David never lived long enough to do anything about it. But some of the money that came as a result of his death is now funding his original vision: To help young artists with that uncertain “next step” into their careers.
During these “starving artist” years, David wrote a letter to his old editor at his college newspaper arguing that there should be more support for artists when they really need it–at the very beginning of their careers.
David used to joke that there should be a “Starving Artist Fund” to help him and “his kind” survive the early lean years. For just a dollar a day, he’d mimic late night TV charity appeals, you can help a young artist stay alive in the wilds of Manhattan or wherever they might roam.
As he sat at his desk in his last job– an office worker for a non-profit–he began to fill pages in his notebook with lots of numbers. He was trying to calculate how much money he’d need to save in order to buy himself uninterrupted time to write a play or a novel or something that would help him settle the question of his future as an artist.
Like a lot of young artists, David moved to New York City after college and worked a string of odd jobs–a proofreader at a law firm (working the graveyard shift), a busboy at a restaurant near the Port Authority bus terminal (before he got fired), and room service at the Ritz Carlton hotel where he may (or may not) have served eggs to rockstar Eddie Van Halen at 3am.
David’s idea for “THE STARVING ARTIST FUND”
“What I say is, give grants to the writers...
Where the artist most needs aid is after university,
where there is virtually no security,
no position waiting….”
DAVID DORNSTEIN
From a letter to Jonathan Karp
November 25, 1985
The David Dornstein '85 Artist Grant, administered by the Brown University Arts Institute, is awarded each year to multiple young artists. Each grant provides resources for exceptional and unique projects that serve as a 'next step' for graduates to explore and develop their talents.
The David Dornstein ‘85 Brown Artist Grant
The David Dornstein Memorial Creative Writing Contest for Young adults was awarded for over 10 years after David's death to promising young writers of short fiction and novels.
David Dornstein Creative Writing Prize
To help prospective students interested in pursuing the arts at Brown University, financial aid awards a made each year to cover full tuition.