The Bloomington Arts Commission has awarded more than $54,000 to 31 local artists through the Artistic Advancement Grant program.

An average of about $1,770 was awarded to the artists and groups to fund the next steps in their creative careers. Recipients’ works ranged across music, visual art, and literature.

Elizabeth Busey, a local collage artist, is one of the recipients of the grant. Busey said she wrote a straightforward grant application specifically for funding the costs of materials to start larger scale projects.

“I wanted to do some large-scale collages,” Busey said. “I've got some frames that are very large, which is a lot of the cost usually of preparing something to exhibit.”

Busey says that the time between finishing a piece and receiving compensation can be long and often unpredictable. What stood out to her with this grant is that it allowed her to request specific materials. Previous grants she applied for did not.

“Sometimes there are grants and they want you to propose something new and cutting edge,” Busey said, “It can often derail you from the purpose of the work that you want to create in order to get funding.”

Read more: Rose Hill Cemetery volunteers preserve old grounds

Paige Sharp, the city’s Assistant Director for the Arts, says the selection process measures quality of work and commitment.

A review panel of Bloomington Arts Commission members makes the selections. Each panel member has a strong background in the arts, including practicing artists, arts administrators and arts enthusiasts.

“It's nice to have a well-rounded panel that brings all those different dimensions of experience to the table, and that helps bring in sort of that average score,” Sharp said.

“We recognize these folks as small businesses, and so we want to invest in the folks that are really committed and have a solid practice in moving them forward.”

The full list of recipients can be found on the city’s website.