The Mildred W. Spicer Arts Fund

The goal of the Mildred W. Spicer Arts Fund is to promote the arts for people with disabilities. The fund is designed to enhance artistic discovery, creativity, and community inclusion.

Making an Impact

• The fund provides individual scholarships to take classes and workshops related to the arts and to further develop individual art skills and expression.
• The fund will also allow for an annual recognition award to an individual with a disability, without a disability, and/or to an organization promoting inclusive art opportunities within our community. The goal of the award is to honor those making a difference in the lives of others through artistic expression.
• The fund will allow for special event projects that encourage promotion of art opportunities.

Mildred W. Spicer Arts Fund Honors Art and Creativity During Times of Crisis in the Charlottesville-Albemarle Area; Call for Nominations for Art Heroes

Charlottesville, Virginia – October 4, 2021 -- The Mildred W. Spicer Arts Fund, a Charlottesville-based initiative designed to enhance artistic discovery and creativity, is seeking applications for its annual Mildred W. Spicer Arts award celebrating the power of art and those advocating for inclusive art opportunities within the local community. 

The arts award, which has historically recognized an artist with a disability or an individual/organization promoting art opportunities for those with disabilities within the Charlottesville-Albemarle area, was postponed in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the Arts Award will return with a special emphasis on those who used art and creativity to uplift their community during the recent health crisis. 

Instead of featuring one winner of the award, the 2021 Mildred W. Spicer Arts Award now in its seventh year, will celebrate seven “Art Heroes” in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area who used the power of art during quarantine and beyond to help themselves and others with disabilities since the COVID-19 pandemic began.  

“This year’s call for nomination provides an opportunity to shine a light on artists with disabilities, organizations helping individuals with disabilities, and anyone else in the community that used art and creativity as a positive outlet and response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Sarah Blech, Mildred W. Spicer Arts Fund coordinator and Adaptive Recreation Manager for the City of Charlottesville. “The Mildred W. Spicer Arts Fund was created in May 2013 in honor of Mildred’s retirement from Charlottesville Parks and Recreation Department after 33 years as Therapeutic Recreation Supervisor. Since that time, the fund has provided an annual recognition art award in addition to an individual art training scholarship program for individuals who have a disability or who work with individuals with disabilities. The pandemic forced us to postpone the award in 2020, but in 2021 we’re using this important arts platform to again celebrate citizens and organizations using the power of art to improve lives.”  

Call for Nominations

Eligibility

Anyone who has made a difference in their life and/or others through art can be nominated for the award.

Nomination Period:  October 4 - October 31, 2021

1. Submit the nomination form online or 
2. Complete the Mildred W. Spicer Nomination Application (PDF) - fillable PDF and mail
3. Submitting the Art Nomination Application by:
   Mail:
   Attn: Adaptive Recreation
   Charlottesville Parks & Recreation
   PO Box 911
   Charlottesville, VA 22902
    
   Email: adaptive@charlottesville.gov

Award Celebration TBD

Art Scholarship Application

Any resident of the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle, and surrounding counties—with or without a disability—interested in promoting inclusive art opportunities for all people (or interested in improving their own art skills) may apply for a scholarship through the fund. Requests for scholarships may be made by:

1. Submit the nomination for online or 
2. Complete the Mildred W. Spicer Art Scholarship Application (PDF) - fillable PDF and mail
3. Submitting the Art Scholarship Application
   Attn: Adaptive Recreation
   Charlottesville Parks & Recreation
   PO Box 911
   Charlottesville, VA 22902

Other Opportunities

In addition to recognizing artists and organizations supporting the arts, the Mildred W. Spicer Arts Fund provides scholarship opportunities for individuals with disabilities in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area to take classes and workshops related to the arts and to further develop artistic skills and self-expression.The Mildred W. Spicer Arts Fund, a Charlottesville-based initiative designed to enhance artistic discovery and creativity, is seeking applications for its annual award celebrating inclusive art opportunities within the local community.

The award recognizes an artist with a disability or an individual/organization promoting art opportunities for those with disabilities within the Charlottesville-Albemarle area.

Advisory Board

• Constance Wyant
• Mary Miller
• Mildred W. Spicer
• Paul Spicer
• Melissa Oliver