A Message from Arianne True

---

 

We’re kicking off our end of year fundraising campaign with a message from Arianne True! She shares why it’s important to support artists now! We were moved by Arianne’s words and hope you will be, too. Read more and make a gift today to support Washington State artists!

---

Dear Friends,

I don’t think I write or do creative work differently because of the pandemic, but it’s had huge impacts on the rest of my life and it’s of course impossible to separate that from my creative life.

The pandemic really changed opportunities for me as a teaching artist. Because of chronic illness, I’m more vulnerable to serious impacts from COVID, so it was too risky to take in-person teaching opportunities, even though online opportunities started disappearing. It left me without a lot of my usual work options, and the funding from Artist Trust’s Vadon Foundation Fellowship for Native Artists really saved me from a bad spot because of that.

I was excited and honored and so, so happy to get the news. But the emotion that stuck around the longest was relief. This huge sigh. And that relief, that break from hardship, has kept me going in a year that, even without financial strain, has pushed me past the edge of my tolerance and ability. That support has also created room for pockets of joy around the relief, and let me explore in a new way, and try new things as a writer, and as a person.

 

 

Think of what we could make if so many of us weren’t always worried about how we’re going to pay rent after every contract ends. Like fruit trees, artists can’t always be producing, but everything that happens, and all the time that passes, is part of what creates the things other people ultimately see and experience from us. 

There’s also just so many things we can’t fix with money. We can’t make bad things not have happened. There’s a lot of bad things we can’t stop from happening. There’s a lot of hard places we can’t avoid, and that’s just human experience. So, when we can actually make something better with money, like supporting artists to do our work, shouldn’t that be a reason to celebrate?

Sincerely,

Arianne True

Arianne True (Choctaw, Chickasaw) is a queer poet and folk artist from Seattle, and the 2022 recipient of Artist Trust’s Vadon Foundation Fellowship for Native Artists. You can find more of her work collected online at ariannetrue.com. Thank you for considering a gift in support of Washington State artists.

To make your tax-deductible donation, visit artisttrust.org/donate.

---

Arianne TrueArtist LetterArtist StoryArtistsFall CampaignSupportVadon Foundation Fellowship