 ART ADVOCATES
EXTRAORDINAIRE
Individual artists are
beneficiaries
of foundation
created by
executive and artist
By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF
Photography JANET ROGERS
The Artist Foundation (AF) of
San Antonio may be barely
three years old, but it has
already attracted an impressive
following.
In February, at its second annual fundraising
event, dubbed the ArtBall, some
500 dressed-up partygoers descended on
Municipal Auditorium to eat, applaud and
spend money, all to show their support for
the not-so-fledgling organization. Mayor
Phil Hardberger and his wife, Linda, were
there, as were the former and current city
managers, arts organizations honchos and
other prominent personalities.
In fact, Linda Hardberger is the honorary
chair of the foundation’s board, while
the former city manager, Terry Brechtel,
serves as treasurer. Among the event’s
sponsors, the program listed the city’s
Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA), in addition
to companies, law firms and individuals.
But perhaps most significantly, lots of
artists volunteered their support, too.
Two side rooms displayed visual art that
the artists donated to be auctioned off,
while another group struggled to carve
original sculptures out of ice blocks in
front of the building. Some creations
emerged smooth and fetching as if made
from molten glass, but others, unfortunately,
broke into pieces. Still, it all contributed
to the festive atmosphere.
So it’s hardly surprising that a few days
later, when I get together with one of AF’s
co-founders, Patricia Pratchett, she seems
happy and relaxed. “Oh, I am very satisfied
with the way it all turned out,” she says. “It’s just our second year to organize the
ArtBall, and we were able to attract more
patrons; lots of new people came. For the
Artist Foundation to succeed we need to
build support beyond the usual ‘suspects.’
We need to build awareness of the needs
of individual artists.”
 It would seem that the organization is
definitely on the right path. Founded in
2005 by Pratchett, a former USAA executive,
and visual artist BettieWard, AF brings
to San Antonio something that was sorely
missing—financial help for the individuals
who create original works of art in every
field, from musical composition and choreography
to painting and playwriting.
The two co-founders met in 2003
through a mutual acquaintance and later
served together on the Cultural Arts Board (CAB), which advises the city on
arts funding. “We served on that board
because we both wanted to help the
community,” says Ward, who has been
an advocate for the arts for years. It so
happened that about that same time, the
Office of Cultural Affairs launched its
Cultural Collaborative initiative, envisioned
as a long-term plan for the development
of the city’s “creative economy.” Pratchett and Ward found themselves
naturally involved in that, as well.
“One of the goals of the plan was to
encourage the individual artists,” recalls
Pratchett. “We were all aware of the funding
available to organizations, both from
the city and private sources, but there was
nothing for the individual. So, we said, we
would like to take that on. Felix (Padron,
OCA director) was very supportive.”
What happened next surprised even
the enthusiastic co-founders. They threw
a fund-raising party, and everyone came.
It was Halloween 2004, and folks were in
the mood to have fun, perhaps, but
when the donations were tallied, the
not-yet-formed organization found itself
with a cool $20,000. “We were just
stunned,” says Pratchett.
They parked the money at the San
Antonio Area Foundation under the
Cultural Collaborative’s umbrella, and
there it sat for a while. Finally, about a year
later, they organized a workshop with Los
Angeles consultant David Plettner on how
to translate a vision into a concrete plan.
Then, Pratchett undertook a huge research
project to come up with the criteria for
structuring a grant program.
The first year out, eight grants of $5,000
each were awarded in four categories —
visual, media, performing and literary arts — for a total of $40,000. Pratchett and
Ward were just as elated as the recipients.
“I was thrilled,” says Pratchett, with
the thrill still audible in her voice. “It was
a dream come true. What is so reaffirming
about this whole thing is seeing how
artists react when they receive the
awards. Even artists who are not getting
the grant still feel honored and appreciative
that there is an entity out there to
support the artist.”
In 2007, the sum jumped to $80,000
plus additional awards sponsored by special
groups or individuals. Among the latter
were the Tobin Prizes for set and costume
design, the George Cortez Classical Singing
Award and Lifshutz Foundation’s “Chez
Bernard” Awards for emerging artists.
There’s also a $7,500 special recognition
award called the Tobin Grand Prize for
Artistic Excellence. Both years, the city’s
Cultural Collaborative contributed to the
money pool. Grants are not given on the
basis of financial need, stress the cofounders.
The main criterion is excellence.
 GRATEFUL ARTISTS
What the grants accomplish is to buy
time and sometimes equipment for the
execution of an artist’s idea. As listed in
AF guidelines, the projects submitted for
funding must demonstrate at least one
of the following characteristics: potential
for artistic growth, a significant shift in
the individual’s work or a challenging
exploration with new materials, concepts
and artistic practices.
Visual artist Leigh Anne Lester, who
was among the ice sculptors at the ArtBall,
is a 2007 grant winner. For several years,
she has been concerned about the effects
of too much genetic engineering and
man-made changes in our natural environment.
In her art, she layers semi-transparent
plant drawings on top of each other to
create beautiful but sterile “hybrids,” with
clear implications for our planet.
