COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC) announced today the recipients of its new Artist Projects grant. This is the first grant in which applications were reviewed and scored by community members. In total, 49 artists – 43 artists working in dance, fashion, literary arts, music, theater and visual arts, plus six filmmakers – were awarded $562,005.
GCAC received 334 applications for the first round. To assist applicants, staff offered a virtual workshop, three in-person writing sessions and three virtual drop-in sessions with GCAC Navigators. After staff reviewed them for initial eligibility and completeness, applications were narrowed down to 75 that were moved forward to Community Review Day.
GCAC held its first Community Review Day on May 4 at the Ohio History Center, with 152 community reviewers assessing and discussing applications in groups before submitting scores for each one. The public can learn more by consulting GCAC’s guide to the Community-Based Review Process or by watching the video on why GCAC is embracing community grantmaking.
“It’s been a privilege to witness the transformative power of collective action, where every voice matters,” said one community reviewer. “Community reviewing goes beyond funding projects; it’s about investing in the dreams and potential of Columbus artists.”
“I appreciate GCAC’s mindfulness and intentionality regarding opening this process up to being a community building effort — making all of us part of the process to think about art that will happen in and from Columbus artists,” said another.
“I learned a lot as an artist on what could improve my grant writing, which was an experience that I did not expect to have and one that will help me tenfold in the future,” added another reviewer.
Applicants could apply for up to $10,000 in project funds; filmmakers could request up to $25,000 for their projects.
| Name | Award Amount |
| Vicky Abou-Ghalioum | $10,000 |
| Rasel Ahmed | $25,000 |
| Cynthia Amoah | $10,000 |
| Julia Applegate | $25,000 |
| Morgan Bukovec | $7,000 |
| Maggie Cappelletti | $9,316 |
| Alfonso Cervera | $10,000 |
| Lexi Clark-Stilianos | $25,000 |
| Heidi Clifford | $10,000 |
| Brett Davis | $10,000 |
| Ajanae Dawkins | $10,000 |
| Daza | $6,000 |
| Noah Demland | $9,996 |
| Drew Eberly | $8,000 |
| Cee | $9,400 |
| Amber Knicole | $10,000 |
| Morgan Rose Free | $10,000 |
| Brian Harnetty | $10,000 |
| Colette Harrell | $10,000 |
| Adam Hernandez | $9,810 |
| Michael Herring | $8,975 |
| Eli Hiller | $25,000 |
| Katie Hofacker | $6,590 |
| Luke Howard | $10,000 |
| Kelly Hurlburt | $10,000 |
| Lea M Gray | $10,000 |
| Marsha Mack | $10,000 |
| Dom Deshawn | $10,000 |
| Lily Bloom | $10,000 |
| Sheri Morgan | $10,000 |
| Vasiliev Nini | $10,000 |
| Mike Olenick | $25,000 |
| Diane Peters | $10,000 |
| Tyiesha Radford Shorts | $9,719 |
| Matt Roberson | $10,000 |
| Sydnee Roberts-Crews | $25,000 |
| Larry Robertson | $10,000 |
| Lydia Smith | $10,000 |
| Luke Stettner and Más Común | $10,000 |
| Z. F. Taylor | $10,000 |
| Zoë Brigley | $10,000 |
| Abu Toure | $7,200 |
| Rudy Vazquez | $10,000 |
| Melissa Vogley Woods | $9,999 |
| Lorii Wallace | $10,000 |
| Julie Whitney Scott | $10,000 |
| Carmen Winant | $10,000 |
| Chantal Wnuk | $10,000 |
| Dina Zaman | $10,000 |
TOTAL: $562,005
A second round of Artist Projects grants will open on Aug. 1 and close on Aug. 30. Artists who were not awarded in the first round are eligible to reapply for the second. More information on workshops, writing sessions and Community Review will be coming soon. Guidelines for the Artist Projects grants can be found here: https://www.gcac.org/grant/2024-artist-projects-guidelines.
For more information on grant funding, including guidelines and upcoming deadlines, go to gcac.org or contact the Grants & Community Engagement team at grants@gcac.org or (614) 224-2606.
Mission of the Greater Columbus Arts Council: To support and advance the arts and cultural fabric of Columbus. www.gcac.org
The Greater Columbus Arts Council receives major financial support from the City of Columbus, Franklin County Commissioners, the Ohio Arts Council and The Ohio State University.
For translations of this release and other pages, please see the dropdown menu at the top right corner of gcac.org.
Photo on bottom left of collage by Tina Eisenbrandt
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CONTACT: Jami Goldstein
(614) 221-8492
jgoldstein@gcac.org
