A message from artist Rafael Soldi and the team at Artist Trust.
Published: November 12, 2024
Categories: Artist Interviews | Artist Stories | Fall Campaign
In times of political uncertainty and division, Washington State’s artists are vital. Their work challenges the status quo, sparks important dialogue, inspires joy, and drives social change. We turn to them for solace, leadership, and inspiration.
But for artists to continue producing work that moves us and makes a difference, they need our support. Community backing is essential—not just to help artists thrive, but to ensure that they can respond to this moment in history with the courage and creativity that define their practice.
A recent Seattle Times survey of working artists confirmed what we’ve long recognized: our region is becoming too expensive for creatives. Even the most successful visual artists, writers, and filmmakers struggle to keep up with their communities’ rising costs. In addition to this ongoing economic hardship, the results of last week’s election promise further challenges for the arts on our horizon, from decreased federal funding, to increased censorship. Despite this difficult reality, artists continue, and will continue, to play a vital role in fostering healthy and vibrant communities.
We’re proud to share that this year, with your help, we’ve granted $435,500 in unrestricted funds to 134 artists and reached hundreds more through programming and resources. One of those artists is Rafael Soldi, a Peruvian-born visual artist, independent curator, and 2024 Artist Trust Fellowship Award Recipient based in Seattle. Rafael knows firsthand the challenges artists are facing, and recently spoke with us about the impact Artist Trust has had on his career:
Interview with 2024 Artist Trust Fellowship Recipient Rafael Soldi
How did you first find out about Artist Trust? What was compelling or special about AT that maybe you hadn’t encountered before, or encountered in a different way?
I moved to Seattle 15 years ago and the Artist Trust storefront offices were in my neighborhood, a couple blocks from my then-apartment in Capitol Hill. Most granting organizations are pretty invisible in a physical sense. I just walked by Artist Trust’s front door as a young artist and then Googled it! I quickly realized that Artist Trust offered a wide range of resources, including financial support and career development opportunities. Overtime I also learned that Artist Trust had a friendly staff always ready to hop on a call and walk you through an application or answer questions. I always felt there was a human team behind all that is offered, and I really appreciate that.
What has Artist Trust’s support meant to you? In addition to funding, how has the AT community been meaningful or beneficial to you?
I’ve sort of “grown up” with Artist Trust as an artist. The first-ever grant I received as a young artist was a Grant for Artists’ Projects (GAP) grant. I then participated as a panelist in a few grant cycles, which was an enriching experience—I got to spend significant time with fellow artist in other disciplines during the panel process and also get to know hundreds of Washington artists’ work through their applications. Being a panelist for the Twining Humber Award was particularly rewarding, as I familiarized myself with a community of artists I don’t often interact with, and had the honor of selecting Marita Dingus as the winner that year. When COVID hit, Artist Trust was one of the first organizations to step up and quickly get much-needed funds into my and other artists’ hands. Most recently I received a Fellowship Award, almost a decade after my first GAP grant.
What are some of the challenges you and artists in your community are currently facing? How do these issues impact your creative practice and career development?
Affordability is a serious issue especially in Western Washington. Many artists can’t afford housing, let alone a studio and healthcare. And these days even food prices are out of reach for many. We have lost many artists due to housing insecurity and gentrification, the arts community feels very different than it did a decade ago. Many of the buildings known for housing artists are no longer affordable. Studios are increasingly hard to come by, and those that are affordable are derelict. For me it meant moving my studio into my home, which had a significant impact on the community aspects of art-making and career development. Many of the gathering spaces and infrastructure for artists has disappeared so we’ve become more isolated, and this was infinitely enhanced by the pandemic.
What could Artist Trust and the Artist Trust community do to help alleviate these challenges for artists?
The most impactful way to support artists is to provide unrestricted financial capital to move ideas forward and find stability. When artists are stable, they create.
The most impactful way to support artists is to provide unrestricted financial capital to move ideas forward and find stability. When artists are stable, they create. The landscape has changed, and we can’t just support artists’ projects anymore. Artists will contribute in meaningful ways when they are supported as a whole person. I trust artists to invest in the areas of their life that will make them better artists. It is of no help to have grant money tied up to a project if you are housing-insecure, or are too tired from working 4 jobs, or are a single parent raising a child.
Additionally, we can’t take the foot off the gas when it comes to equity. I have been grateful to see organizations work on making application processes more accessible, and removing barriers such as language, writing components, and complicated budgets that are not always analogous to how artists operate in the real world.
What are your hopes for the future of artists in Washington State? What would an ideal world look like for artists?
Abundant affordable housing and studio space, equitable distribution of unrestricted funds, ample resources for artists with disabilities, meaningful professional development opportunities: residencies, workshops, training, mentorship. Lastly, a meaningful financial investment into the arts by the multi-billion companies responsible for the harm caused to our community.
Why is it important to support individual artists right now?
See above. There are real barriers to just surviving and making a living in Washington State—most artists can no longer afford to live here. We must act fast before we lose what remains of our art community. Artists need direct support to find stability so they can continue to create and enrich our cities and neighborhoods.
Why do you think it’s important for people to support Artist Trust as donors?
Imagine for a moment your life without art: No books, films, music, visual art, dance, TV, or theater. Would you live in a city without museums, concert halls, movie theaters, bookshops, park amphitheaters, libraries, public murals, or playhouses? Imagine the airport without all of its public art, imagine no poetry, no paintings, no music on the radio. No streaming platforms. Imagine your science books without illustrations or the news without photojournalism.
Art touches every single part of your life, including the clothes you wear, the design of your car, and even your memory. Artists perform a critical duty in making your world better every single day.
Art touches every single part of your life, including the clothes you wear, the design of your car, and even your memory. Artists perform a critical duty in making your world better every single day. We imagine and bring to life the beauty that gets you through the day, creating enormous value for a world that largely takes us for granted. Lastly, artists have always been at the forefront of difficult conversations, offering various languages through which to think through challenging cultural issues of our time.
Rafael Soldi, Mientras el cielo gire (As long as the sky whirls), installation at Frye Art Museum’s Boren Banner, 2023, photo by Jueqian Fan
Rafael Soldi, Soft Boy, three-channel video installation, 2023 and CARGAMONTÓN, aquatint photogravures, 2022
Artist Trust Fellowship AwardsInterviewRafael Soldi
