Greater Columbus Arts Council Expanding Art Unites Cbus Project to Offer Cash Awards to Black Photographers and Filmmakers

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Greater Columbus Arts Council (Arts Council) and Film Columbus opened applications today for the Art Unites Cbus Photography and Film Awards. The project will provide cash awards to photographers and filmmakers for documenting and exploring the story of the Black Lives Matter protests in Columbus and/or the art created in response to the protests.

“This is a significant moment in time for our country and our city,” said John Daugherty, director of Film Columbus. “It is important that we provide financial support to Black filmmakers and photographers to document how these moments and how this movement is unfolding in Columbus.”

Black photographers and filmmakers are invited to submit curated sets of photographs or proposals for short films documenting or exploring the story of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and/or the art created in Columbus in response to the protests.

A jury will select up to 10 photographers to each receive a $1,000 award and three filmmakers for $5,000 awards, with films due on or before Jan. 31, 2021. The Wexner Center for the Arts has committed to screening the final films and the Arts Council is working with a community committee to determine additional exhibition and educational plans for the work.

This award program is open to photographers and filmmakers who identify as Black or African-American; are professional, working artists age 18 and older; and live in Franklin County or bordering counties. The award is not open to degree-seeking undergraduate students. For complete guidelines please go to Art Unites Cbus Film & Photography Guidelines.

This program is made possible through the generous support of the American Electric Power Foundation.

Jurors for the award include:

• La Tanya Autry is working on a doctorate in art history from the University of Delaware and is a cultural organizer in the visual arts. She’s co-creator of The Art of Black Dissent and co-produced #MuseumsAreNotNeutral. Autry has curated exhibitions and programs at moCa Cleveland, Yale University Art Gallery and Artspace New Haven.
• Vandell Cobb is a photographer who, during his more than 30 years with Ebony and Jet magazines, photographed world leaders, fashion icons, entertainers and sports figures along with the Oscars, Olympics, NBA Championships and Super Bowls. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Columbia College Chicago and is a member of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois.
• Charles Patton is executive vice president, External Affairs for American Electric Power, where he leads AEP’s customer services, communications, regulatory, federal public policy and corporate sustainability organizations. He serves on the boards of the National Association of Manufacturers, Center for Workforce Development and the Columbus YMCA.
• Dawit L. Petros is a visual artist, researcher and educator, with a master’s degree in visual art from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Tufts University and a bachelor’s degree in photography from Concordia University. He has exhibited internationally, including the Oslo Kunstforening, Oslo, Norway; the 13th Biennial of Havana, Matanzas; and at the National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C.
• Gabriel Tolliver is a freelance writer, producer and director with the 366^thCreative Mothership Group. He has created content for MTV, VH1, Sesame Street, Black Public Media and the US Army. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, Long Island University’s TV Writing and Producing Program and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Gabriel is a freelance producer for Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts’ digital streaming series, #ThriverThursday.

Applications will be accepted through 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Individuals and collaborative groups may apply. Applications should be submitted through the GoArts application portal.

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 and the Ohio Arts Council.

For translations of this release and other pages, please see the dropdown menu at the top right corner of gcac.org.

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