South Arts

The 2023 Southern Prize and State Fellowships for Visual Arts exhibition has traveled to Florida!

The Foster Gallery at the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County in Miramar Beach, FL, is now hosting the touring exhibition featuring work of 2023 Southern Prize and State Fellows for Visual Arts. The exhibition will be on display through September 12, 2024, before traveling to the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts in Montgomery, Alabama.

Image: Lynn Crow Photography

Meet Constance Collier-Mercado, South Arts' 2024 Georgia Fellow for Literary Arts. Learn how Constance is bending the rules of storytelling in this profile from ARTSATL.org. http://artsatl.org/writer-constance-collier-mercado-wins-by-bending-rules/

✨Exciting Times in New Orleans!🎷🎨

This past June 3-5, the South Arts Board of Directors and executive leadership gathered in New Orleans. While there, we met with members of the community and explored the city, learning about local Louisiana history and culture.

Highlights included:
- A Board & Community Reception at the George Z& Joyce Wein Jazz and Heritage Center. It was a great opportunity for grantees, arts funders, and partners to network and dive deeper into our work at South Arts.
- Tours at notable arts venues including the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Dew Drop Inn, and Ashé Cultural Arts Center, a member of the Southern Cultural Treasures cohort.
- Engaging meetings with our grantees, like 2022 Southern Prize for Visual Arts winner Hannah Chalew, Cross-Sector Impact Grant recipient Nick Slie of Mondo Bizarro, Cross-Sector Impact Grant recipient Claire Anderson of Ripple Effect, 2024 Louisiana Fellow for Literary Arts Maurice Carlos Ruffin, and Southern Cultural Treasures cohort-members Stephanie McKee-Anderson and Shana M. griffin from Junebug Productions.

Thank you, New Orleans, for your warm hospitality and enriching experiences! We're inspired by your cultural richness!

Opportunity alert from our friends at Dance/USA: Applications are open for Dance/USA Fellowships to Artists(DFA)!

DFA supports dance and movement-based artists from across the U.S. and its territories who work at the intersection of social and embodied practices. DFA recognizes the wide variety of ways in which people engage in social transformation through dance, which often do not fit into established models of arts funding. This includes community-building and culture-bearing practices, healing and storytelling practices, activism and representational justice practices, and more.

DFA will award $31,000 to at least 25 individual artists, to be used at their own discretion. Artists are invited to submit an initial application by Thursday, August 15, 2024 at 6:00pm ET. Application support and coaching are available.

Find the DFA program overview and guidelines at https://bit.ly/DanceUSA-DFA

Happy Juneteenth! In observance of the holiday, the South Arts office will be closed on June 19. We'll be back in the office on June 20!

✨✨✨NEW GRANT APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN✨✨✨

In These Mountains Project Grants offer up to $10,000 in order to support projects that promote sharing, teaching, learning, preserving, documenting, and supporting the continuity of the folk arts and traditional culture of Central Appalachia. The deadline to submit an In These Mountains Project Grant application is August 1, and projects must take place between October 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. Visit the following link for more information: https://www.southarts.org/grants-opportunities/these-mountains-project-grants

Cross-Sector Impact Grants offer up to $15,000 in order to support "Arts &..." projects that incorporate the arts across different aspects of a community; for example, eligible themes may be arts and the military, arts and equity, arts and aging, or arts and community revitalization. Eligible projects must be a collaboration between an arts organization or artist and a non-arts organization, and both partners must be located or reside in South Arts’ nine-state region. The deadline to submit a Cross-Sector Impact Grant Letter of Interest form is August 1, and projects must take place between January 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. Visit the following link for more information: https://www.southarts.org/grants-opportunities/cross-sector-impact-grants

South Arts' longest-tenured team member, Teresa Hollingsworth, will be moving on from South Arts at the end of this week. As South Arts' Director of Traditional Arts, Teresa has overseen a tremendous portfolio of programming that simultaneously preserves the histories of previous generations while making space for growth and adaptation as the field moves forward.

