46 GRANTS AWARDED TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF ARTISTS IN A FIVE-COUNTY TRIAD REGION
Artists in Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford and Randolph Counties selected
Winston-Salem, NC (February 22, 2021) -- ArtsGreensboro and The Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County have announced that 46 artists from Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, and Randolph counties have been awarded an Artists Support Grant to support professional and artistic development. The grants are funded by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, as part of a statewide initiative to support artists during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 195 applications were received, with awards ranging from $500 - $1,500 in the following disciplines: visual arts and crafts, literature, film, dance, music, performing arts and spoken word.
Laura Way, President & CEO of ArtsGreensboro said, “Our five-county region is rich in artists, and COVID-19 has created an environment in which it is very difficult for them to practice their crafts and support themselves. These grants come at a most opportune time, and we urge policymakers to keep the artistic community front and center and devise ways to help artists sustain themselves while theaters are dark, galleries are closed and live performance venues have ceased to exist.”
“We welcomed the opportunity to partner with our neighbor, ArtsGreensboro, to administer the Artist Support Grants. The arts community has been amazingly innovative during these difficult times, and we will continue to find ways to keep the arts alive and use this time as an opportunity that will help us as we move forward,” said Chase Law, President & CEO, The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. “Over this past year, many individual artists have had their professional lives put on hold. We are committed to providing support to them and their craft and helping put our artists back to work.”
Grantees by county:
Davidson County (5)
Kenrick Jobe
Tonya Lanier
Jeff Beck
Hernan Mena
Beth Cantrell
Davie County (2)
Christina Tyler
Beth Andrews
Forsyth County (12)
Amy Funderburk
Carlos Gustavo
Erinn Dearth
Brent Harvey
Jeffrey Cates
Robert Young
Pablo Bobadilla
Holland Berson
Benjamin Masterson
Mona King
Ereka Scales
Metta Sama
Guilford County (22)
Scrapmettle Entertainment
Carrie Thomas
Karen Archia
Lorena Guillen
Virginia Holmes
Irvin Maldonado
Bradford Simmons
Anna Daigneault
Duane Cyrus
Neidy Perdomo
Josephus Thompson III
Kevin Rowsey
Andrew Hudson
James Raleigh
Clarice Young
Stephen Van Vuuren
Xavier Carrington
Korinn Annette Jefferies
Ronald Hargrove
Alexandra Warren
Paul Byun
Dom_Sebastian Alexis
Randolph County (5)
Kate Waltman
Jeremy Skidmore
Erin Younge
Carol Gentithes
Fred Johnston
Illustrative grants:
• Tonya Lanier (Davidson County), author, will publish "Lost in the Shuffle…..Too, Stories that Need to be Told”. The book will chronicle firsthand accounts from current residents of Davidson County who are all over the age of 70, in efforts to preserve the stories of ordinary people who add to the fabric of their community.
• Christina Tyler (Davie County), jeweler, will attend Penland School of Craft to take a course in metals and work with internationally renowned craftsmen in order to further her professional development. www.christinatyler.com
• Robert Young (Forsyth County), saxophonist, will record and film his project "Saxophone Music by Black Composers" to increase awareness of the great music that has been written for the saxophone by Black composers. The video will be released on his YouTube Channel. www.robertyoungsaxophone.com.
• Lorena Guillen (Guilford County), vocalist and artistic director of the Lorena Guillén Tango Ensemble, will support the mixing and mastering of the ensemble’s upcoming album. www.lorenaguillen.com.
• Erin Younge (Randolph County), ceramicist, will convert an old horse barn into a ceramic studio along the Pottery Highway in Seagrove. thetrianglestudio.com.
More information about these grant recipients can be found on websites at ArtsGreensboro and The Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County.