Program/Grant: GIG Fund

Chicago Tap Theatre will create opportunities for various populations in Chicago to learn from Black Canadian and former Chicagoan Lisa LaTouche, including: viewing her film Trax, a Q&A on the findings of her research (in conjunction with Chicago-based historians), 2 classes and a Q&A with students at a majority Black school and a culminating event that ties the themes of the project together.

Cincinnati Youth Choir has provided transformative choral arts experiences in a welcoming space for 31 years. Acclaimed choral conductor and pedagogue Dr. Anthony Trecek-King will serve as artist-in-residence for our 32nd season, helping create new artistic goals, creative performances, collaborations, and unique programming that will launch our multiple programs into the future of choral music.

In a master class led by a professional stained glass artist, Campanella members and refugee families will collaborate in creating stained glass panels symbolizing fragility, tempering, and strength. In the hands-on process of creating glass art panels followed by the stained glass exhibition and choir concert, they will live through and feel the transformative power of art in healing brokenness.

Summermusik (Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra) presents Navajo pianist and Cincinnati native Connor Chee (www.connorchee.com) for a festival highlighting the importance of water to Indigenous cultures through music and storytelling coinciding with World Water Day (March 22 annually)

CMA seeks to provide access to a music education series featuring our world renowned artists. Activities include; high-impact student enrichment concerts, professional performance collaborations, as well as workshops and clinics. Priority for these events is given to traditionally underserved communities and school districts throughout greater Des Moines and central Iowa.

Classical guitarist Jorge Caballero will present a concert and school outreach of music based on African American spirituals. The program includes a symphonic arrangement, a neglected masterwork, and a newly commissioned work.

In partnership with UW Odyssey Beyond Bars and Odyssey Junior programs, Vera Court Neighborhood Center, Madison Youth Arts Center and artist Tuwilê Roots, youth impacted by the criminal justice system explore identity through portraiture and storytelling. An exhibition and panel will be held at the UW Partnership Center and Madison City Building in Spring 2025.

Striving to provide outreach programs to our local schools and community, the Erickson Center for the Arts will host "The Spirit of Harriet Tubman" featuring Leslie McCurdy. Using words said to have been Harriet Tubman¹s own, Leslie McCurdy recreates both familiar stories and some rarely told in a passionate portrayal of Harriet Tubman's entire life, the famous Underground Railroad conductor.

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of The Chicago International Film Festival, the Black chamber music collective D-Composed will join forces with the Festival to celebrate the works of Black film composers with a live performance and post-show panel discussion around the role of music in storytelling.

To complement The YES! House’s consistent work showcasing and supporting artists in the Southwest Minnesota region, The Exchange: Visiting Artist Series invites artists from across the Midwest to engage in a short-term residency at The YES! House, culminating in a public arts event showcasing their work. This series seeks to foster creativity, collaboration, and geographic cross-pollination.