Past
Grantees

MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY MOORHEAD, Moorhead, Minnesota, received $12,000 to support the publication and distribution of three Many Voices Project books by NEW RIVERS PRESS MSUM. The Press seeks to publish the best literature it can find and to serve as a teaching press. An open call each year solicits submissions to the Many Voices Project competition for book-length unpublished manuscripts by new or emerging writers. After a thorough screening and review by guest judges and staff editors, three books by emerging writers, two of whom must live in New York City and/or Minnesota, are selected. The Many Voices Project publishes first and second books by emerging writers.

DANCE THEATER WORKSHOP, New York City, received $36,000 in support of emerging choreographers and performance artists in the First Light Commissioning Program. Dance Theater Workshop identifies, presents and supports independent contemporary artists and companies in order to advance dance and live performance in New York and worldwide. Through residencies, commissions and community interaction, Dance Theater Workshop has been a leader in dance and performance for 41 years and has presented over 2,500 artists and companies. Jerome dollars are dedicated to commissions supporting the creation and development of new works.

NEW YORK THEATRE WORKSHOP, New York City, received a two-year grant of $38,000 in support of its Artist Development Activities. New York Theatre Workshop is a contemporary theater company committed to the development of innovative theatre by supporting theatre artists at all stages of their careers. It is dedicated to exploring and presenting theatrical experiences that reflect, respond to, and invigorate the world in which we live and work. The Artist Development Activities at New York Theatre Workshop include a wide range of creative learning opportunities such as fellowships, artist residencies, readings, small-scale studio productions and a cultural exchange program. The Workshop maintains a core commitment to the Usual Suspects, a community of more than 400 theatre artists who are at the heart of its developmental activities.

JILA NIKPAY, Minneapolis, Minnesota, will travel to New York City to meet with scholar Hamid Dabashi, a renowned Iranian cultural critic, author and professor in Islamic Studies at Columbia University. Her purpose is to deepen her aesthetic language and offer stimulating insight into her work, which is theatrical in nature and explores the themes of dislocation and loss. Nikpay is working on a new film that charts a new direction in her work. In preparation for that, she's been actively researching the work of Iranian scholars and believes that Dabashi's work on Iranian writers and filmmakers will inspire her work.

The NORTHERN CLAY CENTER, Minneapolis, Minnesota, received $25,970 in support of the Jerome Ceramic Artist Project Grants Program. The Center advances the ceramic arts through classes, workshops, exhibitions, studio space, grants for artists, and a sales gallery. The Ceramic Artist Project Grants Program provides three project grants to emerging Minnesota artists each year. Project designs are determined by the applicants and may include experimentation with new techniques, work with a mentor or respected figure in the field, purchase of equipment to facilitate an artistic investigation, support for work time, collaborations and studio rental. The year culminates with a group exhibition of new work at the Center. This Program operates on an open submission process with an independent selection panel choosing recipients.

In a major new program commitment, the Jerome Foundation made a grant of $65,000 to FORECAST PUBLIC ARTWORKS, St. Paul, Minnesota, as fiscal sponsor for a commissioning and mentoring program in art, media, technology and social practice to be administered by NORTHERN LIGHTS, under the direction of Steve Dietz. The purpose is to support emerging artists and experimental practices that significantly utilize the capabilities of new and old technologies to push the boundaries of art making, particularly as they intersect with public participation. The program will operate in two tracks. The commissioning program track is for emerging artists who know what they want to do and are looking for the financial resources to create and present the work. Emerging professional artists who live in Minnesota and are proposing to make new works as individuals or as equal collaborators are eligible to apply for three commissions of $6,000 each. The program will also provide exhibition support and hosting, along with archiving and promotion of the projects. Fellowship recipients will be selected via an open call and competitive panel review. The second track, a mentorship program, will assist artists who need technical assistance, developmental support and a higher level of engagement with more experienced artists or curators in order to develop capacity, sharpen skills and create new works. Three awards of $4,000 each will be given to emerging artists in addition to technical support, mentoring, participation in a technology boot-camp, promotion and media relations, hosting and exhibition of the work, and documentation of the completed work.

