Alabama Artists and Arts Organizations Awarded $372,500

Alabama Artists and Arts Organizations Awarded $372,500
Announcing Fellows and Arts Facilities Grantees

MONTGOMERY, Ala., (June 3, 2022) - At its June quarterly meeting in Selma, Ala., the Alabama State Council on the Arts awarded twenty-one(21)Fellowship grants totaling $105,000and ten(10) Arts Facilitiesgrants totaling $267,500 for a total of $372,500in funding.

Fellowships are awardedto individuals working in arts education, dance, design, media/photography, music, literature, theatre, visual arts, and crafts. These grants recognize artistic excellence as well as professional commitment and maturity, contributing to the further development of the artist. Fellows use funding to support the growth and development of their artistic careers through time creating, practicing and improving their skill, pursuit of professional development and training, or other opportunities that lead to success for these Alabama artists.

"Alabama's creative sector greatly benefits from the incredible work of our artists and arts educators. We are pleased to be able to provide support directly to individualsin the form of these fellowships," said Council Chair Dr. Henry Panion, III.

Arts Facilities grants are an economic investment in an organization as they plan, design, or construct spaces for arts activities. This program continues to support adaptive re-use of spaces, revitalizing neighborhoods. Funded projects involve top-level professionals in urban and community planning, architecture, landscape design, and historic preservation. Grantees are awarded based on evidence of community support, a key element for large and small organizations enhancing spaces for arts activities.

"This year's support includes the communitiesall over Alabama: from Mobile to Florence, HarpersvilletoNorthport,and beyond. These facility-oriented projects reflect important initiatives that enhance spaces where arts programming will impact the community and surrounding area for years to come,"said Dr. Elliot Knight, the Council's executive director.

During their time in the Selma, the Council on the Arts learned more about the host city's arts community and attended a reception highlighting Black Beltartistsand organizations. Support for arts programming is critical for a vibrant creative community, which results in a thriving arts economy, a workforce ready for innovation, and a high quality of life for all residents.

Fellowships are grants awarded to outstanding individual artists and arts educators in Alabamaand provide support for the creative growth of an individual's career. The Council on the Arts is honored to announce these 21 artists, makers, and educators who will each receive $5,000.

Douglas Barrett of Birmingham was awarded a Design Fellowship. Barrett is an avid collector of imagery and often stops along the roadside to document unusual signage and handmade type. Barrett's interest in exploring and representing found text and imagery in a way that talks about the constructed place is tied to his belief that graphic design has a cultural impact on our world. He received a Sappi Ideas That Matter Grant in 2012 to create a booklet for the Cahaba River Society and has been awarded UAB's President's Award for Excellence in Teaching in the College of Arts and Sciences.

H.M. Cotton of Birmingham was awarded a Literary Arts Fellowship in Poetry. Cotton teaches at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is the Managing Editor of the Birmingham Poetry Review, and production manager of NELLE. As the founding director of the SPARK Writing Festival, she focuses on developing community building through creative writing workshops. Her scholarship and writing isconcerned with the relationship between people and the land: how both are nourished or destroyed by balance and imbalance.

Susan Fitzsimmons of Mobile was awarded a Visual Arts Fellowship. Fitzsimmons' career is characterized by momentum, diverse media and movement, spurred by the belief that true creativity comes from the fringes, not the center of commerce. Her work has been recognized for its early innovation and use of multimedia in Arts Magazine, Art News, and numerous catalogs. Fitzsimmons' sculptures have been showcased in museums, exhibits, and collections around the world.

James Ryan Foster of Birmingham was awarded a Visual Arts Fellowship. Foster is currently the Senior Instructor of Art and Gallery Director at the University of Montevallo. Shows include: The Armory Show (NYC), Art Basel (Miami), and two solo exhibitions at The Heller Gallery in Los Angeles. He has also shown work at The Huntsville Museum of Art, The Montgomery Museum of Art, The Gadsden Museum of Art, Pensacola State College, and Yale University (New Haven).

Matthew Gardnerof Huntsville was awarded an Arts Educator Fellowship. Gardner is the choral director at Austin High School in Decatur, where he teaches AP Music Theory and conducts the Chamber Choir, Treble Choir, Tenor-Bass Choir, and Show Choir. He is co-founder of the Huntsville Summer Music program, which provides music education students practical teaching and conducting experience before they begin their careers. Gardneris an active performer in professional choral ensembles such as Coro Vocatiin Atlanta, GA, and Valley Consort in Huntsville.

