This year, ArtsWave’s Black and Brown Artist Grants program is helping 22 local artists bring their visions to life on the theme of “truth and reconciliation.” The program is in its second year and has provided over $500,000 in funding to nearly 50 artists of color. This year’s 22 artists are getting ready to highlight their work at the 2022 Truth and Reconciliation Artist Showcase from July 14-17 at the Cincinnati Art Museum and Cincinnati Museum Center and National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
This year’s showcase will feature a wide range of perspectives and media. Visual artist Asha White’s “Mood Altering” is a 25-piece set of physical and digital media, which combines with panel discussion about mental health and healing in the Black community.
Gabriel Martinez Rubio’s “Monarca - Lost Butterfly (in Memoriam)” will pair a live, contemporary dance performance with a video projection of monarch butterflies, paying homage to lost loved ones.
Cellist Angelique Montes’ project is her debut album, “Refraction,” which showcases the stylistic and regional diversity of Black classical composition. The album aims to push the boundary on what classical music can look and sound like while being considered “legitimate.”
Filmmaker and photographer Asa Featherstone IV set out to tell the story of Black Cincinnatians' impact on Findlay Market in his project, “laying the foundation.” He puts together a narrative through interviews, photos, video and writing, speaking to the experiences of Black residents near the market while sharing the history with those who are unaware.
Some artists are sharing their work earlier than the Showcase. Musician Erin Fung worked with Sahtu Dene filmmaker Tate Juniper to create “Regeneration,” a multimedia installation that explores environmental issues from an indigenous perspective. The installation recreates conversations between hunters, artists, elders and more from the community of Inuvik, Northwest Territories. You can find it as part of the Cincinnati Museum Center’s “America’s Epic Treasures” exhibition, which opens May 27.
Visit artswave.org/truth to see a list of upcoming events by artists who received a 2022 Black and Brown Artist Grant. To see a full list of projects supported by the program this year, visit artswave.org/truth22.