Since joining South Arts in 1999, Teresa served as key to a number of major milestone, including the co-curation of the Sum of Many Parts (25 Quiltmakers in 21st Century America) exhibit that toured through China; the planning and ex*****on of countless Folklife in the South (formerly Folklorists in the South) field gatherings, building our widespread In These Mountains initiative, and distributing millions of dollars to artists, organizations, and communities through grantmaking programs. In addition to her work in the folk and traditional arts, Teresa was also the longtime director of South Arts' film programming, leading the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers and curating the national Caravanserai: A Place Where Cultures Meet Islamic filmmaker project. As a prolific mentor, the interns and junior colleagues who worked with Teresa now serve as a "who's who" across the country in many different industries. Her work has touched and benefited countless people across our region, and we wish her the best of success in her next adventure!

Do you have a favorite memory with Teresa? Let us know in the comments!✨

✨CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW GRANT RECIPIENTS✨
South Arts is pleased to announce the newest recipients of three grantmaking programs: Presentation Grants, Traditional Arts Touring Grants, and Jazz Road Tours! These programs support the presenting and touring of artists, either assisting organizations with artists' fees or directly supporting the artists themselves. Among the newest cohort of recipients, a total of $530,755 has been awarded to 102 organizations and artists.

To learn more about our recipients, visit https://www.southarts.org/news/south-arts-awards-over-530k-through-recent-grant-programs

Image credit: Yeli Ensemble, a Traditional Arts Touring Grant recipient

Our friends at Mid-America Arts Alliance and National Endowment for the Arts have announced the latest recipients of the Creative Forces programs.

Through this program, more than $769,000 in grants were awarded to 41 organizations across the U.S., all to help military-connected communities connect and heal. Creative Forces Community Engagement Grants, part of the Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, will support community-based arts programming for military-connected populations, providing opportunities for creative expression while building connections and improving resiliency.

Eight organizations and projects in the South Arts region are receiving support. Congratulations to InToto Creative Arts, Montgomery County Council for the Arts, Inc. (Gateway Regional Arts Center), The Joel Fund, The Big Red Barn Retreat, Creativets, Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center, SongwritingWith:Soldiers, and Tennessee Shakespeare Company as well as the other recipients nationwide.

Creative Forces

As part of our ongoing series of free virtual professional development opportunities, South Arts will host a workshop designed to help creatives and arts organizations adapt as the climate changes and affects communities across the country. The workshop will take place from 11:00 a.m. ET to 12:30 p.m. ET on June 12, and will be hosted by Maida Owens, Director of the Louisiana Division of the Arts Folklife Program. Register at the following link: https://www.southarts.org/programs/professional-development

If you missed any of the previous workshops in this series or can't join us live, check out the free library of workshop recordings via the following link: https://www.southarts.org/programs/professional-development

✨CROSS-SECTOR IMPACT GRANT SPOTLIGHT✨

'Atlanta to the Atlantic' features three installation locations along the South River, two artists, and one weeks-long journey to learn about, honor, and spread awareness about one of Atlanta’s most important and endangered waterways. Rachel Parish and Sarah Cameron Sunde, the artists behind the project, were commissioned by Flux Projects and the South River South River Watershed Alliance to activate art installations at three locations that have South River water in their public space. In order to do so, Rachel and Sarah will embark on a five week kayak journey from the Browns Mill Golf Course to Sapelo Island, off the coast of Georgia. Their trip serves three purposes; it is simultaneously a performance piece in which the artists will literally draw a line from “Atlanta to the Atlantic” with their bodies, a communal learning experience in which the artists will learn from and engage with participants and communities who live along the river, and a research trip, using the knowledge they gather to inform their installations.

According to Rachel Parish, the artists will “…put ourselves in the hands of the water and learn from it in how it guides us and gets us lost, listening as deeply as possible to all of the communities that live along its shore. We’re all interconnected, and we all need each other. We’re incredibly lucky to be surrounded by deeply generous people who are going above and beyond to help us and care for us, and who have knowledge of the waterways and who know what to do. The uppermost headwater of the South River in Atlanta is Entrenchment Creek, which starts directly underneath the GA State Capitol building. These waters then course through the state, from Atlanta through Juliette, they swirl around Robins Air Force Base and Darien, before heading out to meet the sea at Sapelo Island. All of these places have rich and diverse communities, both environmental and human. The performance is a very simple gesture: an acknowledgement of interdependence. We’re really giving ourselves over to learning about that through our bodies and drawing a line of interconnectivity between Atlanta and the Atlantic.”

