Assets for Artists – a project of Berkshire Creative, MASS MoCA, MCLA’s Berkshire Cultural Resource Center and Pittsfield’s Office of Cultural Development – is recruiting Berkshire County artists in all disciplines to participate in a research study investigating the impact of the Assets for Artists program.

Twenty “low- to moderate-income” artists can receive a $100 per year stipend (over several years) to share information on their household income and credit history. All information will be kept strictly confidential and used only for research purposes. The study is intended to help the program partners better understand the financial conditions of local artists and evaluate the relative impact of the training and matched savings grants provided through Assets for Artists, now in its second year of operation with an innovative model to promote the financial success of working artists.

Eligibility for the study is based on household income: a four-person household with adjusted gross income of no more than $59,000 (as documented on a federal tax return) will be eligible. Limits are lower for smaller household sizes.

Artists in any discipline who would like to be considered for the research study should contact Blair Benjamin at MASS MoCA (413-664-4481 x8104 or ) to discuss the details. Slots for eligible participants are available first-come, first-serve.

Assets for Artists is a groundbreaking new program providing grants of $4,000 for artists seeking to become first-time home buyers and $2,000 for artist-entrepreneurs. The program has fourteen new slots available for low- to moderate-income artists in Berkshire County (all disciplines encouraged to apply).

Pre-application forms are due Monday, February 23, 2009. For more information on eligibility for the Assets for Artists program and the services to be offered, click here.

Questions? Contact Blair Benjamin at MASS MoCA (413-664-4481 x8104 or ) and he is happy to help! Don’t miss this opportunity to invest in yourself and your work. 

Assets for Artists, a program aimed at helping artists throughout Berkshire County who wish to become home owners and/or strengthen their creative businesses, is now inviting new applications for 2009! 

Grants of up to $4,000 for artists seeking to become first-time home buyers and $2,000 for artist-entrepreneurs will be available for fourteen low- to moderate-income artists (all disciplines encouraged to apply).

The program provides state-funded “individual development accounts,” a financial tool that provides an incentive “match” for the participant’s own savings over a period of 6 – 24 months.

Click HERE to download the pre-application form, due Monday, February 23, 2009.  For more information on eligibility for the Assets for Artists program and the services to be offered, review the pre-application form and attend one of the upcoming information sessions:

Monday, February 9, at 7:00pm at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts (28 Renne Avenue) in Pittsfield

Tuesday, February 10, at 5:30pm at MCLA’s Gallery 51 (51 Main Street) in North Adams.

A detailed overview of the program was printed in the January 2009 edition of the Berkshire Trade & Commerce and may be downloaded HERE. 

If you have any questions about the pre-application process or the program in general, contact Blair Benjamin at MASS MoCA (413-664-4481 x8104 or ).

Assets for Artists is a partnership between Berkshire Creative, MASS MoCA, MCLA’s Berkshire Cultural Resource Center, and Pittsfield’s Office of Cultural Development, with funding from the Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development and Berkshire Bank Foundation.