KCMETROPOLIS.org
Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

Kansas City, Mo. (December 17, 2009) - The Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City Board of Directors has approved $6,079 in new ArtsKC Fund Inspiration Award funding for eight projects by local artists. Inspiration awards from the ArtsKC fund, a united arts fund, support projects by individual artists which assist with their overall professional growth in specific creative endeavors.

This is the last of three rounds of Inspiration awards for the 2009 grant cycle. In the first two rounds of funding, artists were awarded a combined total of $14,070.

Arts Council CEO and President Harlan Brownlee commented, "Through the ArtsKC Fund we have awarded $20,149 this year to 23 arts projects that involved the work of dozens of local artists. We'd like to thank all the donors to the ArtsKC Fund for their generous support which is fueling the creative ambitions and imaginations of some of Kansas City's finest artists. This is another reason why we are developing a reputation as a community where the arts and artists can thrive."

Letters of inquiry from artists interested in applying for the first round of 2010 awards are due March 15, 2010. Visit www.ArtsKC.org for more details.


Final Round of Inspiration Grants, 2009:

Julia Cole: ($1,200)
Public artist and arts educator Julia Cole requests funding for equipment for public programs and community arts projects to be offered through the Southeast Community Center, as an extension of her earlier, collaborative installation of public art at Swope Park, and in conjunction with a new teaching internship program.

Nathan Granner and Jeffrey Rukaman: ($500)
Tenor Nathan Granner and composer/musician Jeffrey Rukaman will travel to Florida for a month long residency during which they will be collaborating on a new opera based on the "Gospel of Judas." Inspiration funding will help pay for their travel expenses to the residency.

Robert Chase Heishman: ($800)
Robert Chase Heishman will purchase a high definition video camera to use in recording his personal reconstruction of an episode of the 1980's prime time soap opera "Falcon Crest" that aired on the day he was born; it inspired his mother to name him after the actor who portrayed the main character.

Peregrine Honig: ($250)
An Inspiration award to visual artist Peregrine Honig will help cover promotional expenses for the launch of a major new print project with Landfall Press at the Nerman Museum of Art, February 25th. "Widow", a limited-edition piece formatted as a high-end fashion magazine, features selections of her work and curated images of eighteen artists and photographers she collaborates with locally and internationally.

Linda Lighton: ($1,200)
Funding for ceramicist Linda Lighton will help pay for special lighting equipment to be incorporated into dozens of hanging ceramic sculptures created for a new exhibition, "Luminous," at the Rockhurst College Greenlease Gallery in the spring.

Michael Schonhoff: ($700)
Michael Schonhoff is curating an exhibition titled "You're Such a Good Sport" on the themes of 'arts' and 'sports' as experiences to be shared, critiqued, celebrated and explored. It features the work of over a dozen diverse artists from multiple disciplines. Inspiration funds will be used for gallery installation costs and special equipment rental.

Cheryl Gail Toh: ($729)
Visual artist Cheryl Toh will use funds for expenses associated with developing a new body of work for installation in gallery and museum settings. The award will aid in covering expenses associated with studio and equipment rental costs for creating and firing clay forms for a future mixed-media exhibition.

Mary Wessel: ($700)
Experimental photographer Mary Wessel will use Inspiration funds to help pay for the creation of large scale, archival digital prints of her work for her solo exhibition scheduled for the Cohen Gallery of the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art in the spring of 2010.

These awards conclude the commitment of all grant funds raised and pledged during the 2009 ArtsKC Fund campaign.

About the ArtsKC Fund
The ArtsKC Fund, an initiative of the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City, is a united arts fund that raises new money to support a wide range of arts organizations and programs. Its purpose is to provide stable sources of new financial support for the arts, broaden access to high-quality arts experiences, and sustain excellence in the arts and arts administration. The Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City is a not-for-profit organization that serves the five-county Kansas City metropolitan area and strives to strengthen and enrich the community by growing appreciation, participation and support of its arts resources. For more information about the ArtsKC Fund, visit www.ArtsKC.org.

By KCM Staff