Past
Grantees

COFFEE HOUSE PRESS, Minneapolis, Minnesota, received a two-year grant of $50,000 in support of the publication of six titles by emerging authors. Founded in 1984, Coffee House Press is a nationally recognized literary arts organization whose mission is to promote exciting, vital and enduring authors of its time; to delight and inspire readers; to contribute to the cultural life of its community; and to enrich our literary heritage. Jerome dollars will assist in paying royalty advances and cover some of the expenses of editing, design, printing and marketing of books by authors including Sarah Fox, Sam Savage, Yuko Taniguchi, Sun Yung Shin and Brenda Coultas.

THE COUNCIL OF LITERARY MAGAZINES AND PRESSES (CLMP), New York City, received a two-year grant of $92,000 in support of a pilot program titled Face Out: Maximizing the Visibility of Emerging Writers. CLMP, a national service and advocacy organization, supports and promotes noncommercial literary publishing to ensure that readers and writers are well served by a strong and vibrant literary culture. Through Face Out, CLMP will competitively award eight grants of $5,000 to $7,000, over two years, to four independent publishers to build emerging author/publisher relationships with eight writers. Funding will support author advances, author tours and author-focused marketing initiatives. CLMP will also provide technical assistance through workshops, roundtables and evaluation sessions for the publishers and emerging writers participating in the program. The strategies and techniques developed will be documented in a monograph. The selection process will begin with a request for proposals distributed to independent literary presses in New York City.

CONCRETE TEMPLE THEATRE, New York City, received $10,000 to create and develop two new works. The Artistic Directors are Carlo Adinolfi and Rene Philippi. Concrete Temple Theatre is a multidisciplinary company that emphasizes the creation of original theater works incorporating drama, dance, puppetry and the visual arts. These works focus on the individual struggle for identity and society's struggle for a cohesive community. Jerome funding will support the creation and development of two new works, The Bird Machine and Imperia. The Bird Machine is a two-act play that contemplates technology and its place in people's lives. Imperia examines how one possesses power, especially political power, through the characters of Margaret Thatcher and Cleopatra.

Minneapolis, Minnesota, novelist ALICIA CONROY will travel to the Poitou region of France to conduct primary research for a novel-in-progress about the history of French immigrants to Acadia (Nova Scotia) in the 17th century. Conroy is particularly interested in investigating the Marais poitevin, or estuarine Poitou marshes, that lie between the city of Niort and the Atlantic Coast. The Marais poitevin are coastal marshes and floodplain traversed by an intricate network of centuries-old canals and dykes and dotted with small towns and farm plots. In Acadia, the Poitevins significantly altered the land by using their traditional skills in making dykes and managing flood waters. Conroy will visit churches, museums, canal villages, bird sanctuaries and wild animal preservation areas in the region.

Jerome Foundation authorized two general support/membership grants to the COUNCIL ON FOUNDATIONS, Washington, D.C. The Council on Foundations is a national membership organization that serves the public good by promoting and enhancing responsible and effective philanthropy. Jerome Foundation joins more than 1,900 members of the Council in a commitment to responsible values, principles and practices that ensure accountability and effectiveness in philanthropy.

HERE ARTS CENTER, New York City, as fiscal sponsor for independent artist LISA D'AMOUR, received $9,000 in support of the development and production of STANLEY (2006) at HERE Arts Center. This is the third grant that the Foundation has made to playwright and multidisciplinary artist Lisa D'Amour in support of her experimental, collaborative and often site-specific performance work. STANLEY (2006) is a multimedia solo-performance piece that uses the character of Stanley Kowalski from A Streetcar Named Desire to launch a meditation on desire, power and regret as they play out in the individual and the world at large. STANLEY (2006) is a visceral exercise in the potential of the theatrical moment. The work reflects an ardent desire to do something in the midst of overwhelming grief and deep uncertainty.

A grant was awarded to CHERIEN DABIS for Make a Wish a short narrative personal journey that follows Mariam, a young Palestinian girl, on the day of her late father's birthday. While the film does not specifically indicate how the father died, it does make political references that indicate it is related to the current political turmoil. The theme is the devastating impact of political conflict and war: love, loss and grief on a deep, personal level. The film is both a celebration of life and a work of mourning.

A two-year grant of $40,000 was awarded to DANCE NEW AMSTERDAM, formerly known as Dance Space Center, New York City. These funds support In the Company of Men, a concert series that commissions new work by male emerging choreographers. Established in 1994, In the Company of Men promotes the development and growth of today's emerging male choreographers and inspires the next generation of male dance artists. Six to eight choreographers present new works over a four-day series.

DOUGLAS DANOFF, a creative non-fiction writer based in New York City, will spend time in Piedmont, Italy, to study ancient winemaking techniques as a step toward continuing his creative nonfiction writing on rural traditions. While in Piedmont, Danoff will meet with Massimo Martinelli who is widely considered one of Italy's foremost experts on the history of wine making. Martinelli also presides over the Museo Renato Ratti, which is devoted to the history of Piedmontese winemaking. Danoff's destination is among the most ancient and venerable winemaking zones in the world.

