City of Cleveland announces Transformative Art Fund Awardees

Transformative Art Fund Awardees, from left to right: Jameelah Rahman, Jordan Wong, Kumar Arora, LaTecia Delores Wilson Stone, Robin Robinson, Malena Grigoli, and Ariel Vergez.

After a little more than three months of deliberation, the City of Cleveland announced winners of Transformative Art Fund grants–seven awards ranging from $312,000 to $482,000, which together at nearly $3 million represent one of the city’s largest-ever investments directly into the local arts community.

Money for the grants came from the City’s allocation of American Rescue Plan funds from the Biden-Harris Administration. More than 560 people registered to participate in information sessions when the grants opportunity was announced in January. After a two-month application period with a March 30 deadline, the city had recieved more than 100 applications. Because it was a City-of-Cleveland program, applicants were required to have a lead artist living in the city, and both an institutional partner and the project located there.

“As the chair of the Health, Human Services & the Arts Committee – and also an artist myself – I am proud of the collective vision that brought this piece of legislation to life,” stated Councilman Kevin Conwell.  “This is a dream come true for the City of Cleveland that celebrates so many forms of art within our neighborhoods.”

The City partnered with Assembly for the Arts, and with LAND Studio as technical consultants in the program.

“We are grateful to our partners at Assembly for the Arts,” added Rhonda K. Brown, Senior Strategist of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy for the City. “Without their partnership as a technical assistance partner we would not have been able to develop an artist-forward process.”

Gina Washington, artist, gallery owner, Transformative Art Fund committee member, and a member of CAN Journal’s board of directors said, “This process has taught our team two things: We have only scratched the surface of possibility with this fund. We need more money to set the stage afire. We also discovered the wealth of creativity from artists in Cleveland, and we need to protect their ideas but give them space and support to bring their visions to life.”

Transformative Arts Fund Committee, from left to right: City of Cleveland Staff Tarra Petras, TAFC Members Vince Robinson, Letitia Lopez, and Deidre McPherson, City of Cleveland Staff Joyce Pan Huang, TAFC Member Gina Washington, City of Cleveland Staff Rhonda K. Brown, TAFC Members Maya Curtis, Gwen Garth and William Washington.

MEET THE AWARDEES

The following seven projects have received initial notifications of funding that are contingent upon execution of final grant agreements.

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

Grantees will provide quarterly progress reports once work is underway.

Leave a Reply