Thank you DCASE

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Here is the formal announcement:

This project is partially supported by an Individual Artists Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Here is the informal version:

YEAH!  DCASE and the City of Chicago coming through!  Mayor Emmanuel even ordered to have someone print his name on the check himself!

But seriously, I am excited.  The Individual Artist grant program run through DCASE is a great program and has been a big supporter of established and emerging artists in Chicago and from abroad.

The budget that I submitted for the proposed concert, THRUST!, is in depth, marketing, technical costs, venue rental, etc, but that is not  what the grant is going towards.  In my budget I only asked to receive funds to pay the artists involved in the show – two dance companies and a band totaling 21 people.  That number does not count myself as you are not allowed to pay yourself with the grant money.

So, yes, I am excited to have secure funds to pay the artists in the show before the show even goes up.  Regardless of how THRUST! is received the artists involved deserve to be compensated for their time.  As we’ve said before, “We believe that their [the artists] time is valuable and that money is the best way to express those feelings.”

But now the stakes are higher and the pressure is on.  Back to work!

Tristan Bruns, Artistic Director

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