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Latecia Wilson-Stone awarded Transformative Arts Grant!

East Cleveland Teacher Awarded Transformative Arts Grant from City of Cleveland

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The recipients of Cleveland’s Transformative Arts Fund were announced on Wednesday, with nearly $3 million awarded to seven public art and place-making projects in neighborhoods across Cleveland.

Mayor Justin Bibb and City Council created the arts fund earlier this year using a share of the city’s federal aid from the American Rescue Plan Act.

“This is a proud moment for the city of Cleveland as this is the first time in our city’s history where we have established a foundation for artists, institutions, and communities to find hope in creativity,” Bibb said in a news release. “More than 200 individual artists in total will be working on these projects, which I believe will have a significant and lasting impact on our great city – helping to ignite inspiration, foster dialogue, and drive social transformation within our community.”

 

Funding ranges from approximately $312,000 to $482,000 per project.

 

The winning projects, selected by a city committee, span a variety of creative disciplines, including architecture, immersive theater, dance, festivals, sculpture, murals, music, fashion, and the revitalization of a bustling city thoroughfare.

 

The lead artist on each project must live in Cleveland and the art they create must be located in Cleveland.

 

Artists involved in each project were also required to collaborate with a Cleveland-based institutional partner.

 

The partnering institutions include the Cleveland Clinic, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, community development corporations, and other types of local organizations.

 

Funding for each of the projects won’t be finalized until a grant agreement is in place.

 

Here’s a look at the winning projects and artists

9314 Sophia Ave: A Choreographed Deconstruction and Performed Maintenance of the Built Environment

 

Lead Artist: Malena Grigoli

 

Institutional Partner: Redhouse studio

 

Neighborhood(s): Woodhill

 

Medium(s): Architecture Artist + Design Project Recycling a House

 

Funding Amount: $364,000

 

Portals of Knowing

 

Lead Artist: LaTecia Delores Wilson Stone

 

Institutional Partner: Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority

 

Neighborhood(s): Central

 

Medium(s): Immersive Theater

 

Funding Amount: $312,185

 

For Those Who Call Here Home: Transforming Asia Town with an Outdoor Community Space

 

Lead Artist: Jordan Wong

 

Institutional Partner: The Sculpture Center

 

Neighborhood(s): St. Clair/Superior

 

Medium(s): Place-Making – Fabricated Installations and Sculpture

 

Funding Amount: $449,750

 

Storer Ave. Phoenix Project: Murals to Uplift the Human Spirit

 

Lead Artist: Ariel Vergez

 

Institutional Partner: Metro West Community Development Organization

 

Neighborhood(s): Clark-Fulton

 

Medium(s): Artist Renaissance – Live Garden, Murals and Handmade Sculptures

 

Funding Amount: $393,700

 

All My Babies Birthing the Afrofuture

 

Lead Artist: Jameelah Rahman

 

Institutional Partner: Cleveland Clinic—Langston Hughes Center

 

Neighborhood(s): Fairfax

 

Medium(s): Immersive Interdisciplinary Arts Experiences

 

Funding Amount: $482,125

 

IMPART216: Breathing Creativity into Community

 

Lead Artist: Robin Robinson

 

Institutional Partner: Ingenuity

 

Neighborhoods: Mt. Pleasant, Glennville, Cudell, Clark-Fulton, Woodhill, and Central

 

Medium(s): Mural Making and Breath Work

 

Funding Amount: $393,397

 

For Art’s Sake – Empowering Diverse Creatives, Our City & the Youth

 

Lead Artist: Kumar Arora

 

Institutional Partner: Campus District

 

Neighborhoods: Hough, Campus District, Downtown, University Circle

 

Medium(s): Festivals & Activations Music, Visual Art, Fashion, Commerce

 

Funding Amount: $465,343