Past Grant Awardees

Empowering Through Laughter is a community comedy series hosted by the Shenanigans Comedy Theatre that will bring together instructors with decades of experience in stand-up, improv, and sketch comedy, to expand access to comedy arts for Huntsville’s LGBTQIA2+ and minority populations. Through comedy workshops culminating in a public performance series, participants will develop essential skills in storytelling, performance, and public speaking, empowering them to share their experiences with a wider audience.

Banell Ballet is a community-centered initiative, led by lifelong dancer Zoe Banell, designed to increase exposure to the performing arts, particularly ballet, for underserved children and teens. This project seeks to bridge a gap of inequity by offering free ballet and contemporary dance lessons, providing essential dance apparel and shoes, and creating performance opportunities that will immerse participants, and the broader community in the transformative beauty of the performing arts. All of Zoeys hard work will culminate in a published children’s book inspired by the work of her and her students. This book will be given to the students and available for purchase to the public.

“TransVoice” is a photo series paired with subject interviews created by photographer Tosha Gaines. The project will culminate in a public photography exhibition, traveling to several cities and towns across the state, including Birmingham, Montgomery, and Huntsville. Additionally, Gaines will develop a digital archive of the photos and stories, accessible to people beyond Alabama, a product that will serve as a resource for advocacy, education, and ongoing awareness, offering a more nuanced view of transgender lives in the South.

Show Me the Line is a feature documentary film directed by Emmy award winning artist and filmmaker Kelsey Iannuzzi about in vitro fertilization and creative resilience in Alabama. The film, with a growing list of 30+ collaborators, follows Abbey Crain, an artist and reproductive journalist whose own IVF embryos are caught in a historic Alabama Supreme Court ruling. Prevailing with a pen and paintbrush, Crain honors the personhood of Alabama women through art, inviting others caught in this unsettled legal storm to a community stage where they reckon with grief and hope.

“A Million Views” is a visual arts project centered around an inspiring vision of large-scale art installations that could be visible to the public 24/7 throughout Alabama. Creator, Brandin Stallworth,has already elicited support from Bumblebee Billboards in bringing his vision of exposing underserved communities to the power of art and will create and install works that rotate quarterly to create a major impression in rural cities all over the state.

Labor Without Borders (LWB) is a site-specific installation work by a collective of interdisciplinary artist-researchers based in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Led by mixed media artist Misha Hadar, the project will culminate in a mock temp agency that is inspired by real practices and legal cases involving corporate tactics used to employ the labor of undocumented individuals without incurring legal liability. The physical space will include branded materials and office spaces, all of which will be cataloged and composed into an open source digital blueprint making the exhibition available to any person or institution that wants to explore or recreate it.

Senior Prom: Reimagined is a multimedia project led by Carolyn Sherer that features senior prom pictures from Queer elders that are manipulated with quotes and mark making to create a more fully realized and honest recounting of their experiences from within the closet. Sherer’s work seeks to rewire the view of LGBTQIA2+ life and exclaim “We may have been victimized, but we are not victims”. The project will culminate in official Senior Prom photos for attendees that will also go on permanent display in the public lobby at the upcoming BAO elder LGBTQ housing facility in Homewood, Alabama.

Latasha Hyatt is making her mark on the history of Dothan, Alabama with her project “G.R.O.W.T.H. : A Publication on Wellness and Resilience in the African American Community”. This publication is a collaboration between 100 local businesses owners, creators, community leaders, movers and shakers across the greater Dothan area that seeks to make a record of healing and wellness practices specific to African American culture and why they work. The work Latasha puts into the project will culminate in a public event honoring the contributors and connecting the local community to open discussion on the topics addressed.

Moving image creator Charlie Mato-Toyela of the Cherokee AniYunWiYa Nation is creating space to uplift Native American voices through his newest project, “Left Behind” a Podcast platforming the history and contemporary practices of Native Americans across the state of Alabama. “Left Behind” will serve as an easily accessible historical documentation of Native experiences and practices for future generations to pull from as Mato-Toyela interviews visual artists, historians, community leaders and creatives and puts his finger on the pulse of a long silenced community that weaves its way through the fabric of our nation.

In “Quilted House,” artist Garland Farwell draws inspiration from traditional quilting in crafting art from reclaimed wood and scrap metal sourced from dilapidated houses in west Alabama. Central to this artistic endeavor is research into the individuals and families who once occupied these abandoned spaces. Garland aims to locate their descendants, and unravel their stories.

Gloria Whitehead, a mixed media artist hailing from Atlanta, GA, and currently residing in York, AL draws inspiration from her upbringing, where she observed her mother’s prowess in painting and sewing. In this project, Whitehead hosted free ten-week workshops in which participants delved into the art of sustainability by crafting pieces using donated materials. Participants showcased their work in an exhibition dedicated to Earth Day and other sustainable themes in Spring 2024.