Allison Grantof Tuscaloosa was awarded the Gay Burke Memorial Photography Fellowship. Grant creates artworks that address ecological issues and visual storytelling through photography. Her artworks have been widely exhibited and are held in collections at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta; DePaul Art Museum, Chicago; Columbia College Chicago; Cincinnati Children's Hospital Research Foundation Art Collection; Cisco Systems Corporate Art Collection, Durham; and the King County Portable Works Collection, Seattle. Grant's practice extends beyond artmaking to include education, curation, and writing on contemporary art. Currently, she serves as Assistant Professor of Photography and Director of Graduate Studies in Studio Art at the University of Alabama.

Lanier Isomof Birmingham was awarded a Literary Arts Fellowship in Prose. Isom is a journalist and the co-author of the award-winning memoir Grace and Gritpublished by Random House in 2012, about fair pay activist Lilly Ledbetter, which is now required reading at Harvard Law School. Isom's work has been featured in The Lily, LA Times, Huffington Post, and The Bitter Southerner, and she's the recipient of the Alabama Library Association Nonfiction Award.

Tyra Jacksonof Mobile was awarded a Dance Fellowship. Tyra J.is a graduate of NYU's Tisch Master of Fine Arts in Danceprogram and has completed all levels of the Horton Pedagogy Training Program. She is the founder and co-artistic director of the dance company INNERGY Inc.Tyra J. has toured Italy as a performer and choreographer with the Toscana Dance Hub that premiered at the Florence Dance Festival. She has performed with numerous independent dance companies,such as Jocelyn Isaac's UP! Project and Dayo n Dance.

Erin Langleyof Daphne was awarded a Theatre Fellowship. Langley is the founder, executive director, and artistic director of Eastern Shore Repertory Theatre in Fairhope. Sheis a 2019 Directors Lab West fellow (Los Angeles), a member of Mobile Bay Monthly's 2017 40 under 40 recipients, and a 2015 Freddie Gershon fellow (NYC). Langleyrecently directed the 50th-anniversary production of Godspell at the NaumbergBandshell in Central Park, NYC. She has served as Artist in Residence for Baldwin County Public Schools and has traveled to Haiti to create programs for children in Port-au-Prince and Montrouis.

IreneLatham of Oneonta was awarded a Literary Arts Fellowship in Prose. Latham is the author of many novels, poetry collections, and picture books for children, including the co-authored Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship, which earned a Charlotte Huck Honor, and The Cat Man of Aleppo, which won a Caldecott Honor. An experienced artist-teacher and presenter, Latham shares her passion for books and writing with groups of all kinds, both nationally and internationally.

Faith Lenhartof Vestavia Hills was awarded an Arts Educator Fellowship. Lenhart is the Director of the Dance Department at Vestavia Hills High School. She is a past president of the Alabama Dance Council and has served twice on the Alabama State Department of Education Arts Dance Standards writing committee. A highlight of Lenhart's career is creating and founding the Alabama Dance Educators Association(under the umbrella of the Alabama Dance Council)that serves the Alabama K-12 public school dance teachers. Her most recent endeavor is working with the International Olympic Committee in the World Games 2022 as the movement coordinator for the opening and closing ceremonies.

Brenda Luchsingerof Montgomery was awarded a Music Fellowship. Dr. Luchsinger teaches applied horn, music theory, aural skills, and brass methods at Alabama State University. She alsoperforms with the Tuscaloosa and LaGrange (GA) Symphonies, Sinfonia Gulf Coast (Destin, FL), Montgomery Brassworks Quintet, and frequently performs in the pit orchestra for shows at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. International performances include concerts and recitals in North America, Australia, Europe, and Asia. An active member of the International Horn Society, Dr. Luchsingercurrently serves as the Area Representative for Alabama and as news editor for The Horn Call.

Charlie Mato-Toyelaof Cottonwood was awarded a Music Fellowship. Mato-Toyelahas been making Native American flutes and whistles since childhood. He is an enrolled citizen of the United-Cherokee Ani-Yun-WiyaNation, an official state tribe of Alabama. He has recorded nine albums and been featured on countless others. Mato-Toyelais also very active on social media, especially YouTube,where his videos teach millions of people all over the world to make and play Native American flutes.

