New York Puts $10,000 Into the Hands of Its Working Artists

New York City is doubling the grant it gives to artists who apply on their own, bringing each award to $10,000. Diya Vij, the commissioner who leads the city's Department of Cultural Affairs, talked through the change in a recent conversation, along with her wider plans for the agency and the money it sends both to nonprofit organizations and to artists working independently. The headline number is simple: a grant that used to be half as large now reaches five figures. For a painter, a sculptor or a designer working alone in this city, that's a real sum. It can pay for a stretch of studio rent, materials or the hours a piece needs. Collectors notice this kind of support because the work that later reaches galleries and auction rooms often begins in studios like these. Vij framed the increase as part of how she sees her department's role, which is to back cultural organizations and individual makers together.

With reporting from ARTnews.