With one in four islanders identifying themselves as artists, the Gwaii Trust is expecting a lot of interest in this month's call-out for Arts Program grant applications.The Arts Program has $40,000 available this year, and the arts committee will be meeting to make recommendations about how to distribute the money following the program's Oct. 25 deadline.Arts committee member Sandra Price said she knows there are lot of artists here, and she's always eager to hear about what they're up to."When you go out and talk to people, you find out what they're doing," she said. "Many artists here work on their own and some of them are very shy about their work."Ms Price said the point of the Gwaii Trust Arts Program is to inspire artists to undertake work they might otherwise be unable to do, and to expand the kinds of art experiences available to islanders."We want to encourage artists to do their work because it brings so much, not just to them, but to the whole community, the whole islands," she said.Ms Price strongly recommends that islanders interested in applying for an arts grant first pick up the phone and call one of the arts committee members, or staff at the Gwaii Trust offices. They have valuable information about the different ways to approach the grant application, depending on what the artist would like to do."We want to help you," Ms Price said. "We want your application to be a successful one."Past applicants have received funding to pay for arts courses, to help make Haida regalia, to work with an established artist, or to travel for research purposes. Grants can range from small amounts up to $10,000.In addition to Ms Price, the Gwaii Trust's arts committee also includes Cynthia Samuels, Sheila Karrow, Jason Alsop, Reg Davidson, Vince Collison and Barb Rowsell.The deadline to apply for this round of Arts Program grants is Oct. 25. Complete information about the program is available on the Gwaii Trust website (gwaiitrust.ca), or contact a committee member or the Gwaii Trust office in Old Massett or Skidegate.