The grant allows Lester to transfer her
ideas into computer animation by covering
the cost of both the software and a
course she is taking to learn the new technique. “I just got my program and am
learning how to use it,” she says. “That’s
the beauty of the grant—it allows you to
experiment and ultimately to realize your
vision. I only received half of the grant,
and I must make a report after six months
to receive the rest. It’s nice that there is an
expectation of progress.”
For jazz performer/songwriter Bett
Butler the grant provided the means to
reach a broader audience with her music.
Specifically, the money covered the cost
for the manufacturing of 1,000 CDs of
her new song collection, Myth and
Fables. “I was thrilled to get the phone
call telling me that I had been chosen,”
she says, “but beyond that, I think the
fact that the Artist Foundation exists is a
tremendous thing for artists in San
Antonio. I don’t know of any other place
where I could have applied.”
Similar feelings are expressed by other
recipients. Altogether, there were 135
submissions in 2007, and more are
expected this year. The majority of applications
came from visual artists, while
choreographers were barely represented
with only three entries. The winning
entries are selected by knowledgeable
judges, who change every year. With
$90,000 raised at this year’s ArtBall, the
call for 2008 applications will be posted
on the Artist Foundation’s Web site,
www.artistfound.org, in early summer.
 ARTS ADVOCATES
Fund raising is obviously a big part of
what AF does. Though the ArtBall is the
biggest event, there are others throughout
the year plus efforts to involve donors who may set up special awards in their own or
a relative’s name. In addition, the organization
is desperate to raise funds for basic
operational expenses. Ward admits to hating
the whole business of fund raising.“However, I care for our goals more than I
hate fund raising,” she adds.
A well-known local artist and the mother
of three now-grown sons, Ward cut her
advocacy teeth while her youngest son,
Pendleton, was a student. As a substitute
teacher in his school, she tried to convince
the regular teachers that the students’
unconventional ways of expressing themselves
should not be discouraged. Her son
was always drawing cartoons that he
dreamed of animating some day. Later,
when Pen enrolled in the Northeast School
for the Arts, his mom suggested some programs
to broaden the students’ educational
scope, but nothing came of it.
“I learned a lesson,” adds Ward. “To be
successful as an advocate, you have to get
involved with people who have the power
to make things happen.” With her artistic
career established, Ward decided to practice
her new approach by becoming the
District 1 representative on CAB, where
she served for four and a half years. That
was a whole new level of responsibility
without any remuneration. “It was such
hard work. It took over my life for those
years,” she says. “However, a lot of my
current advocacy came from being on that
board. I learned a lot about what we have
and don’t have in San Antonio.”
At one of CAB’smeetings,Ward fell into
conversation with Pratchett, who also had
a history of supporting the arts. Born in
Cuba and reared in Panama, Pratchett has
been a world traveler and arts explorer her
whole life. A former dancer by avocation,
she served on the Guadalupe Cultural Arts
Center’s board in the past and, like Ward,
had a passion for advocacy. Soon, the two
women discovered that they shared the
same dream — to establish a foundation
that fosters new creative work.
“But there was a problem, with neither
of us being wealthy,” observes
Ward, wryly. “That was something rich
people could talk about, not us.”
Yet, as the saying goes, where there’s
a will, there’s a way. Thanks to their
determination and connections with the
city’s power brokers, they have indeed
realized not only their dream but are now
helping San Antonio artists realize theirs.
Yet, oddly, neither one is on AF’s board.
Officially, they are only “advisory board
members.” That begs the question: why?
“Both of us were on the Cultural Arts
Board at the time, and we didn’t want to
create the appearance of a conflict of
interests,” explains Pratchett. “While you
are serving on that board, your organization
is not supposed to receive money
from the city. So we couldn’t have
received any help from the Cultural
Collaborative, for instance. In time, we’ll
become (AF) board members. Right now,
I am officially a volunteer.”
A volunteer who gives virtually all her
time and considerable executive skills to
the organization! Ward, however, is
planning to cut back some as she is
preparing for a major one-woman exhibition
at Blue Star in January 2009. (“I
still have to make a living,” she quips.)
Both women praise the actual board
members for taking their vision to heart.
Today, AF operates as a subsidiary of
ARTS San Antonio and has one part-time
paid executive consultant, Elizabeth Ciarfeo.
Ever the passionate advocates, the two
women have also had a hand in the
birthing of Luminaria, the new city-wide,
one-day celebration of the arts that took
place March 15. In fact, on that day, Ward— who chaired the Luminaria selection
committee — threw a lunch party for a
small crowd of activists and arts writers in
her studio-residence. The Hardbergers
were again among the guests. Ward sang
a beautiful jazz song to the mayor to thank
him for his support of the arts in general
and of Luminaria in particular.
Obviously, no one engages so deeply
with a cause without thoroughly believing
in it. And these two visionary women
are certainly believers.
“Artists tell us how healthy our culture
is,” says Ward. “Just look at the
greatest cultures in history; the arts were
always very strong. Now we live in a
country that almost killed the NEA
(National Endowment for the Arts).
That’s why it’s so important to support
the arts. It’s almost a barometer of how
well we are doing. And we need to listen
to what artists are telling us.”
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