Arts Council Awards $10,000 to Nine Western Pennsylvania Teaching Artists
Pittsburgh – July 21, 2021 – Nine Western Pennsylvania teaching artists and arts educators have received a total of $10,000 to support career training and other professional development opportunities in the first distribution of funds from the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council’s Teaching Artist Opportunity Grant. Awarded grants range from $250 to $2,000.
The Teaching Artist Opportunity Grant launched in February to support career development opportunities for teaching artists, which is reported as a main source of income for artists in the region. Grant funds were used to support the costs of courses, trainings, residencies, conferences or other educational events that help teaching artists expand curriculum or other important job training.
“The Arts Council heard from its members that teaching artists were seeking opportunities to grow their education practices to be as strong as their artistic practices,” said Mitch Swain, CEO of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. “After our grant review panel reached a consensus on grant applications, we were delighted to see a spectrum of arts disciplines represented.”
The grant program adds to other programming offered through the Teaching Artist Initiative, a professional network specifically for teaching artists to collaborate and learn. The initiative launched in spring 2020 and hosts quarterly virtual workshops in collaboration with Maritza Mosquera, independent teaching artist, and Mary Brenholts, director of artists in schools & communities at the Pittsburgh Center for Art and Media.
Teaching Artist Opportunity Grants are made possible thanks to support from The Fine Foundation.
Teaching Artist Opportunity Grant awardees include:
- Ira Cambric was awarded $1,000 to pay for airfare, room and board and transportation to study with the Ballethnic Dance Company in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Anny Chen was awarded $1,150 to pay for Raku-Low Fire Ceramics courses at Community College of Allegheny County.
- Josh Inklovich was awarded $1,200 to pay for instruction by Tyy Clark (also known as ATYYA) in music production, performance and Ableton Live.
- Aubrey Luttrell was awarded $1,000 to pay for a year of dance instruction with Elisa Alaio in New York City.
- Adil Mansoor was awarded $2,000 to pay for housing, travel and food while attending the Association of Performing Arts Professionals NYC conference and the Under the Radar performance festival.
- María Eugenia "Geña" Nieves Escoriaza was awarded $1,000 to pay for food, transportation and lodging while studying Mexican folk music with Bibiana Pérez Bautista in Oaxaca, Mexico.
- Jennifer Schaupp was awarded $250 to pay for tuition and workshop fees for Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate through International TEFL and TESOL Ltd.
- Azadiel Watts was awarded $1,200 to pay for assistance with designing a workshop series.
- Alison Zapata was awarded $1,200 to pay for food, transportation and lodging while studying with Chucho Lopez and Jean Foss in Oaxaca, Mexico.
For more information on Greater Pittsburgh Art Council grant programs, including applications to be a member of a grant review panel, here.
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