KEVIN OBSATZ, Minneapolis, Minnesota, will travel to Boulder, Colorado, to attend two workshops at the Handmade Film Institute, learning to shoot and develop super-8 and 16mm film by hand. The goals of the Handmade Film Camp and the Wilderness Filmmaking Expedition are to put filmmakers at various levels of experience in direct contact with the tools necessary to make films by hand and teach them how to experiment with the process to expand their aesthetic and technical sensibilities. Obastz expects these programs to be valuable to his development as an artist.

OBSIDIAN ARTS, Minneapolis, Minnesota, received $14,000 in support of the participation of emerging artists in its Exhibition Program. Obsidian Arts supports the development of artists, and dedicates its energies and resources to expanding the knowledge of the rich heritage of black visual arts within the black community and the broader Twin Cities area. At the core of its mission and vision are a contribution to the cultural wealth of the community, the examination of new ideas about African-American visual expression, and opportunities for artists to learn and grow. The grant will support exhibitions within the Obsidian Arts Gallery and a public art exhibition titled Exploding Language: Mining the Black Arts Movement to Create New Visual Text.

ANN OREN, Brooklyn, New York, will travel to Norway to do cultural and aesthetic research toward the creation of videos for a project titled IN SECURITY, in collaboration with Norwegian writer Anna Gutto and the Unbound Theater. Gutto approached Oren to collaborate on this work because she found the conceptual and aesthetic sensibility of Oren's video work enchantingly suitable for her writing. Many aspects of the work have cultural and visual references, which require Oren to spend time in Norway experimenting with actors in front of her camera, researching the Norwegian mindset of living and the natural phenomena that contribute to it.

EUN-HA PAEK, Brooklyn, New York, will travel to Turkey to explore performance-based motion and the outcome of less controlled movement as seen in unusual geographical formations to inform her animation work. As a first generation Asian living in a Western culture, Paek is curious about how different cultural influences come together. She will research traditional dance forms and collect imagery.

PANGEA WORLD THEATER, Minneapolis, Minnesota, received $14,700 to support emerging artists developing new works. Pangea illuminates the human condition, celebrates cultural differences, and promotes human rights by creating and presenting international, multidisciplinary theater. It explores and creates literature that crosses boundaries and traditions, and engages in an intercultural and interdisciplinary process that addresses themes such as human rights, immigration, political repression, race relations, freedom and cross-cultural expression. Three emerging artists participating in Pangea's Alternate Visions series will develop new works. Jerome dollars will also seed the development of new works by two core ensemble members, who will strengthen their creative abilities through study and exploration. Pangea will provide customized services based on the individual needs of the five artists.

PATRICK'S CABARET, Minneapolis, Minnesota, received $11,500 in support of the Guest Curator Mentorship Program and fees for emerging performers testing works-in-progress in a cabaret setting. Patrick's Cabaret supports artists in their growth and development by encouraging them to try new things, take risks and present their developmental work. The Guest Curator Mentorship Program allows guest curators to select artists and program weekends of performance, in an eclectic mix of styles, disciplines and performance levels.

PATRICK'S CABARET, Minneapolis, Minnesota, received $19,600 to support fees for emerging artists who will present works in progress during Cabaret performances in 2009. The mission of the Cabaret is to support artists in their growth and development by providing an informal, supportive environment in which performers can present their work. The Cabaret encourages artists to try new things and take risks. It serves a diverse range of artists. Each artist is given 15 minutes in a Cabaret program. Patrick's produces performance Cabarets throughout the year, some organized by guest curators and others by Artistic Director Patrick Scully. Jerome Foundation's grant support will enable the Cabaret to guarantee minimum fees for artists.

