Tamarack Foundation reschedules workshop | News

Jim Pajarillo, a member of the foundation’s board, said the decision to push the workshop back a weekend was mainly due to the recent flooding in the area.

Local leaders, artists and community stakeholders recently discussed Williamson’s participation in the Tamarack Foundation for the Arts RIPPLE program during a recent Zoom meeting. The workshop is a follow-up to that meeting to begin work on planning for projects in the community.

RIPPLE is the foundation’s new artist-led community and economic development pilot program for artists and their communities, designed to help communities create a shared vision of collaboration for developing public art and supporting working artists at the local level by connecting artists with other businesses. Program participants will design and implement two artist-led projects in the town.

Domenica Queen, Tamarack Foundation for the Arts operations director, has been working with community partners since February to prepare for the launch of RIPPLE in Williamson. She led the recent meeting to learn more about what resources are already available in the community.

“It is always a joy to see people team up across sectors and make creative projects come to life,” Queen said. “With RIPPLE we are empowering people to leverage the arts for change in their communities. The ripples from these artist-led projects that Williamson community members will design together bring artists to the table, building up and strengthening relationships that will carry into the future.”

The program will support local artists for up to a year to see through the completion of the projects.

Pajarillo, who is also a Williamson native and active in the community through various roles, said the program brings an exciting time for artists and others to become more involved locally. He said the conversation alone can bring about new ideas and shine a light on what’s already being done.

Through the pilot program, Williamson will receive TFA coaching, technical assistance and $10,000 in mini-grant funds to design and implement two projects that pay local artists for services and bridge the gap between business and arts.

Using these tools and resources, along with tapping into already existing local and state assets, RIPPLE organizers, facilitators and coordinators will work in six communities over the next two years to develop relationships with community leaders, as well as facilitate the ideation and planning stages for two artist-led community projects in each community.

RIPPLE will provide each community with the opportunity to receive two mini-grants, $5,000 each, to support their projects, with a required 5% match for each mini-grant. Three communities out of the six have been chosen so far.