Awards of $3,000 to King County, Washington individual artists and teams of artists to recognize and support positive community impact. Nominations are invited on behalf of visual artists, as well as writers, performers, musicians, and even mimes. The award provides unrestricted funding to selected artists.

CGG General Description:

Artist awardees will have demonstrated a profound ability to challenge the limits of conductive creative discourse and its effects on society, pushing the creative act beyond the accepted limits, definitions, or purposes of art while engaging audiences outside the aesthetic industrial complex.

In the Founder's Words:

"Since the industrial revolution, the role of art in society has gone through profound changes, more than any other period in the history of civilization. When we examine the role of art in ancient cultures, its use in ritual and ceremony, the contrast is significant.

Over the course of western history, institutions of power, both religious and state, have used art as a propaganda tool and vehicle to further their own agendas, which may in fact not serve the best interests of society. During the twentieth century, and especially with the advent of television, market forces completely subsumed the power of the image, and in a broader sense how all creative acts are perceived by society. Today, in ever more sophisticated ways, art is bound to consumer culture, and ultimately, a servant of the capitalist agenda.

The result of these developments is a profound disconnection in the lives of everyday people with the creative process, and the initial impetus for the creative act.

The purpose of this grant is to recognize an artist who incorporates the creative process into a life practice that diffuses the boundaries between professional activities, social responsibilities, and respect for the people that compose the community we all share."

Additional Information:

The CGG is not intended to fund specific projects. A lot of grants place restrictions on how artists may use their funding, usually the money is to be spent on a specific project. The CGG is awarded based on past work, often in consideration of what an artist has done over the course of a life time. Awardees may spend their grant money on anything they wish.

The CGG is not awarded solely based on artistic excellence. The majority of grants are awarded based on the artistic excellence exemplified in the artist's submitted work examples. The CGG is awarded based on the artist's activity in relation to the community and its impact. The grant may be awarded to someone who uses the creative process in ways other than creating artworks.

The CGG was not intended to fund specific projects. It is awarded based on past work or activity. As Su said, it recognizes artists who incorporate the creative process into a life practice. However, you may include a description of scheduled future projects in your essay.