By PAGE LEGGETT

Let’s say you see an email from the Arts & Science Council (ASC) informing you that you’ve won $3,000 – no strings attached. What do you do?

Delete it, and congratulate yourself for recognizing a phishing attempt when you see one? Many of us would.

When artist/muralist Junior Gomez got that email, he wondered if it was too good to be true. “I read it four times just trying to process it,” he said.

Then, he called Ivan Garnica, ASC’s grant manager and the rainmaker who’d sent Gomez the email. Garnica confirmed it was legit and told Gomez that an ASC Fellow had nominated him for a SEED grant.

“When someone is awarded an ASC fellowship, they have the opportunity to nominate another creative from the community they believe deserves recognition,” Garnica said. In Gomez’s case, artist and muralist Abel Jackson was the nominator.

“Abel had asked for my email a few weeks prior,” said Gomez, who described his style as “contemporary graffiti.”

“I thought he was sending me some information on something we’d discussed. I had no idea this was coming. And it came during a difficult time where I needed motivation to keep me going. I was extremely taken aback and just so happy and excited.”

Welcome windfall

What’s incredible is that Gomez had applied for – but not been awarded – another grant a few months prior. He’d proposed a trip to Egypt to gain inspiration for a new series of paintings. “It was great to see him awarded this SEED grant so soon thereafter,” Garnica said.

“Junior called me when he was declined,” he continued. “He was understandably disappointed, but he was grateful for the guidance we gave him for when he applies again. He hadn’t known SEED grants were even something ASC did. He was incredibly grateful.”

Most grant applications are long, involved and time-consuming to complete. But SEED grant recipients have been vetted by their nominators and only have to answer a few questions about how they’ll use their funds.

“We don’t ask for a budget,” said Garnica. “We don’t ask for a lot of details. We do request a final report afterwards to see what they learned through this process and to ask if there’s anything they would change. But it’s nothing like our full application.”

Gomez’s application spelled out how he’d use the grant to invest in his business: “I will use these funds to enhance my current technology, enabling greater creativity and efficiency in my artistic endeavors,” he wrote. “I plan to upgrade and enhance the technological tools and resources integral to my creative practice.”

He originally planned to invest in a new iPad. But shortly before the suspicious-sounding email arrived, his best camera broke – the one he uses to photograph his art and share it on his website and social media. It’s also how he documents his creative process. He posts those videos to YouTube.

So, the windfall was even more welcome.

Fairy godfather

Garnica’s role at ASC has made him a kind of modern-day fairy godfather.

If you’re a certain age, you’ll remember Publishers Clearing House TV commercials depicting Ed McMahon surprising an unsuspecting family with balloons, streamers, a film crew and a giant check.

Garnica is Charlotte’s version of Ed McMahon. He gets to surprise SEED grant recipients with happy news they weren’t expecting. He loves it.

“It’s always a surprise for someone to receive this kind of funding,” he said. “ASC wants to invest in their creative practice, wants them to expand their knowledge and have opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have. And yes, it’s absolutely amazing to be the person who delivers this news.”

It’s also amazing to be the person who receives the news – and soon after, the funds. For Gomez, ASC opened a door he’d thought was closed.

He’s had plenty of doors open of late. In July, he completed his largest mural to date. His client was SUPERCOOL Air Conditioning & Heating, and he painted a mural titled “Intention” at their NoDa headquarters at 954 N. Davidson St.

Source of inspiration

Gomez is more than artist. He also strives to be a role model for other artists.

One way he does that is by taking risks. “My journey as an artist is driven by a desire to push beyond boundaries and to set no limits on where I can go and what I can achieve,” he wrote in his statement for the ASC. “With each project, I strive to discover new levels within myself, continually evolving and expanding my creative horizons.”

“I believe in the transformative power of art and am committed to being a beacon of inspiration and encouragement for all those who dare to dream.”

And the surprise SEED grant has served as inspiration for him. When asked if he’d apply for another ASC grant, he said, “If I’m eligible, I’ll apply for every single one they post.”

He added that “Charlotte is lucky to have a resource like ASC that helps fund artists and allow us to follow our dreams. Artists I know in other cities and states have told me they don’t have the same opportunities that we do in Charlotte. It’s just such a motivating thing to feel that someone is watching out for us, supporting us and uplifting us.”

 Learn more about Junior Gomez and his art at juniordesignsart.com.