate it.”

To connect and learn more about Ray, visit raywrotenmusic.com

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Dream Big | Future History Now

Future History Now (FHN) is a local non-profit organization that facilitates collaborative mural projects with youth facing adversity in underserved communities. Using the transformative nature of art, Executive Director Jeff Huntington and Program Coordinator Julia Gibb create a safe space for young people that nurtures creativity and self-expression, promotes problem-solving and skill-sharing through the art-making process, and encourages thinking outside the box as a means to acquire the habits and skills necessary to successfully navigate life.

The COVID-19 pandemic severely restricted FHN’s ability to complete much of the work previously planned for 2020. FHN had expected to complete the remaining five of nine FHN KIDS MAKING HISTORY (KMH) Mural Project & Walking Tour (started in 2016), and 27 murals were planned in three HACA community center gymnasiums (nine in each gym) as FHN’s new Above the Rim (ATR) Mural Project. None of the ATR murals could be completed due to social distancing, and only one KMH mural was completed.

Not being able to complete these projects also had dire repercussions on FHN’s ability to generate revenue to cover overhead expenses. Since the organization relies heavily on project-based funding, when a project is canceled or postponed, FHN also loses those funds which would have been applied to indirect costs such as rent, insurance, and administrative fees. Individual unrestricted donations that might also cover operating expenses also dried up, because they are often generated by media coverage and community “buzz” surrounding FHN’s large-scale public art murals.

Anne Arundel County GAP Arts Organization funding came at a crucial time, enabling the organization to cover critical administrative overhead while remaining flexible, innovative, and responsive to the changing needs of the communities they serve. FHN was able pivot from their original plans and complete three murals during late in 2020: “Captain Compassion” was started in April and completed in August with 20 youth artists each painting a separate square canvas at home, then assembled at the FHN studio into a 7.5’ by 10’ mural; the 7,000 square foot Breonna Taylor/Black Lives Matter Mural Project (Chambers Park, Annapolis) was completed July 2-5, 2020 involving nearly 100 youth and community artists and six professional artists; and the KMH-John Lewis Mural (95 West Street, Annapolis) was completed November 3-7, 2020 collaboratively with five student artists and four professional artists.

Jeff Huntington tells us, “Future History Now greatly appreciates funding support from ACAAC, but equally values ACAAC’s role in bringing the arts community together. FHN has adapted a “dream big” mantra going forward, and not just for our own mural projects. We would like to explore opportunities to join or form coalitions to strengthen the art ecosystem in Anne Arundel County and increase public support for the arts. We would value the opportunity to partner with ACAAC and other allies to ensure that we do more than thrive despite the pandemic; we seek to have our community embrace art as the fabric of life.”

To connect and learn more about Future History Now, visit www.futurehistorynow.org

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The COVID-19 Relief Grants for the Arts Program (GAP) funding made possible by County Executive Steuart Pittman and the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County.