Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council Announces Inaugural Round of Lift Grant Awardees

Over $75,000 Awarded to Artists and Nonprofits

Pittsburgh, PA…..February 6, 2018. Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council (GPAC) is pleased to announce the first round of creative professionals to receive a Lift Grant, GPAC’s newest grant program. $75,075 was awarded to seven grantees (below) for artistic endeavors taking place through October 31, 2018. The project-specific funding supports the production and presentation of the arts throughout the 10-county region, lifting both the careers of working artists and the cultural offerings in Southwestern PA. Lift grants are awarded twice a year, with application deadlines in October and April. For the initial October 2017 deadline, 107 grant applications were submitted. Of those applicants, 22 advanced to the second round of grant proposal reviews, with the final seven project proposals selected to receive funding. Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council CEO Mitch Swain enthuses: "We're thrilled to have a new funding stream available to financially support significant creative projects that will help advance artistic careers and goals of artists in our region." Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council is one of the few organizations in Pennsylvania that offer grants directly to artists and arts collectives for projects intended to directly lift and advance creative practice. Further, the Lift Grant review process, in addition to a written application and work samples, includes dialogue and direct interviews with a diverse grant review panel comprised of working artists. The Lift Grant was created through generous funding from the Hillman Foundation.

Lift Grant awardees

Mario Josie Ashkar, $14,000, to create and perform four live episodes of The Princess Jafar Show
David Bernabo, $8,775, to create two documentaries: Moundsville with John Miller, former Wall Street Journal writer; and Eating & Working & Eating and Working
Maria Caruso, $8,000, to purchase the license for, and to perform Martha Graham’s Lamentations.
PearlArts Studios/STAYCEE PEARL dance project, $12,500, to create and perform sym, a dance performance based on Octavia Butler’s sci-fi novel Fledgling
Hatch Arts Collective/ Nicole Shero, Adil Mansoor, Paul Kruse, $14,000, for their next evening-length play highlighting themes of dislocation, communication, and the power of place
Federico Garcia De-Castro, $5,800, to create and perform Surround, a musical composition with and for six harps
Nandanik Dance, $12,000, to create Vilaya Indian Classical Dance Festival in Carnegie, PA

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Category

Grantmaking

About the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council

The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council champions the arts in Southwestern Pennsylvania, providing financial, professional, and political support for the arts and culture sector. Comprised of more than 600 diverse artists and nonprofit organizations, the Arts Council offers valuable research, legal and business consulting, networking and professional development opportunities so that artists, as well as arts leaders and organizations, can grow their skills and advance their practice. The Arts Council provides grants for artists and arts organizations, leads the region's arts advocacy at the local, state, and national level, and models best practices for accessibility and equity in the arts.

For interviews with the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, image use requests, and any other media questions, please contact Manager of Communications Lisa Cunningham at 412-391-2060, ext. 227 or lcunningham@pittsburghartscouncil.org.