If you’re interested in joining the artists on their journey, visit fluxprojects.org

To learn more about Cross-Sector Impact Grants, visit https://www.southarts.org/grants-opportunities/cross-sector-impact-grants

✨NEW GRANT CYCLES NOW OPEN✨
Looking to engage a Southern artist or support the professional development/artistic planning needs of your team? The newest grant cycles for Express Grants and Professional Development & Artistic Planning Grants are now open! Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

To apply for Express Grants, click the following link: https://www.southarts.org/grants-opportunities/express-grants

To apply for Professional Development and Artistic Planning Grants, click the following link: https://www.southarts.org/grants-opportunities/professional-development-and-artistic-planning-grants

Meet the 2024 State Fellows for Literary Arts and Visual Arts! South Arts is pleased to announce the inaugural class of State Fellows for Literary Arts alongside the 2024 State Fellows for Visual Arts in our flagship Southern Prize and State Fellowships program.

As the latest expansion of the annual program, which scaled up this year to include support for the literary arts in addition to the longstanding visual arts component, the multi-state initiative is awarding 18 State Fellows with unrestricted cash prizes of $5,000 each; the artists are now in competition for the larger Southern Prize for Literary Arts and Southern Prize for Visual Arts awards.

The State Fellows for Visual Arts will be included in a touring exhibition opening this October at the Art and Culture Center/Hollywood in Hollywood, FL, and has an opportunity to win the Southern Prize for Visual Arts. The State Fellows for Literary Arts will be featured as guests and panelists at the Mississippi Book Festival in September.

The 2024 State Fellows for Literary Arts are:
• 2024 Alabama Fellow for Literary Arts: Randi Pink | Irondale, AL
• 2024 Florida Fellow for Literary Arts: Camille Boxhill | Coral Springs, FL
• 2024 Georgia Fellow for Literary Arts: Constance Collier-Mercado | Atlanta, GA
• 2024 Kentucky Fellow for Literary Arts: Ashley Blooms | Lexington, KY
• 2024 Louisiana Fellow for Literary Arts: Maurice Ruffin | New Orleans, LA
• 2024 Mississippi Fellow for Literary Arts: Melissa Ginsburg | Oxford, MS
• 2024 North Carolina Fellow for Literary Arts: Joanna Pearson | Carrboro, NC
• 2024 South Carolina Fellow for Literary Arts: F.E. Choe | Columbia, SC
• 2024 Tennessee Fellow for Literary Arts: Yurina Yoshikawa | Nashville, TN

The 2024 State Fellows for Visual Arts are:
• 2024 Alabama Fellow for Visual Arts: Tony Bingham | Birmingham, AL
• 2024 Florida Fellow for Visual Arts: Elliot and Erick Jimenez | Pinecrest, FL
• 2024 Georgia Fellow for Visual Arts: Zipporah Camille Johnson | Atlanta, GA
• 2024 Kentucky Fellow for Visual Arts: Robyn Moore | Wellington, KY
• 2024 Louisiana Fellow for Visual Arts: Macon Reed | New Orleans, LA
• 2024 Mississippi Fellow for Visual Arts: Brooke Alexander | Oxford, MS
• 2024 North Carolina Fellow for Visual Arts: Isys Hennigar | Columbus, NC
• 2024 South Carolina Fellow for Visual Arts: Charles Clary | Conway, SC
• 2024 Tennessee Fellow for Visual Arts: Nelson Gutierrez | Memphis, TN

The Southern Prize and State Fellowships program is supported by Southern First Bank, the Warner Fund, the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation, and other donors.

