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