SEED Grants
SEED Grants are intended to support Mecklenburg County creatives with opportunities for mentorship or recognition of the quality of their creative work. Each SEED Grant recipient will receive a $3,000 award.
ASC introduced individual artist fellowships in FY17 as a small experiment. That year, we supported 4 fellows with $10,000 awards. The program has continued to grow, and in FY22, ASC supported 20 fellows with awards ranging from $10,000-$15,000. ASC believes one of the most impactful ways we can institutionalize our commitment to Cultural Equity is by supporting Mecklenburg County’s creative individuals directly. We have expanded opportunities to do so through the Fellowship program, Artist Support Grants, and Cultural Vision Grants. To deepen this commitment, ASC secured funding through Mecklenburg County and the Infusion Fund for SEED Grants.
SEED Grants are intended to support Mecklenburg County creatives with opportunities for mentorship or recognition of the quality of their creative work. Each SEED Grant recipient receives a $3,000 award.
For the inaugural class, ASC invited individual artist fellows to nominate a grantee. The nominees are Mecklenburg County based creatives, over the age of 18, who are mentored by ASC Fellows, or whose work the Fellows agree deserves recognition by ASC and the community.
2022 SEED Grant recipients
Regine Bechtler: To support “Toxic Girls,” a series that highlights the toxic standard of perfection that society imposes on women.
Rajuma Bey: To develop skills in portraiture and sculpture and purchase new artistic materials and supplies.
Reuben Bloom: To visit Los Angeles and photograph phenomena of found sculpture in the marginal and transitional space of the Silverlake district.
Michelle Campbell-Gregory: To support UNDERGROUND Mobile Art Studio needs a generator and inverter.
Zuleyma Castrejon Salinas: To purchase supplies and materials to expand body of work for a solo exhibition which will open in November 2022.
Brianna Daniels: To expand practice on an administrative level.
Tiffany Davis: To produce quality, uplifting art for community.
Sydney Duarte: To transform Forgotten Spaces.
Justin Ellis: To support The Paper Trailand integration of photo, film and typography into pop art and digital design culture.
Laurie Garo: To share Afro-Brazilian dance, drumming and related teachings.
Khalif Guiden: To create new works and build value-adding platforms.
Lydia Heidt: To host a show with collective Metamorphic Dance and gain the resources necessary to professionally perform and document the work.
Nani Lee: To move toward a sustainable arts career.
Sha’Leah McCord: To support worship music for all.
Ferney Mercado: To support a professional portfolio and community growth.
Allison Modafferi: To support “Defending Eve” (working title), a play about womxn, by womxn, and in defense of womxn.
Kaleek Morales: To launch a new clothing brand in aid of the arts and culture community.
Folakemi Onifade: To support “SATURN RETURN,” an experimental mobile documentary short about the little-known coming-of-age experience that happens at a critical point in everyone’s life.
Elizabeth Palmisano: To support stocking My Mobile Art Studio with supplies and creating an “artist residency.”
Hoan Rahlan: To collaborate with the Montagnards community and tell their stories through artwork.
ROOLE: To support an exhibition at the Mint Museum titled “The YASUKE COLLECTION” in July focusing on Sustainability, Innovative Technology, and Inspiring the next generation of young thought leaders.
Marina Shanefelter: To train ballroom Paso Doble dance.
Ricky Singh: To support West End Love.
Santarius Smalls: To support summer/fall photography exploration of Black American dreams and passions in the Queen City.
Amber Smith: To support research and development (including education and travel) related to a work-in-progress, a young adult novel that explores the intersection of trauma, identity and memory.
Laurie Smithwick: To support “Collecting the Colors of the Cities that Shaped Me.”
LeShea Stukes: To enhance Acting Skills in the Community.
José Urbina: To support the project “Perspectiva.”
Bryan Wilson: To outfit a studio and support models.