A noted Ventura painter, and retired art teacher has created a grant program to help struggling professional artists in Ventura County.
Gerd Koch worked with the Ventura County Arts Council to create the program to help two artists annually in the county by offering $3,000 grants.
Koch and his companion, Carole Milton sold some of their paintings to cover most of the costs of first year of the program. The now 82 year old artist says he wanted to do it to honor many of the screenwriters, artists, and others from the arts who lived in the county over the decades, but who have passed away. Koch has been a part of the region’s art scene since the 1950′s, and was one of the founders of Studio Channel Islands, taught art for more than 60 years, and led more than 20 international art tours.
The Ventura County Arts Council is administering the Koch/Milton grants, with the deadline for applications October 24th. You can find more information at www.venturacountyartscouncil.org
Click on link to listen to download soundbite with Gerd Koch: Gerd Koch
