Grant Recipient: Robert Eastman, Class of 2011
Major: Studio Art
Organization: Gracia Arts Project
Location: Barcelona, Spain
I have been working for a non-profit art gallery in Barcelona for the past two months. In the short time that I have been here I have been involved in many projects including organizing and curating a collective exhibition of twenty artists from all over Europe, researching potential sponsors and securing funding for the gallery, and collaborating with other interns to design a community arts center. Although I have worked in galleries in the past, it is the first time I have been responsible for and involved in the finances of a non-profit organization. While I can’t say that looking for funding and potential sponsors is fun, it has been an eye-opening experience; being involved in all aspects of running a gallery has made me appreciate the more creative work that the gallery interns and I have accomplished during the summer. Despite spending a lot of time doing busy work to maintain the gallery space, it’s been especially rewarding to see what can be accomplished with so little—despite not knowing whether the gallery will manage to pay the rent each month, there are always new exhibitions, concerts, poetry readings, and many other events, that bring together artists from all over the world.