Jason McCallof Florence was awarded a Literary Arts Fellowship in Prose. McCall currently teaches at the University of North Alabama. His work focuses on traditions and the power that tradition holds over different aspects of society and culture. His poetry collections include: Silver; I Can Explain; Dear Hero,; Mother, Less Child; Two-Face God; A Man Ain't Nothin'; and What Shot Did You Ever Take(co-authored with Brian Oliu). He and P.J. Williams are the editors of It Was Written: Poetry Inspired by Hip-Hop.

Ryan Meyerof Trussville was awarded a Media/PhotographyFellowship. Meyer received his MFA from the University of California, Davis and has shown work nationally and internationally. He currently works as a creative specialist in UAB's University Relations department and serves as an adjunct art instructor at universities around the Birmingham area. Much of Meyer's recent work is a response to the role of technological progress in human life and how it affects health and sustainability. Meyer is an exhibiting member of the Ground Floor Contemporary Gallery in Birmingham, and his work has been shown nationally and internationally.

John Thomas Mooreof Huntsville was awarded a Visual Arts Fellowship. Moore is a graduate of Alabama A&M University with a bachelor's in Graphic Design, an M. Ed in Art, and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has created murals and public works from Elba, Alabama, to Colombia, South America and his work has been exhibited all over the U.S. Moore works primarily in acrylic paint, charcoal, graphite, and Alabama red clay but often make use of assemblage as homage to his creative roots.

Tracie Noles-Rossof Birmingham was awarded a Visual Arts Fellowship. Noles-Ross is a visual storyteller, recognized for her narrative mixed media works. In her creative practice, discarded and forgotten objects are reconfigured and juxtaposed in new ways, braiding themes of memory, place, identity, and environmental and social issues, encouraging a shift in perspective. Strongly committed to understanding the place she is from, Noles-Ross explores aspects of the biologically diverse Alabama landscape, concepts of family and Southern culture, deconstructing them for the purpose of improvement and growth while concurrently protecting, preserving, and celebrating the place she calls home.

John Olesof Jacksonville was awarded a Craft Fellowship. Oles holds a BFA in Ceramics from the University of Massachusetts and an MFA from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Over the past 13 years, he has been invited to lecture and teach visiting artist workshops at many prominent ceramicsprograms around the country, including Hartwick College, Louisiana Tech., San Jose State University, and Harvard University. Oles taught ceramics at Loyola University from 2008-2013 and Tulane University from 2013-2015. Currently, he is Associate Professor of Ceramics at Jacksonville State University.

Elisabeth Pellathyof Birmingham was awarded a Craft Fellowship. Pellathyworks in a variety of mediums, responding to locations, history, and social context. Pellathytrained at Alfred University School of Art and Design, New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred, NY receiving a BFA in 2005 and an MFA in electronic integrated arts in 2011. Her work has been exhibited at the Gadsden Museum of Art, Gadsden, AL (2021) Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello, Venice, IT (2019), Booth Museum, Royal Pavilion and Museums, UK (2018), Montgomery Museum of Fine Art, USA (2018), Alfred Ceramics Art Museum, USA (2017), Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture, USA (2017), Currents New Media, USA (2016), and the Urban Institute for Contemporary Art, USA (2011).

E. Bruce Phillips, Jr.of Hoover was awarded a Visual Arts Fellowship. Phillips, Jr. is an Associate Professor of Art at Tuskegee University. His current works are an exploration of the interconnection between humans and the environment and between man-made structures and nature. Phillips, Jr. works primarily on paper, canvas, and board, and his work has been featured in group and solo exhibitions at the Kessler Lofts, First Presbyterian Church and the Birmingham and Hoover Public Libraries in Birmingham; the Johnson Center in Troy; The Legacy Museum in Tuskegee; the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery; the Hammonds House Gallery and The Odd Fellows Building on Sweet Auburn in Atlanta, GA; and The Beech Institute, The City of Savannah Gallery, and SCAD in Savannah, GA.

The ArtsFacilities program provides funding for the planning, designing, and construction or renovation of arts-focused facilities. Funding assists arts organizations in the improvement of buildings and spaces used for arts activities that benefit the public.

