CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Nov. 8, 2023) – ASC, in conjunction with the arts councils of Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln and Rowan counties, is pleased to announce the 2024 Artist Support Grant recipients. 

This year, nearly 160 regional artists applied for funding and 71 ASC Artist Support Grants will be awarded.

Grantees will receive a combined $205,070 in funding – eligible requests totaled more than $451,865 – and represent creative disciplines from visual art and music to literature and dance.

“Artist Support Grants provide individual artists at all stages of their careers with critical resources to support their creative businesses and help them build and sustain their careers in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region,” said ASC President Krista Terrell. “ASC is proud to invest in these creative individuals to ensure that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region continues to be a place where arts, culture and creativity are central to building vibrant, stronger and more equitable communities.”

Artist Support Grants support professional and artistic development for emerging and established artists to enhance their skills and abilities to create work or to improve their business operations and capacity to bring their work to new audiences. Funded projects can include: 

• The creation of new work 
• The purchase of equipment and materials 
• Professional development workshops 
• Travel support for expenses associated with a professional opportunity such as participating in an exhibition or a conference 
• Development or upgrading of promotional materials

The grants are open to artists of all disciplines and provide funding of up to $3,000. 

ASC Artist Support Grants are supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, Mecklenburg County, the Infusion Fund and its generous donors and the Town of Davidson. 

2024 Artist Support Grant Recipients 

Raven Aguilar, Gaston—$3,000 to fund painting supplies and an artist residency.

Marina Alexandra, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to develop a new, dynamic artist website.

Brian Arreola, Cabarrus—$3,000 to fund a string quartet to perform the artist’s operatic work “Zavala-Zavala.”  

ArtWalks CLT, Mecklenburg—$1,500 to purchase an iPad to increase the educational component of ArtWalks CLT’s guided ArtWalks + Artist events, elevate the quality of the public art engagement experience and utilize additional digital resources with updated technology.

Emily Avery, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to purchase audio gear for an interactive sound art installation.

E.E. Balcos, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to fund the participation in the Body-Mind Centering course on the Ligamentous and Fascial System in Lorraine, Oregon.

Audrey Baran, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to support teaching certification in MUNZ FLOOR, a somatic method utilizing spiral movement patterns and three-dimensional forces to facilitate spinal decompression and fascia regeneration.

Regina Bos, Cleveland—$3,000 to pursue continuous education and experiment with a diverse range of artistic materials.

Allison Braden, Mecklenburg—$2,900 to purchase a technology upgrade for literary translation and writing projects.

Teil Buck, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to purchase a new professional oboe instrument that will further the artist’s capabilities and career.

Micah Cash, Cabarrus—$3,000 to support the “Waffle House Vistas” exhibition at the Georgia Museum of Art.

Chris Clamp, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to produce an archival print of a recent oil painting which will commemorate an upcoming exhibition of the artist’s work.

Beth Coiner, Mecklenburg—$2,270 to modernize a jewelry designer’s toolkit for the art of longevity.

Criss Cross Mangosauce, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to pay for a media/marketing specialist to increase access to Criss Cross Mangosauce programming and increase its audience.

Hector Vaca Cruz, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to purchase equipment, materials and resources needed to support the production of current projects and career growth.

Kalin Devone, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to update the technology the artist uses to photograph, record and archive art works.

Sorayda Diaz Leon, Mecklenburg—$2,350 to acquire video equipment and a computer for career advancement and to elevate VozEs Expresión Cultural’s visual storytelling.

Joelle Dietrick, Mecklenburg—$3,000 for “Chasing the Sun,” a multi-channel animation installation with extinct plants organized by the time zones where they were last seen and shifting in color intensity based on where the sun is setting.

Ana Lucia Divins, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to create a website and electronic press kit to increase performance opportunities for a new music concept.

Anna Edwards, Gaston—$3,000 for “The Stories We Create,” an intergenerational project that includes dance classes/rehearsals for seniors and adults that culminates in an evening-length contemporary modern dance performance.

Mono Feo, Mecklenburg—$2,800 to fund training and equipment for mask and costume fabrication.

Sarah Ferdon, Cabarrus—$3,000 for professional development in the use of color and texture to create weaving and folk art.

Friday’s Dope, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to support a recording studio at the VAPA Center.

Patrice Gopo, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to attend the Association of Writers and Writing Programs 2024 annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri and the Festival of Faith & Writing biennial gathering in Grand Rapids, MI.

Jonathan Grauel, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to support portfolio, a presentation and projects.

Raymond Grubb, Mecklenburg—$2,950 for an iMac and a MacBook Air.

Sarah Hayes Harkins, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to travel to Buenos Aires to study Argentine tango with world renowned tango artists and experience the culture where tango was born.

