One of the most beautiful traits of our creative community is its capacity to care and then create solutions to make "it" happen for others. This is something I am sure was on the mind of former Grand Rapids resident and the Division Avenue Arts Collective (DAAC) co-founder Ben Shaafsma when he and a group of Chicago artists incubated the Sunday Soup concept. Since his days at the DAAC, Sunday Soup has grown into an international phenomenon. (See Rapid Growth's RapidBlog by Emma Heemskerk on the
influence of The DAAC on our world.)
And while our local Sunday Soup - a grassroots model for funding small- to medium-sized creative projects through community meals – has been on hiatus as the DAAC determines its next steps, the occasion of the exhibition on the popular Division Avenue arts center is getting a reboot this Sunday.
The basic formula is still the same: a group of people come together to share a meal, contribute money for the meal and in return get a ticket they can use to vote for their favorite proposal that will be presented as the attendees dine together.
At press time the applications are few but that could change. If you would like to apply, please read the guidelines and submit your idea here:
Sunday Soup at KCAD Application
Proposals are due Saturday night, July 18th by midnight. Proposals should include:
- a project description (~250 words)
- description of how the money will be used
(honorarium, materials, studio rent, publicity, etc.)
- images that represent your project
Additionally, each applicant will be asked to give a 3-5 minute pitch for their project during the meal. You must present in order to receive funding.
Admission: $5 (but you get a bowl of delicious soup and a chance to vote like a grantor!)