ArtsBuild Announces Recent Recipients Of Artists Work Grants Program

ArtsBuild announces the recipients of the latest round of the Artists Work Grants program. The Artists Work Grants program provides funding to individual artists, artist studios and non-profit arts organizations to produce artworks for public spaces in Chattanooga. Funding for the program was provided by the Lyndhurst Foundation, Benwood Foundation and individual ArtsBuild donors. Since the program began in October 2020, 32 awards have been made totaling $274,000.

In this round, a total of $42,000 was awarded to the following six recipients (selected by the review committee from among 47 applications):
• Holly Morse-Ellington for Next Exit Productions, to host a festival showcasing eight 10-minute plays by local playwrights at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre.
• Kanika Jones for “The Urban Echo,” a dynamic youth literacy initiative that immerses children in poetry and performance art.
• Dagan Beckett for “Legacy: America,” a film exploring the intersection of pioneering the American frontier by steam engine train and the impact trains have had on the lives of individuals on the autism spectrum.
• Scenic City Shakespeare for “Macbeth,” a production directed by Ryan Laskowski of Shakespeare’s familiar tale of ambition and fate that will incorporate Appalachian Folklore and connect the heritage of the Tennessee Valley.
• Nicole Nichols for the Clay Makers’ Collective, a 6-month program to give eight individuals of diverse backgrounds the chance to explore the art of ceramics at Scenic City Clay Arts, culminating in an exhibit at The Arts Building.
• Andrea Solis Tankersley, Louie Marin-Howard and The Pop-up Project for “¡Expresate!,” a series of dance classes offered in Spanish at Crabtree Farms and La Paz.

"ArtsBuild is pleased to be able to offer these impactful grants to local artists, helping them to expand their careers and present high-quality arts programming to people all over Hamilton County," officials said.

For more details about these projects and other grantmaking programs at ArtsBuild, contact Melissa Astin, manager of Grants & Community Engagement, at 423-777-4214 or melissa@artsbuild.com.