We're Going Back to Romania

We finally admitted defeat with the hope that we could return to Romania this spring. The airline tickets doubled in price, and it just didn't feel responsible to spend all that money on a trip. However, just when we had given up, the price of tickets returned to a reasonable price, and we grabbed the opportunity to book. Bogdan is heading back to Bucharest at the end of this month.

The reasons why this is so exciting are twofold. Obviously we're excited to reconnect with the talented artists that we have been working with, and potentially meet still more artists to work with in the future. We are so physically removed from the Romanian art scene here in Texas that being there, in person, goes such a long way in developing and strengthening relationships. So much of what we do is based on trust, so we see these trips as being vital to furthering our goals and mission.

The other reason why this is such an auspicious time to return to Romania is that Bucharest is hosting its second international art fair, MoBu 2024. They launched the first fair last spring, and we missed it. This year, Bogdan will be able to attend the event, move around all of the booths, and introduce himself and Aripa Arte to a much larger collection of artists, gallerists, and the art community in general. We're working hard to gather up the swag and promotional materials he'll need to make an impact while he's in town. Perhaps next year we will be able to afford a booth of our own.

An important element of this trip to MoBu 2024, and to Bucharest in general, is to announce the opening of our artist grant cycle for 2025. Our biggest activity as a nonprofit is to offer money in the form of grants to individual artists for projects that will further their art careers. That application process will begin while Bogdan is in Romania, and will extend until the end of June. How much we are able to fund will depend upon how much money we can raise, so we're busy looking for donations, applying for grant funding, and plotting out innovative ways to gather enough money to make a significant impact in the art businesses of Romanian artists.

We're also excited to report that we have made a donation of $1,000 to Art Movements Foundation in Romania, a nonprofit NGO run by Scemtovici & Benowitz Gallery in Bucharest. This is the second year that they will be hosting a drawing competition for Romanian artists. Our donation will augment the prize money they are able to offer for that competition. Another important part of our mission at Aripa Arte is to collaborate with other organizations and institutions who compliment our own vision and goals. We are thrilled to be collaborating with Art Movements Foundation, and wish them the best in this exciting competition.