DANSPACE PROJECT, New York City, has received support from the Jerome Foundation since 1996 for the Commissioning Initiative, which allows Executive Director Laurie Uprichard and advisors to select emerging choreographers for commissioning support. Danspace Project stimulates, promotes and presents challenging new work in dance from a broad range of artistic voices within a distinguished and nurturing environment. It encourages choreographers to take risks and is committed to assisting artists in realizing their creative visions. Approximately 13 commissions will be made each year, representing financial support above and beyond the presentation fees that the organization pays to emerging choreographers who present new works at Danspace Project. A two-year grant of $55,000 was approved.

Choreographer BARAKA DE SOLEIL, Brooklyn, New York, will travel to Ghana, West Africa, to immerse himself in the memories and experiences of historical routes involved in the slave trade, which will inform his work titled Water Moves the Soul. de Soleil will also attend the biennial celebration Panafest held during the summer months of July and August. The festival aims to establish the truth about the history of Africa and the experience of its people, using the vehicle of African arts and culture to provide a forum to promote unity between Africans on the continent and in the Diaspora.

DAVID DEBLIECK, a choreographer residing in St. Cloud, Minnesota, will spend twenty days in Rhinebeck, New York, and Brattleboro, Vermont, studying Butoh-inspired dance with Maureen Fleming and advanced acrobatic/aerial training with Nimble Arts and Cirque de Soleil alumni Elsie Smith, Serenity Smith Forchion and Bill Forchion. DeBliek's choreography encompasses both Butoh and aerial work; this research will assist him in delving deeper into both forms.

DIXON PLACE, New York City, a laboratory for performing and literary artists, is dedicated to supporting the creative process by presenting original works of theater, dance, literature and performance art at all stages of development. Dixon Place considers the artist's experience its foremost priority. Jerome funding of $54,000 over two years will go to Mondo Cane! commissions and emerging artists' fees in the Under Construction program. In Mondo Cane!, Dixon Place commissions artists to develop and produce new works of theater and dance. In addition to commissioning dollars, the creators receive one to three months of rehearsal and workshop time, followed by a series of performances. Under Construction allows artists in all disciplines to develop work and test it as a work-in-progress in front of audiences and other artists.

C. CHANNON DOERR received support for the production A Man Made of Gold, an experimental black and white 16mm reversal film and color Kodachrome on old wind-up cameras, to create an overall historical effect consistent with its Civil War setting. The film is based on a poem, written by Doerr, about a mysterious Civil War era man who appears to be made of brilliant gold and who turns everything he touches to lead or gold. Is he mad or some apocalyptic beacon of light? The answer will be provided in this 50-minute film.

The DULUTH ART INSTITUTE, Duluth, Minnesota, received $13,500 to support the participation of emerging artists in the 2006-07 Exhibition Program. The mission of the Institute is to enrich daily life with dynamic, innovative arts programming. The Institute sustains regional artists with exhibition opportunities and professional development services. The purpose of the exhibition program is to present work of the highest quality in a dynamic manner that challenges and educates audiences. The 2006-07 exhibition season includes the annual Members Show and the Arrowhead Biennial, both of which provide important opportunities for regional artists. The Institute mounts solo shows as well as group exhibitions.

A grant was awarded to DAVID EBERHARDT for Korsang, a 90-minute documentary that will detail the lives of a group of Cambodian-American deportees forced back to the urban despair of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The film will chronicle their efforts, assisted by a tough ex-addict woman from Boston, to run a newly formed NGO (non-governmental organization) dedicated to reducing the harmful impacts of drug addiction and prostitution.

ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE, New York City, received a two-year grant of $36,000 in support of developmental programs for emerging playwrights. EST is dedicated to the development of new American plays and serves the theater community as a creative haven in which artists may initiate and develop new work. It provides artists with an artistic home where they can expand, develop and improve their craft through various levels of production. Its multifaceted development program includes Youngblood, a collective of writers under 30 who meet to develop new work, critique each other's writing and present public readings and new workshop performances. It also includes new work in the Thicker Than Water Festival; Octoberfest; Going to the River, a celebration of African-American women playwrights; and a mainstage season.

EXIT ART, New York City, received a two-year grant of $38,000 in support of the participation of emerging artists in the Exhibition Program. The mission of Exit Art is to create and present exhibitions and programs that explore the diversity of cultures and voices that continually shape contemporary art and ideas in America. It is committed to bringing to public attention the work of under-recognized and emerging artists and experimenting with the convergence of film, video, performance art, music, design and visual art in its programming. Its curatorial model affirms a longstanding commitment to creating access for emerging artists. Nearly every show begins with a call for artists to propose new or newly contextualized work in response to a theme or cultural condition. Large-scale interdisciplinary exhibitions engage critical contemporary issues in an active dialogue with audiences.

EYEBEAM ATELIER, New York City, received $15,000 to support the participation of emerging New York City artists in the Artists at Eyebeam program. Eyebeam supports the creation and presentation of artworks produced with digital technologies; expands the public's appreciation of new media art through education and exhibition programs; improves artists' access to digital tools; and researches and develops new technologies that catalyze the creation of tools and artworks. Jerome Foundation support will be directed toward the participation of 12 emerging artists in Artists at Eyebeam. Eligible artists are those whose work shows innovation in form, technique and content, and employs new technologies to do so. The artists receive stipends, access to cutting-edge tools, expert technical support from the Eyebeam staff, production help from interns, curatorial or editorial advice, and public presentation.