Jasper Lee, an artist hailing from central Alabama, specializes in creating videos, installations, and music. His work explores themes such as alchemy, experimental ethnography, and contemporary approaches to ritual. Sweet Wreath Speaks! is a free radio festival that broadcasts sounds and seeds for both people and pollinators. This one-day radio art installation in Birmingham’s Railroad Park featured listening experiences, collaborative crafts, and the distribution of free wildflower seeds.

In “From Captivity to Liberation” Mobile, AL based artist June Reddix-Stennis explores the profound legacy of kidnapped and stolen Black bodies, tracing their journey from Africa to Mobile. Through socially engaged artworks, workshops, and public space exhibitions, the project delves into the complex impact of this historical injustice, highlighting the stolen labor of enslaved individuals on cotton plantations, the exploitation of Yoruba African indigo dyeing, and the divisive role of “Negro Cloth.”

Kami Watson is an award winning, second-generation fiber and textile artist who currently resides in Huntsville, AL. Believing art education and creation opportunities should be accessible to everyone, Watson partnered with the North Huntsville Public Library to create a series of monthly, free 3-hour workshops to promote traditional and contemporary fiber arts that encourage creativity and foster community engagement.

As a chef for nearly 27 years, artist Roscoe Hall found solace and inspiration in art as a means of coping with life’s challenges. “Not No More,” encompasses valuable lessons in agriculture, documenting the paths taken, and exploring cultivation practices through art. This project specifically focuses on tracing the journey of seeds throughout the Black Belt region of Alabama through the development of color pigments, the creation of a recipe booklet/cookbook, and execution of a mural that shares the compelling story of the significance of land ownership and financial literacy within this community.

In “(Our) Museum,” Mobile based artist Terri Foster extends her exploration of history and memory by using re-contextualized objects, photography, installation, embroidery, and writing, to create a fresh historical narrative rooted in personal imagery and artifacts. The project aims to prompt reflection on the significance of everyday items and experiences, challenging conventional approaches to cultural artifacts and societal priorities.

Kimberly McWhorter, an artist with an academic foundation that includes an MFA specializing in Printmaking and Book Arts, takes to the streets to ignite joy and creativity while fostering meaningful connections with her project, the “Dream Hype Type Trike.” The vibrantly painted tricycle pedals through the streets to bring the power of printmaking directly to the people, wherever it goes. Think of it as a rolling gallery of artistic opportunity, spreading joy and engaging curious minds wherever it stops.

From an early age artist Kyle Miller was predisposed to over analyzation. Growing up, he recognized his ethnic ambiguity and non-traditional family unit prevented him full acceptance into any particular social group; exclusions which were further exacerbated by a lengthy coming to terms with his atypical queer identity. In “Empathy Without Bias,” Kyle creates a series of immersive ceramic installations that allow people to empathize with each other without the biases that come with external appearances or first meet judgements.

With a background in music, dance, visual arts, and poetry, performance artist Ottie James embarked on a mission in 2014 to unveil the stories of hidden creative giants within Alabama. In “Red Sanctuary”, James highlights historical events and organizations that have impacted life in Mobile County and the surrounding Gulf Coast. Through each stroke and note, James paints stories that inspire creativity and connection.

Finches is a multimedia community project exploring the tension created when we are conflicted about something we love, whether that is a family member, a leader, or a place. “How do I love a thing I know is flawed?” A team of four artists, Melissa Yes, Tyler Jones, Fen Kennedy, and Todd Slaughter invite artists, neighbors, and citizens to navigate this question together. This project takes its name from Atticus Finch, a character in Harper Lee’s novels, To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set A Watchman, and is inspired by the seemingly irreconcilable differences between the two versions of Finch portrayed in these stories.

“Revolution with Sycamore” is a video-dance-essay made through a collaboration between dance/video artist Rhea Speights (lead artist) and dance artist Sycamore Sylvia Toffel. The project incorporates dance film aesthetics into essay film structures and focuses on the research question, “What do we lose when our most experienced dance artists are discarded because of ageism?” In the tradition of the essay film form, explorations will meander through related topics of intergenerational collaboration, being lesbian and queer in the South, and the knowledge that accumulates in the body over time.

“Montgomery Drag” is a short documentary media project by John Haley exploring the transformation of space through the eyes of Victoria Jewelle, a Black drag queen in Montgomery, Alabama. This visual project will meld documentary film with drag performance art while utilizing intentional public exhibitions. Guided by a minimalist approach to filmmaking, John Haley aims to emphasize the reality of his characters’ experiences through handheld cinematography, carefully structured landscapes, and vivid, layered soundscapes.

This photography project by Orran Scruggs will feature people who have interesting stories and have great impact on their community, the “Baptist Bottom” in Dothan, Alabama. Orran Scruggs is a visual artist who has practiced various mediums of art for over 30 years. His work consists of paintings (oil, acrylic, and watercolor), ceramics, photography, film making, jewelry making, screen printing and wood working. He is also a Master Gardener and Community Activist.

