The Lucy Phillips Arts Fund

Local artists receive grants as Lucy Phillips Arts Fund hits its initial target of £20,000

Artists and cultural organisations from across Leicester and Leicestershire have received over £4,000 funding from the Lucy Phillips Arts Fund (LPAF), set up in memory of the life and legacy of local arts leader, Lucy Phillips. The 6 successful applicants are printmaker Michelle Keegan, artists Ruby Waage Townsend and Courtney Askey, plus organisations Kick Up The Arts, Crown Hills Arts Society and Big Difference Company. The total amount of funding allocated in this first round is £4,420 and it will pay for community workshops, development projects, research trips, sound equipment and a programme of events for local artists.

The Lucy Phillips Arts Fund has received over £20,000 in donations from individuals, as well as via fundraising projects including local concerts, exhibitions and the release of an album by local musicians. Almost 200 people have pledged money to be distributed via the fund which is being led by a panel of Lucy’s family and friends. The original fundraising amount was recently reached but due to continued individual donations and additional fundraising events later this year, the total target will increase. More details will be announced later this year about future application deadlines. Donations can be made by visiting www.gofundme.com/the-lucy-phillips-arts-fund

Geoff Rowe, a member of the LPAF panel, said “we are delighted to announce the first recipients of a LPAF grant. We were thrilled with the number of enquiries we received and the breadth of applications from the local creative community. We are funding activities for local artists to develop their skills and experience and, also workshops for members of the public to participate in and enjoy. 

We are so grateful to all those who have pledged money and have enabled these grants to be awarded in Lucy’s name.”

Anthony Lamb from Leicester based charity Big Difference said “this funding will allow us to better serve our community of musicians by being able to provide them with a new and exciting opportunity to collaborate and meet like-minded people. We are excited to start our new music nights with the grant. Lucy performed at The Big Difference venue many times and this is a wonderful way for her legacy to live on.”

Artist Michelle Keegan, who studied Fine Art at the Kent Institute of Art and Design, graduating with first class honours, and the Slade School of Art, now lives in Leicestershire, said “I am honoured to be a recipient of a Lucy Phillips Arts Fund grant and deeply appreciative of this valuable opportunity. The award will enable me to undertake printmaking at Leicester Print Workshop, where I will engage in a practice-led investigation and allow me to experiment with new approaches and refine my understanding of traditional printmaking practices.”

Penny Fielden from Crown Hills Arts Society said “we are extremely grateful to the Lucy Phillips Art Fund for this generous grant that has the potential to promote and revitalise our society, bringing in new members from diverse backgrounds. Through a series of workshops and an exhibition of work generated from them, we aim to create an accessible community-based art group which will introduce people to the benefits of creativity as well as provide opportunities for our members to pass their own skills on.”

The Lucy Phillips Arts Fund is managed by Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Community Foundation and the awards panel is made of Lucy’s friends and family.