VSAarts Awards Emerging Artists with Disabilities Grants

Seven Minnesota artists have been awarded grants of $1,500 each by VSA Minnesota. The 16th annual competitive grant, funded by the Jerome Foundation, recognizes excellence by emerging Minnesota artists with disabilities and encourages them to complete new work. Selected from 55 applicants, the grantees are:

Steven Accola                   Minneapolis          Visual Art – acrylic painting and pen & ink drawings

Brian Thomas Carroll      Minneapolis          Multi-media – sculptural designs, map, mobile

Tracy Gulliver                   Chisago City         Writing – non-fiction stories

Ethan Heidlebaugh          Minneapolis          Visual Art – painting and murals

Lane McKiernan               Minneapolis          Writing – long-form performance poetry

Nancy Miller                      Eveleth                 Visual Art – mosaics

James Van Amber            Mankato               Writing - fiction

The grants were awarded following a juryed process conducted by individuals with extensive backgrounds in the written, visual and performing arts. They looked at samples of the artists’ work, proposed projects, resumes and artist statements.

VSA Minnesota is a nonprofit organization working to make the arts accessible to people with all types of disabilities. For more information, call 612-332-3888 or 800-801-3883, Voice/TTY; e-mail info@vsamn.org; or go to its website: www.vsamn.org .