About the City of LA Independent Master Artist Projects (COLA-IMAP) Grant Program

Mission

The COLA IMAP Grant Program grant category honors an assortment of Los Angeles’ best contemporary solo artists. These project-grants allow accomplished artists to create new work while DCA organizes an online and/or printed catalog to document and market the selected artists and their new works as one cross-section of the exciting Los Angeles art scene.

Goals

• to honor a spectrum of the City’s most creative artists who are each dedicated to an ongoing body of excellent work, who represent a relevant progression through their pieces or series and exemplify a generation of core ideas in their field, who are respected by their peers and are role models for other artists because of their distinguished record.
• to support artists who want to attempt new work with increased freedom to innovate and experiment.

2023-24 COLA-IMAP grants will be offered to individuals in the following discipline categories:

• design/visual artist (including architect, graphic designer, and product designer such as fashion designer),
• literary artist (poet or fiction writer), or
• performing artist (solo choreographer-dancer,  solo composer-musician, solo theatrical performing artist, or multidisciplinary performing artist)

Cultural Trailblazers Program

If not selected by peer panel for a COLA-IMAP grant, applicants may be recommended as Cultural Trailblazers. Trailblazers are highlighted on DCA’s website and social media platforms and receive a stipend to work with DCA on a story about their next solo work in the LA region.