Photography Credit: Maurine Tric/ Institut Francais Afrique du Sud
The Latitudes Art Fund aims to provide financial support to visual artists by covering the cost of essential art supplies, enabling them to continue their creative pursuits without the economic burden of material expenses. Art materials, from high-quality paints and canvases to sculpting tools and digital equipment, are often prohibitively expensive, especially for emerging and independent artists. This fund seeks to bridge that gap, ensuring that lack of resources does not limit artistic potential and innovation. By empowering artists with access to the tools they need, we foster a vibrant and inclusive creative community where artistic voices from diverse backgrounds can thrive.
Latitudes Limited was launched in 2019, and is a movement to make contemporary art from Africa accessible, inclusive and impactful. In line with this, every purchase of a Latitudes Limited multiple directly supports African artists, with a portion of proceeds feeding directly into the Latitudes Art Fund in partnership with META Foundation. Latitudes donates 10% of the proceeds of a sale of a Latitudes Limited print and the featured artist has the choice to donate a further 10%. This makes each Latitudes Limited purchase an act of art patronage, in times where community is needed more than ever.
Operating through an application-based process, artists can apply for grants on a rolling basis. Selection criteria will include artistic merit, financial need, and the potential impact of the fund on the artist's career. In doing so, the Art Fund not only promotes creative growth but also strengthens the larger art ecosystem by supporting artists at their foundation—their tools and materials.
Photography credit: Willem Potgieter
A selection committee from the META foundation and Latitudes will select the winners. The grant values will be the same (an amount decided on based on the amount of money in the fund). The META foundation will then manage the payment of the grants to the art supplier ensuring that each winning applicant receives a voucher for their amount.
The fund seeks investment through art sales on Latitudes Online and direct donations. Latitudes is to facilitate these sales and donations with all monies managed by META foundation - a registered PBO. Any individuals or companies donating funds are eligible for an income tax write off to the value of the donation. The META foundation will issue these.
Further Reading In Articles
African Artist Directory