The Cape can be a difficult place for a young artist. Printmaker Dominique Pecce knows this all too well.
She’s struggled, like a growing number of Cape Codders, with housing. “I usually have to move frequently because I’m in short-term rentals,” she said. “Sometimes it affects having roots or feeling anchored to a place. It works its way into my art. I do find it developing into my images of homes or somebody searching for a space.”
But there’s nowhere else Pecce would want to live and want to create. “There is so much here – I love its history, its essence,” she said. “I love its nature and how many artists there are.”
Pecce, who was born and raised in Truro, was one of 11 artists who recently completed the Arts Foundation’s inaugural Capacity Building Grant Program. Through the program, she received one-on-one support in developing a business plan, took workshops aimed at helping her strengthen her creative practice, and received a $2,000 grant to support her artistic vision.
“This kind of scholarship support and opportunity is essential for raising people’s potential,” Pecce said of the program. “When I say scholarship, I mean scholarships for people who are not attending institutions but continuing to learn outside of accredited programs.”
From a young age, Pecce knew she wanted to use art as a means of expression. “It is my biggest lens for seeing the world and communicating to the world,” she said.
She credits her passion for art to this place where she grew up. “We had visiting artists in our schools, and we were welcomed into galleries at a young age,” she said. “I knew it was accessible. I saw it happening. It was vibrant.”
For more than a decade, Pecce has added to that vibrancy through her work.
Today, she’s taking the next steps in her career growth thanks to the Capacity Building Grant Program. In this, she has been given access to the resources and support she has needed to identify what success means and how to achieve it.
In September, she had her first piece of public art installed in downtown Amherst. “When they talk about trajectory, I shot beyond my timeline of goals. I’m ahead of myself. This is exciting,” she said, noting she also earned her green printmaking certificate, allowing her to share her expertise as a part of another career goal — teaching. “It is all a building process. [This program] is really helping you to set up a staircase to take it to where you want to go as an artist.”
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The Arts Foundation is currently accepting applications for the next artist cohort for its Capacity Building Grant Program. Applications are open to artists on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket, and are due Friday, November 17. Click here for more details or to apply.