Chippewa Valley Artist Relief Fund

ABOUT THIS FUNDRAISER

This fundraiser is organized by Ambient Inks. 100% of funds donated here go directly to artists/creatives in the Chippewa Valley who have been financially impacted by event/gig cancellations, the inability to sell their work/book shows, and/or lost revenue from their day jobs being eliminated due to COVID-19. We will try to help as many artists with need in the Chippewa Valley as we can with priority given to BIPOC artists, transgender & nonbinary artists, and disabled artists.

Please note, the Chippewa Valley includes the following: Eau Claire, Menomonie, Altoona, Chippewa Falls and Durand. 


Please help us spread the message ❤️

In addition to direct donations to this Relief Fund, a portion of Ambient's webstore proceeds through the end of April (for our entire roster) will be donated.

<sales for this item are now closed, thank you for all who ordered!> We're also donating 100% of proceeds from our CV Artist Relief Fund Tee. This item is a preorder. It will ship when the CV Artist Relief Fund fundraiser is complete. We expect this to be around April 30th, depending on how things develop with the COVID-19 pandemic.


This fundraiser is in solidarity with and created with support from Heather Cook and her org NorthStar Church of the Arts, who launched a similar relief fund to support artists in Durham, NC. Thank you for laying the groundwork. 

APPLY FOR SUPPORT (applications now closed)

We are so pleased with how the Chippewa Valley Artist Relief Fund has gone. Over two rounds of fundraising & distribution, you helped to distribute over $33,750 to seventy two Chippewa Valley artists. If the need persists as we navigate unchartered waters, we will revisit this relief effort. We are still humbly accepting donations because you know, and we know, that the arts will need to persevere as our awareness of how to 'be' continues to evolve.


HOW CHIPPEWA VALLEY ARTISTS ARE BEING IMPACTED

The widespread cancellation of concerts and events has a disproportionate impact on the the Chippewa Valley arts community - especially those who rely on gigs/events to pay their bills. 

As the COVID-19 coronavirus continues its path in our state and the country, a lot of people will be staying close to home in order to try to flatten the curve and help prevent the spread of this virus. This virus can be devastating to our elderly, disabled, and medically compromised friends and neighbors. Social distancing is one of the certain ways that we can lovingly stop it from spreading and protect these vulnerable members of our community. 

Musicians, DJ’s, dancers, visual artists, designers, digital artists, makers, arts presenters, actors, filmmakers, photographers, spoken word artists, comedians, creative writers, teaching artists and other creative individuals—all of these people's jobs rely on people showing up and being able to access their work. In the Chippewa Valley, we are now seeing canceled events through April/May and potentially beyond. This trend and its impact is likely to be felt well beyond the spring season. To add insult to injury, a large percentage of artists supplement their incomes with part time jobs, often in the service industry, another industry that will be hit hard by this pandemic. 

That is why we’ve started this fundraising campaign.


WHY THIS MATTERS FOR OUR CITY

Creative practice, innovation and art have been woven into the culture of the Chippewa Valley since its inception. Arts presenters and arts venues have attracted diverse talent to our city for decades, all while infusing our city with economic viability.

If you came to the Chippewa Valley because of the creative energy...

If you thrive in the Chippewa Valley because of the work of artists...

If you have a favorite local artist, mural, song, venue...

or if you simply know (and have been knowing) that we are going to *need* artists now, more than ever, if we have any hope of getting through this year with our souls intact…


PLEASE SUPPORT THIS FUND!


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HOW FUNDS ARE DISTRIBUTED

Funds will be withdrawn to Ambient Inks' bank account, and then distributed/managed by the team at Ambient Inks, with consultation and support from a team of Chippewa Valley creatives, including:

Tamara Brantmeyer (UW-Stout BFA Program)
Sean Carey (S. Carey, Bon Iver)
Becca Cooke (Red Letter Grant/Red's Mercantile)
Ned Gannon (UWEC BFA Program)
Brian Joseph (Hive Studio)
Sara Larsen (City of Eau Claire)
Justin Vernon (Bon Iver)
RT Vrieze (Knorth Studios)

Several of the organizers of this fundraiser are members of Ambient and are also artists or arts presenters who may also need to apply for funding through this program. In that circumstance, anyone who applies for funding will not be involved in the evaluation process. All applicants will be considered via the same need-based standards.

Thank you for supporting the humans and spaces that are so vital to our community.


The Chippewa Valley loves you.