Alabama Trails Foundation(ATF) in Birmingham was awarded a $10,000 planning grant for Flagg Mountain Observation Tower engagement planning. ATF, working in partnership with the Alabama Forestry Commission, will evaluate alternatives and prepare a plan to incorporate the arts in the sustainable use of the "museum and pavilion" components of the tower, located in Weogufka State Forest. Uses for the pavilion and museum areas that will engage visitors in arts and outdoor recreation will be the primary focus of this project.

Foundation 154 Inc.in Elba was awarded a $25,000 construction grant for the Elba Theatre marquee, catering kitchen, and ticketing booth. The grant will fund building out the catering kitchen; constructing the ticketing booth; and designing, building, and installing a replica marquee on the building's facade. This project reimagines this space as a hub of community engagement that will serve as an outlet for creativity, culture, and enrichment opportunities.

Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy(FQBL) in Alberta was awarded a $35,000 design grant for adaptative re-use of the FQBL headquarters. A redesign of the building will include workshop and classroom space; a library; gallery and exhibition spaces; and a community space. The Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy campus will serve as a much-needed piece of cultural infrastructure for the area.

Kentuck Museum Associationin Northport was awarded a $15,000 design grant for courtyard and facilities upgrades. Kentuck'scourtyard and campus rejuvenation project have the goals of 1) increasing accessibility to all buildings and outdoor spaces on thecampus, 2) creating a cohesive design to increase foot traffic to artist studios and fully utilize all outdoor spaces, and 3) increasing safety and navigability of Kentuck'sartist studios and public spaces. For the designportion of this project, deliverables will include a detailed topographic survey, concept drawings and schematics of the proposed updates to the courtyard, and a comprehensive landscaping plan.

King's Canvas Gallery and Studioin Montgomery was awarded a $12,500 construction grant for theWashington Park Community Revitalization Initiative. This project will create a larger physical art studio that will allow more space for artists to create, showcase their work, and participate in King's Canvas professional development classes.

Klein Arts & Culturein Harpersvillewas awarded a $65,000 construction grant for a venue support and artist-in-residency cottage. The cottage will feature three bathrooms (two accessible from the outside), a kitchen that can be used for small-scale catering, a meeting room that can double as a bedroom for short-term resident artists/writers or dressing room for performers, laundry facilities, and administrative space. The design honors both the period of the historic venues and its current use as an arts center.

Mobile Balletin Mobile was awarded a $40,000 construction grant for the Eastern Shore studio facility. With the construction of a larger facilityin Daphne, the Balletwill be able to offer more classes and serve more students, present more educational programs, and have a broader reach in the community. The new facility will also have performance space with retractable audience seating, allowing the facility to serve as a dance studio and as a community arts space.

The Regional Library and Arts Foundationin Warrior was awarded a $10,000 construction grant for the upgrade and installation of electrical wiring. The Foundation is in the process of retrofitting a centrally located National Guard armory as a Regional Library and Arts Center,and this funding will provide participants with welcoming, comfortable surroundings in which to learn and create.

The Shoals Symphony Orchestrain Florence was awarded a $15,000 planning grant for a symphony center facility. The Shoals Symphony Center would meet all the needs of the symphony from rehearsal, operations, and storage space,ensuring success and room for growth. The facility would be the first and only non-profit center for the arts in the Shoals providing access to rehearsal, practice, and recording space for the community.

The grants above are in response to applications submitted between January 1 and March 1, 2022,andare awarded for the 2023 fiscal year (October 1, 2022 - September 30, 2023).

The next grant application deadline is September 1, 2022, for arts in education grants, project and administrative grants for organizations, and Folk Arts Apprenticeship requests. The application portal will open on July 1, 2022. The next deadline for individual artist Fellowships and Cultural Facilities grants will be March 1, 2023 (with applications accepted beginning January 1, 2023).

About Alabama State Council on the Arts
The Council on the Arts is the official state agency for the support and development of the arts in Alabama. The Council works to expand and preserve the state's cultural resources by supporting nonprofit arts organizations, schools, colleges, units of local government, and individual artists. Arts programs, assisted by Council grants, have a track record of enhancing community development, education, cultural tourism, and overall quality of life in all regions of the state. Alabama State Council on the Arts grants are made possible by an annual appropriation from the Alabama Legislature and additional funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Learn more at arts.alabama.gov.