South Arts Announces Inaugural Literary Arts Fellows, 2024 Visual Arts Fellows | South Arts South Arts is pleased to announce the inaugural class of State Fellows for Literary Arts alongside the 2024 State Fellows for Visual Arts in its flagship Southern Prize and State Fellowships program.

✨NEW GRANT CYCLES COMING SOON✨
South Arts is excited to announce that new grant cycles for Express Grants, Professional Development & Artistic Planning Grants, and Cross-Sector Impact Grants will open in the coming weeks!

Express Grants open on May 15 and are available for up to $3,000 in order to support organizations in rural communities presenting Southern guest film directors, visual and performing artists, or writers. Eligible projects must occur between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. To preview the guidelines, visit the following link: https://www.southarts.org/grants-opportunities/express-grants

Professional Development and Artistic Planning Grants open on May 15 and offer eligible organizations up to $1,000 in order to support the professional development needs of Southern presenters, programmers, or curators. These grants can help strengthen program design or increase organizational capacity. Eligible projects must occur between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. To preview the guidelines, visit the following link: https://www.southarts.org/grants-opportunities/professional-development-and-artistic-planning-grants

Cross-Sector Impact Grants open on June 17 and are available for up to $15,000 in order to support "arts &..." projects that incorporate the arts across different aspects of a community. Eligible projects must be a collaboration between an arts organization or artist and a non-arts organization. The deadline to submit a letter of interest is August 1, and projects must take place between January 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. To preview the guidelines, visit the following link: https://www.southarts.org/grants-opportunities/cross-sector-impact-grants

Artists, applications for the Individual Artist Career Opportunity Grants close today! The next application cycle opens on July 15, with a deadline of September 3. Visit the following link to apply: https://www.southarts.org/grants-opportunities/individual-artist-career-opportunity-grants

Congratulations are in order for this year's ArtFields Grand Prize recipient, Alba Triana Studio! Alba was previously South Arts' 2020 Florida Fellow for Visual Arts. As a sculptor, composer, and interdisciplinary artist, Alba's work is a true testament to the creativity within our region!

Image courtesy of ArtFields

A big congratulations to Niveah Glover, the winner of the 2024 National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Out Loud competition! Her recitation of Ashanti Anderson's "Self Portrait as Kendrick Lamar Laughing to the Bank" earned her the title of National Champion and a $20,000 prize. Niveah is a senior at the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida - one the states in South Arts' nine-state region. Additional kudos to Poetry Out Loud runner-up Tiana Renee Jones of Mableton, Georgia, another state in our region.

Pictured, from left to right: Nyla Dinkins, third place winner from Washington, DC; Niveah Glover, National Champion from Florida; and Tiana Renee Jones, runner-up from Georgia.
Image by James Kegley

South Arts is excited to share images from the most recent Southern Cultural Treasures Mini-Summit, where we joined some of the cohort members at the Mississippi Center for Cultural Production – otherwise known as Sipp Culture - in Utica, Mississippi. As part of the mini-summit, we toured Sipp Culture’s community center and greenhouse, engaged in the power of community organizing with Stephen Brown, also known as 5th Child, of theBriarwood Arts Center, discussed cross-sector collaborations with Monique Davis of the Mississippi Museum of Art and Daniel Johnson of Significant Developments, LLC, learned about an ongoing Utica food and wellness research project and trauma-informed arts practices with Carlton Turner and Jean Greene of Sipp Culture, and explored advocacy for BIPOC arts organizations with Brandi Turner of Sipp Culture and Stephanie McKee-Anderson of Junebug Productions. Thank you to the presenters, and to Carlton and Brandi Turner of Sipp Culture for hosting the second mini-summit!

For more information about the Southern Cultural Treasures program, as well as a full list of all grantees and funding partners that help make this possible, visit southarts.org/programs/southern-cultural-treasures

Performing artists, don't miss this opportunity from our friends North Carolina Presenters Consortium! This is your last chance to apply for an artist showcase and connect with presenters at ArtsMarket 2024. This event is an opportunity to make lasting connections with over 400 anticipated performing arts professionals from around the world.

More than just a conference, ArtsMarket is a dynamic platform where community, creativity, and commerce converge. Join us and share in three days of incredible performances, daily networking events, and forging lasting connections.