The Searcy Hospital Project seeks to examine the modern-day effects of historical racial injustice within the Alabama mental healthcare system. Using a combination of archive materials, eye-witness interviews, and modern photographs, Charity Rachelle explores the hospital’s secretive past, highlighting the erasure of the asylum patients, many of whom are buried behind the hospital in a massive graveyard marked only with their (recently removed) patient numbers.

This project is a weekend-long multidisciplinary event honoring the work of Sun Ra, the influential American artist, musician, and defining figure in the genre of Afrofuturism, and his connection to Huntsville, AL. Artists John Jahni Moore and Willoughby Lucas Hastings will organize a cross-disciplinary event, coinciding with Sun Ra’s birthday, that echoes his aesthetic and ideology while encouraging creativity and daydreaming about what we can make of the future.

By publicly bringing attention to “outside” art and creative endeavors, this project by artist Brian Tan hopes to create a space for cultivating productive conversations and give opportunities for the local population of Fairhope, AL, and surrounding areas to enlighten and expand their preconceived notions of art. The project will aim to represent and engage communities of local and rural BIPOC, LGBTQ+, women, and people with disabilities. The project should be accessible to all regardless of barriers and invite all members to share in its planning and outcomes.

VibRaNtake presents a multimedia experience combining music, fashion, art, short film and performance pieces all while putting literature at the forefront of cool in the minds of those who subscribe to Hip-Hop culture. The aim is to present the Black experience, in all its variants, in a regal light. It will be a mix of hip-hop inspired music, spoken word, dance and short film. With the completion of every volume, there will be a showing consisting of: the original artwork featured in the magazine, performances of the songs, poems, and dances featured in the links, as well as a screening of the short film that is shot. The hope is to provide a “living literary” experience for all those involved.

Artist Conz8000 will create an immersive and interactive FKiT graphic novel and interactive mural, based off FKiT, a story about a young girl (Zalie) in a post apocalyptic Mobile, AL. Through the years, the story has been told through a series of art and installations, including paintings and murals, at museums, galleries, and building walls. With every new work exhibited, a new piece of her story is revealed. The FKiT graphic novel with be released to the public at a FKiT event at The Shoppes at Bel Air Mall. The cover of FKiT and some pages will be immersive, coded in augmented reality. The release will also be accompanied by 3 interactive limited edition posters and mural.

Indigenous artist Alex Alvarez will create a medicine cup from the Lightning Whelk shell, used during ceremonies to ingest and wash off with herbal elixirs. This shell is only found in the Gulf of Mexico. Like this shell, the people of the Gulf region shared a bond far beyond locality.

Douglas Pierre Baulos is a queer artist living in Irondale Alabama. They will create a series of 7 cloth narratives and an accompanying catalog/workbook that would navigate their interests in book narratives, Alabama biodiversity, extinction of species, and vulnerability and suicide risks among the LGBTQI community.

Multi-disciplinary artist Tony M. Bingham explores the tradition of black baptisms in Hurricane and Big Sandy Creeks also sites on the Black Warrior river. Shadow Stories at the Riverside School, Northport, Alabama is a two-part exhibition, leading to the creation of a permanent site-specific Public Art work.

Jasmine Cannon is an award-winning filmmaker and documentarian from Alabama. Black Southern Woman is a multimedia documentary project featuring Black women based in the deep South. This project takes audiences through a journey of the lives of these women whose stories would likely otherwise go untold.

Wendy DesChene is a Canadian-born artist of indigenous Métis heritage working in Alabama. This project will visually represent the reclamation of indigenous artwork and identities through a new series of digital paintings, animations, and oil paintings that narrate the story of repossession after colonialism.

The Black Cherry Tree Project aims to address racial reconciliation through the memorialization of the 33 African-Americans who were lynched in Jefferson County between the mid-to-late 1800s and the mid 1900s. Artist Carey Fountain is organizing a monthly series of community conversations and 33 black cherry tree saplings to be planted to honor each respective victim and create productive dialogue around race and justice in the spirit of community unification.

A team of artists, Karen Brummund, Allison Grant, and Holland Hopson propose to use the Verdant Grant to mount a multi-part public installation in our neighborhood of downtown Tuscaloosa that examines air quality and the experience of breathing as a place where the individual body interfaces with it’s surroundings.

Tyler Jones is a filmmaker and founding member of 1504, a narrative studio. This short film will chronicle the making of a sculpture and its connection to the place, while asking: How might art be part of the healing process? How do artists work in complex spaces like this?

Chintia Kirana is a Chinese-Indonesian-American artist and educator (occasional curator). Temporal Spectra is a project where art, music, science, and our humanities intertwine with one another. This work explores our inner being and our connectivity with one another. Kirana will record the brainwaves of Montgomery’s people under the prompts “what does hope mean to you?” and “what do you hope for?”. to create color and sound waves: video art, musical composition.