PENUMBRA THEATRE COMPANY, St. Paul, Minnesota, received a grant of $25,000 in support of the Readings Plus and the New Playground/Gym strands within the Okra New Play Program, a five-year project that provides a rigorous, yet nurturing, culturally-specific environment for the development of new works by artists from initial idea to production. Penumbra's mission is to create professional productions that are artistically excellent, thought provoking, relevant and illuminate the human condition through the prism of the African American experience. Readings Plus will bring New York City emerging playwrights to the Twin Cities for six days of development, culminating in public readings of their works. The New Playground/Gym will initially focus on Minnesota artists and serve as a testing ground and collaborative space for developing new works. Okra will operate under the direction of Associate Artistic Director Dominic Taylor.

PERFORMANCE SPACE 122, New York City, received $41,650 to support the commissioning of new works by emerging artists in the 2008-09 season. P.S. 122 supports and presents artists whose work challenges the traditional boundaries of dance, theatre, music and performance. Committed to exploring innovative form as well as material, P.S. 122 is steadfast in its search for pioneering artists from diverse cultures and points of view. It reaches 25,000 audience members each year. Jerome Foundation funding will provide commissions awarded by Artistic Director Vallejo Gantner to emerging creative artists working in the fields of dance, theatre, music and performance art. Commissioned artists will present their new works as part of P.S. 122's Presenting Series, which offers one to three week runs in the Mainstage and First Floor Theaters.

The Jerome Foundation also committed $1,000 to the NEW YORK REGIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GRANTMAKERS in order to keep active its Associate membership and provide operating support. Collectively, the 300+ members of the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers represent the world's largest concentration of philanthropic capital. The Association's mission is to promote and support effective philanthropy and concerted action for the public good. Membership includes independent foundations, family foundations, corporate foundation, corporate contributions programs, community foundations, public foundations, federated funds, operating foundation, religious entities with grantmaking programs and individual donors.

PILLSBURY HOUSE THEATRE, Minneapolis, Minnesota, received $34,500 in support of the 2008 Non-English Speaking Spoken Here: The Late Nite Series. Pillsbury House Theatre creates challenging theater to inspire choice, change and connection. The Theatre is committed to creating high quality art that engages diverse groups of people in productive interaction around tough issues. One of its several programs is the Late Nite Series, created by Laurie Carlos as a transformation of culture where text, music, spoken word, sounds and images weave together in a fearless celebration of new voices and new art. Emerging artists from the disciplines of dance, music, poetry and theatre explore the intersections of social change, community and identity and push the boundaries of their art form. Late Nite supports emerging artists by creating opportunities to develop and perform works-in-progress in front of audiences. There are three Late Nite series each year.

A supplementary grant of $10,000 was awarded to THE PLAYWRIGHTS' CENTER, Minneapolis, Minnesota, to raise the annual fellowship level in the Jerome Fellowship Program at the Center. The Playwrights' Center fuels the theater by providing services that support playwright and playwriting. Five emerging playwrights each year are chosen from open call submissions by an independent panel to be in residence in Minnesota for a year and receive support and services at the Center.

THE PLAYWRIGHTS' CENTER, Minneapolis, Minnesota, received a two-year grant of $47,000 to support and expand the Many Voices Program. The Playwrights' Center's mission is to fuel the theater by providing services that support playwrights and playwriting. Its goals are to nurture artistic excellence and new visions of theater, foster playwright initiative and leadership, practice cultural pluralism, discover emerging artists, advocate for playwrights and their work, connect to playwrights with audiences and develop a community for new work. The Many Voices Program, in operation since 1994, supports and develops playwrights of color. It provides financial support to the playwrights selected, nurtures writing talent, provides theatrical opportunities, sponsors collaborations and builds community. The nine-month residencies are awarded to artists of color who are interested in developing their playwriting skills and creating theater in a supportive artists' community.

QUEENS THEATRE IN THE PARK, Flushing, New York, received a two-year grant of $20,000 in support of the Immigrant Voices Project. The mission of Queens Theatre in the Park is to provide quality and diverse performing arts activities that are economically and geographically accessible to the residents of Queens and the surrounding New York City metropolitan region. The Immigrant Voices Project was created in 2002 to present readings, workshops, showcase productions and fully staged productions of new works by emerging and under-recognized playwrights. The works and artists reflect and celebrate the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of Queens.