Learn more and apply to showcase here: bit.ly/AM24Showcase

We hope you’ve enjoyed celebrating International Jazz Day with us! Our final Jazz Road artist highlight goes to Gabriel Alegría! Born in Lima, Perú, Gabriel is a Summer 2023 Jazz Road Artist and leader of the Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet.

According to Gabriel, “Afro-Peruvian music has contributed a new sound to the palette of jazz music. The confluence of Spanish and African traditions along the coast of Peru created a sound that is unique on the planet. That unique sound has allowed us to share our music around the world through the vehicle that is jazz. Beyond music, we have consolidated a true movement around The Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet.”

To listen to Gabriel's work, check out the following Spotify playlist link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0dvFKPyrOBzcnNcmeQFxT8?si=1a945381b4d1462f

For more information about Gabriel and the rest of our Jazz Road artists, visit the following link: https://www.southarts.org/programs/jazz-road



Gabriel Alegría • Jazz Afroperuano Drew Tucker Eric Rucker

As part of South Arts' International Jazz Day celebration, the fourth Jazz Road artist we'll be highlighting is Miki Yamanaka! Hailing from Japan, Miki is a Spring 2023 Jazz Road Artist and pianist whose artistry has dazzled New York audiences since 2012.

According to Miki, "I am from Japan and I have been wearing the traditional clothes called Kimono since the pandemic. Like Art Blakey used to say, 'people will see you before they hear you'. Since I started representing my culture by wearing kimono, I felt more comfortable with presenting my true self musically as well. Jazz musicians can be very vulnerable and insecure about their playing, and I am no exception. I think representing my culture pushed my back a bit. It is important to acknowledge the power of my culture."

To listen to Miki's work, check out the following Spotify playlist link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0dvFKPyrOBzcnNcmeQFxT8?si=1a945381b4d1462f

For more information about Miki and the rest of our Jazz Road artists, visit the following link: https://www.southarts.org/programs/jazz-road



Miki Yamanaka Music Drew Tucker Eric Rucker

As part of South Arts' International Jazz Day celebrations, the third Jazz Road artist we'll be highlighting is Or Bareket! Or is a Winter 2024 Jazz Road Artist and bassist whose relationship to his art form is informed by his multicultural heritage.

According to Or, "My cultural background has shaped my creative path in more ways than I could describe. As a descendant of diasporic Jews from four different continents, much of my musical practice has been about tracing my cultural and musical roots and allowing them to converge harmoniously (and sometimes, dissonantly) into an offering I can share with my bandmates and the listener.

Perhaps as importantly, the music known as jazz has shaped and deepened my relationship to my own roots by always challenging me into a deeper knowing of myself while providing a framework wherein to integrate, share, and make use of everything I find in the process.

This music is a "diasporic technology": You can take it with you anywhere. It has a built-in, deep acknowledgement and reverence for tradition and ancestral wisdom, but it is always looking to grow, evolve and meet the present moment.

It is a way to metabolize and transmute loss and grief into healing and gratitude, and way to create community, safety, and conversation while maintaining a strong sense of individual expression.

I am grateful to be a student and practitioner of this great art form."

To listen to Or's work, check out the following Spotify playlist link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0dvFKPyrOBzcnNcmeQFxT8?si=1a945381b4d1462f

For more information about Or and the rest of our Jazz Road artists, visit the following link: https://www.southarts.org/programs/jazz-road



Or Bareket Drew Tucker Eric Rucker

As part of South Arts' International Jazz Day celebrations, the second Jazz Road artist we'll be highlighting is Sara Serpa! Sara is a Portugal native and Spring 2023 Jazz Road Artist whose vocal stylings have earned her national recognition.

According to Sara, "When I started singing Jazz in Lisboa, there was just one place where you could learn it, the Hot Clube Jazz School. This jazz club is one of the oldest jazz clubs in Europe, having opened its doors in 1948. This basement was a formative place for me, where I would attend jam sessions and concerts, where I saw so many jazz heroes playing. It was quite an honor to sing there for the first time, I was so nervous.. Everybody knew each other and was very supportive- the DIY energy was always present and I have carried this with me since then. It was a beautiful period in my life, where so many doors opened for me. I have always felt the Hot Clube is a home where I could return to share my work. The support and energy I got from these first years propelled me to travel and eventually settle in the US to get the real experience."

