Thanks Marie. Interesting to see you describe the MacArthur Genius Award as a prize. I have always thought of it as a grant (a gift that doesn't have to be paid back) rather than a prize. But maybe that's a blurry line. Your piece also made me think about the role of Patron. Do we have many art patrons in Canada? And if a Patron chooses you is that a kind of award? (ha lots of blurry lines)
Thanks for your quesitons, Michele. Definitely, lots of blurry lines. Isn't every award, no matter who sponsored it, "a gift that doesn't have to be paid back"?
Good question about patrons. I see the corporations and wealthy donors stepping into this role, at least publicly. For example, isn't the MacArthur family a patron when they give out a huge grant for making art or continuing research? Many of these same patrons support museums and other public art projects as well. If you are interested, a book on the subject is Marjorie Garber, Patronizing the Arts (Princeton UP, 2008).
That sounds like a good way to define the difference between grant and prize. In the Art World, however, there is always a payback value in terms of the sponsor/patron/donor tapping into the prestige of the artist whether they give them a "grant" or a "prize." The Absolut Art Award, for example, like the MacArthur is meant to help an artist fund a new project. Is it a grant or a prize when the giver is able to capitalize on the symbolic value of an artist?
Thanks Marie. Interesting to see you describe the MacArthur Genius Award as a prize. I have always thought of it as a grant (a gift that doesn't have to be paid back) rather than a prize. But maybe that's a blurry line. Your piece also made me think about the role of Patron. Do we have many art patrons in Canada? And if a Patron chooses you is that a kind of award? (ha lots of blurry lines)
Thanks for your quesitons, Michele. Definitely, lots of blurry lines. Isn't every award, no matter who sponsored it, "a gift that doesn't have to be paid back"?
Good question about patrons. I see the corporations and wealthy donors stepping into this role, at least publicly. For example, isn't the MacArthur family a patron when they give out a huge grant for making art or continuing research? Many of these same patrons support museums and other public art projects as well. If you are interested, a book on the subject is Marjorie Garber, Patronizing the Arts (Princeton UP, 2008).
Having worked in NGOs a lot, a grant was for work yet to be done. A prize seems like for work already done. Tomato tomATo
That sounds like a good way to define the difference between grant and prize. In the Art World, however, there is always a payback value in terms of the sponsor/patron/donor tapping into the prestige of the artist whether they give them a "grant" or a "prize." The Absolut Art Award, for example, like the MacArthur is meant to help an artist fund a new project. Is it a grant or a prize when the giver is able to capitalize on the symbolic value of an artist?