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Montgomery County Arts & Cultural District

$38K in Grants Awarded to Local Artists

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Fifteen Montgomery County artists have been selected to receive grants in 2018 through the Artist Opportunity Grant program, which is funded by the Montgomery County Arts & Cultural District (MCACD) and administered by Culture Works.

The Artist Opportunity Grant program, now in its second year, provides funding for Montgomery County artists of all disciplines to pursue professional development opportunities and complete new works. Applications are reviewed by an independent panel of artists, arts administrators, educators, and community leaders.

Based on the funding recommendations made by the panelists at a public meeting in mid-November, a total of $37,975 will be awarded to this cycle’s grantees:

  • Bridgette Bogle – Visual Artist; Assistant Professor of Art, Sinclair Community College
  • Christie Cerio – Theatre Manager, Town Hall Theatre; Artistic Director, Madame Gigi’s Outrageous French CanCan Dancers
  • Morris Howard – Visual Artist, Educator
  • Shelley Jagow – Musician; Professor of Music, Wright State University
  • Julie Jones – Photographer
  • Amy Kollar Anderson – Visual Artist
  • Annie Lee-Zimerle – Visual Artist
  • James McCutcheon – Guitarist, Educator
  • Marsha Pippenger – Visual Artist, Educator
  • Danielle Rante – Visual Artist; Associate Professor of Printmaking and Drawing, Wright State University
  • Sarah Robertson – Musician, Educator
  • Sharon Short – Novelist; Executive Director, Antioch Writers’ Workshop
  • Shawanda Smith – Vocalist
  • Shon Walters – Visual Artist; Owner, Eccentric Wood
  • Joel Whitaker – Photographer

Projects and opportunities being funded by this grant cycle include: the creation of a new mural on Jefferson Street; local exhibitions of paintings and papier collé tapestries; the recording of two albums of original work; and participation in artist residencies, retreats, and workshops in Massachusetts, Tennessee, Switzerland, and Iceland.

The program was originally budgeted to award $30,000 this year, but the amount was increased to accommodate an abundance of strong applications. Matt Dunn, Executive Director of MCACD said, “We are pleased by the caliber of the artists that applied and impressed by the opportunities they wanted to pursue.” He continued, “We were happy to increase the funding to make more opportunities available, and we look forward to the artists sharing their work with the broader community in the coming year.”

To learn more about this year’s grantees, visit cultureworks.org/artistgrants.

Montgomery County Awards Grants to 6 Local Artists

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montgomery_county_logoSix Montgomery County artists have been awarded grants for professional development opportunities through a new program funded by the Montgomery County Arts & Cultural District and administered by Culture Works.

The Artist Opportunity Grant program, announced earlier this year, invites individual artists of all disciplines to apply for funding to support career-enhancing professional development opportunities, such as residencies, conferences, and exhibitions. Applications are reviewed by an independent panel of artists, arts administrators, educators, and community leaders.
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Based on the funding recommendations made by the panelists at a public meeting in mid-November, $11,022 will be awarded to this year’s grantees: Nicholaus Arnold, gallery director at The Blue House Gallery and an instructor of printmaking and photography at several local institutions; Glenna Jennings, a visual artist and assistant professor at the University of Dayton; Ashley Jonas, co-founder of The Blue House Gallery and an adjunct professor; Gina Handy Minyard, founding artistic director of Magnolia Theatre Company and theatre magnet director at Stivers School for the Arts; Christin Rondeau, a soprano, voice teacher, and director of the St. George’s Orff Ensemble; and Francis Schanberger, a prolific photographer.

Opportunities being funded by this grant cycle include local and international exhibitions, two artist residencies, and professional training in music and theatre. Minyard received funding to pursue certification in the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique, which isn’t currently taught anywhere in Dayton. “As actors, we are always looking for new ways to uncover truth and bring that to the characters we portray,” she said. “The opportunity to learn and share this technique helps me to attract artists who are looking for professional training, as well as bring my students at Stivers another way of approaching a role.”

Matt Dunn, Executive Director of MCACD, emphasized that the panelists considered not only the quality of applicants’ work but also evidence of their commitment to strengthening the local network of artists and the community as a whole. “Since this was the first year of the grant program, it was important to the panelists that we set a standard of excellence,” he said. “Our six grantees are individuals who are not only producing incredible artistic work but who are constantly challenging and expanding the role of art in our community.”