Noah Hartley, Cleveland—$1,950 to travel to the Mauser Ecohouse Artist Residency in Costa Rica.  

Greg Jarrell, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to fund repairs and overhauls for woodwind instruments in order to continue playing at a professional level.

Amber Joy Johnson, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to fund professional training in American Ballet’s National Training Curriculum.

Courtney LaCaria, Gaston—$3,000 for the purchase of a Brother Super Card Machine to improve the efficiency and quality of fiber processing and expand business as a farming fiber artist.

Jessica Lindsey, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to support the editing and mastering of the CD “Carolina Homegrown Melodies,” performed by Jessica Lindsey and chamber ensemble.

Dylan Lloyd, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to purchase an updated electronic Wind Synthesizer and an iPad Tablet to further develop hybrid Space-Klezmer music fusion performances.

Ruth Ava Lyons, Mecklenburg—$2,900 for a professional digital projector.

Ella Mackinson, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to purchase of materials for and promote a new body of work.

Meg Greene Malvasi, Mecklenburg—$3,000 for a mentorship program in photography.

Leandro Manzo, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to buy an iPad Pro, an Apple Pencil and a Magic Keyboard.

Asia Martin, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to integrate animation and augmented reality into illustrations.

Tanya McClellan, Mecklenburg—$3,000 for a home studio for voice over work.

LaDara McKinnon, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to support a mentorship opportunity that bridges cross-cultural upbringing, international experience, intersectional identity and artist development.

Andrew McMillan, Mecklenburg—$3,000 for a new laptop for feature film writing, light video editing and designing film treatments.

Eric Millard, Cabarrus—$3,000 to fund a diversity-focused brass trio commission and international premiere.

Lynne Miller, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to attend the 17th annual encaustic conference at Truro Center for the Arts.

Esther Moorehead, Lincoln—$2,000 for professional art consultation and advisement from an industry expert.

Jessica Moreno, Gaston—$3,000 to support a recording of protest music written for tenants who experience housing insecurity due to rising rents and unethical housing practices.

Herman Nicholson, III, Mecklenburg—$2,900 to purchase portable battery-operated lighting.

Cecil Norris, Cleveland—$3,000 to support the completion of two paintings that connect to the writing of Martin Luther King Jr.

Number Drummer Productions, Cabarrus—$3,000 to fund “Number Strummer and the Keys to Math” for instruction on learning musical instruments using math.

Ngoc Lan Pham, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to purchase a laptop for film and video editing.

Reginald Price, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to support the marketing and promotion of a new song.

Nicole Rhodes, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to explore new mediums and create a new collection.

Keudis Sanchez, Mecklenburg—$3,000 for Atelier training (drawing and painting) at North Carolina Academy of Arts.

Barbara Schreiber, Mecklenburg—$2,700 to fund a two-week workshop at Penland School of Craft.

Arsena Schroeder, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to support six months of electric guitar training and gear maintenance.

Brooke Shaffner, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to participate in the Association of Writers & Writing Programs conference.

SimplisticPhobia, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to support education and practice in printmaking. 

Fred Smith, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to purchase art supplies to make large sculptures for upcoming shows, including an exhibition at The Mint Museum (uptown).

Jade Solch, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to fund a professional potter’s wheel and tools.

Derick Stephenson, Gaston—$3,000 to support “On The Way,” a live recorded spoken word performance that presents a poet’s coming of age, highlights the journey of a young black boy in pursuit of joy and emphasizes the power of storytelling.

Elizabeth Sullivan, Cabarrus—$2,750 to produce a sensory friendly concert program.

Thomas Thoune, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to fund the creation of a body of work that responds to an ancestral place in Héric, France.

Al Torres, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to support “The Seven Summits,” seven multi-view paintings composed of aluminum angles glued to wood panels.

José Urbina, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to participate in the Canopy Artist Mentorship program to work with a faculty mentor along with a cohort of 10 artists.

J. Stacy Utley, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to produce an art catalog to showcase artwork and facilitate international gallery representation to reach a broader audience.

Felicia van Bork, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to complete “The Color Grid Movie, 2nd Edition,” an animated film made from 333 oil pastel drawings.

Edward Varnie, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to purchase production equipment and gear for a short film.

Quynh Nhu Vu, Mecklenburg—$2,100 to fund the creation of large-scale hanging and free-standing sculptures.

Raushanah Washington, Mecklenburg—$3,000 for “The Onyx Muzeum,” the first in a networking/concert event series meant to connect creatives through collaboration and celebration.

Tamara Williams, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to support the creation and presentation of a new choreographic work entitled “E ku Odun; a celebration of us!”.

Bryan Wilson, Mecklenburg—$3,000 to support a high-cost resin sculpture project related to other previous work.

Destiny Wilson, Cabarrus—$2,000 to fund an art show of paintings.

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