Congressional District: 4

Ko-Thi Dance Company’s ArtsHERE grant will support strategic planning, leadership and cultural competency training, community engagement sessions, audience development, and professionally translated materials to increase arts participation and accessibility among Milwaukee’s diverse communities.  Ko-Thi Dance Company preserves, teaches, documents, interprets, and performs dance and music rooted in the cultures of the African Diaspora. Their programming inspires the community to celebrate themselves through African dance and music.

Indigenous Roots Cultural Center’s ArtsHERE grant will support the continued growth of their grassroots efforts, helping to strategically restructure and revisit organizational procedures and policies. Indigenous Roots Cultural Center is a multidisciplinary, multigenerational, and multicultural space that cultivates opportunities for Native, Black, Brown, and Indigenous peoples through cultural arts and activism.

Native American dancer and choreographer Nedallas Hammill joins the 2025 (W)here in the World Dance Festival as a featured performer and speaker.

The Franklin County Arts Council, a committee of the Windsor Theatre Development Corporation, will collaborate with Ballet Des Moines & Hampton-Dumont Community Schools to present portions of the ballet "Movimiento" featuring music of Colombian composer Juan Sebastian Ramirez Espinosa, Brazilian choreographer Mariana Oliviera & Katlyn Addison. Ballet Des Moines will also do local school outreach.

Mizna will bring the filmmaker and curator Saeed Taji Farouky to the Twin Cities, Minnesota, to mark the publication of Mizna: 24.2, the Cinema Issue, a special issue of our literary journal that he is guest editing. While Farouky is here, we will activate this boundary-pushing journal edition with screenings, readings, and a discussion, with Farouky as the central, curatorial facilitator.

For Black History Month 2025, The GhostLight Theatre would like to bring our friend and professional actor, Ernie Hudson, back to his hometown of Benton Harbor, MI to perform in Lynn Nottage's "Clyde's." If Ernie is unavailable, we will hire another professional, African-American actor.

We will collaborate with Rootead and other organizations for promotion, venue and outreach events to bring Ugandan musician Samite to Kalamazoo for a free public concert and outreach at Rootead and the Juvenile Home.

Early Music Now is seeking funding to present early music ensemble Magdalena to Milwaukee audiences, on both our main subscription series and for multiple free outreach performances.

Exposed Brick Theatre will engage playwright Ehkhudah Zar and will tour her play Muyehpen to Worthington, Minnesota.

We will be hosting a visit of the traditional Afro-Indigenous Son Jarocho music group, Colectivo Altepee from Veracruz, Mexico for a one week visit. We will have music workshops, a photo exhibit with panel discussion, and a performance for the community.