To listen to Sara's work, check out the Spotify playlist link here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0dvFKPyrOBzcnNcmeQFxT8?si=1a945381b4d1462f

For more information about Sara and the rest of our Jazz Road artists, visit https://www.southarts.org/programs/jazz-road!



Sara Serpa Drew Tucker Eric Rucker

Happy International Jazz Day from South Arts! As part of our celebration, we will be highlighting some recent stories and artists supported by Jazz Road. Our first featured artist of the day is Arun Ramamurthy, a Spring 2023 Jazz Road Artist who beautifully blends Carnatic violin and American fiddle.

According to Arun, "I grew up studying South Indian classical Carnatic music here in the United States. This style of music is deeply improvised, and uses ragas as the language to paint pictures and tell stories. I've learned there is a true connection between jazz and Carnatic music, both created in the moment and defined by a spontaneous, collaborative energy between the artists. I feel my musical voice is in a constant evolution, reaching for new ways to express myself with Carnatic raga as my native tongue."

To listen to Arun's work, check out our Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0dvFKPyrOBzcnNcmeQFxT8?si=1a945381b4d1462f

For more information about Arun and the rest of our Jazz Road artists, visit https://www.southarts.org/programs/jazz-road

Arun Ramamurthy Drew Tucker Eric Rucker

✨✨SOUTHERN CULTURAL TREASURES SPOTLIGHT✨✨

Construction on the The Otis Redding Foundation's new Otis Redding Center for the Arts in Macon, Georgia, is well under way! The new building will host a variety of youth educational programs, an outdoor amphitheater, and lab and practice spaces for students to try their hand at the performance and visual arts. We look forward to seeing additional progress on the project!

The Otis Redding Foundation was one of the 17 recognized Southern Cultural Treasures cohort members who received support funds. Southern Cultural Treasures is a program of South Arts, funded in partnership with the Ford Foundation and the Alice L. Walton Foundation.

This past week, Nikki Estes, South Arts' Director of Presenting and Touring, visited Chattanooga State Community College to attend a craft talk and interview with writer and humorist Harrison Scott Key, supported by a Presentation Grant!

According to Nikki, "It was rewarding to hear and see author Harrison Scott Key connect with students at Chattanooga State Community College and the wider Chattanooga community. Harrison had everyone engaged with his thoughtful wit as he discussed growing up in the South, marriage and family dynamics, his own journey to writing, and career guidance for future writers. Knowing that Harrison had an intense three-day schedule during this visit, the college’s Writers@Work program is clearly impacting the literary field in our region by celebrating Southern voices."

To learn more about South Arts' Presentation Grants, visit https://www.southarts.org/grants-opportunities/presentation-grants.

Join your fellow Louisiana arts advocates at the state capitol on April 18 for a day of entertainment, celebration, and advocacy! Items on the agenda include an early-morning jam session with the Lost Bayou Ramblers and Buckwheat Zydeco, a student arts awards ceremony presented by the Louisiana Art Education Association, an art exhibition in the Capitol Rotunda, and the launch of a new specialty arts license plate! Connect with your legislators and share the power of the arts. Visit https://www.artforlouisiana.com/ for registration and more info.

Jazz artists, get ready to hit the road with the next cycle of Jazz Road Tours grants! Grants of up to $15,000 are available for tours taking place between October 1, 2024 - April 1, 2025. Connect with audiences across the country by applying now! The deadline to apply is June 1 - click the following link for more information: https://www.southarts.org/artist-grants-fellowships/jazz-road/jazz-r

Image: Linda May Han Oh, recent Jazz Road Tours grant recipient. Photo by RR Jones.

Jazz Road Tours Jazz artists, take your music to places it's never been. Jazz Road Tours offer grants of up to $15,000 to develop tours into communities across the country.