From Kate Suhr to Kim Blackwell, an arts group announces funding of more than $47,000 to several local artists

Twenty local artists, including Kate Suhr, Kim Blackwell and Kathryn Durst, will benefit from more than $47,000 in funding grants, courtesy of the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) and the City of Peterborough.

About 40 artists competed for the grants, ranging from $1,500 to $3,500.

The Grants to Individual Artists program is divided into two components:

Development Mini-Grants for Individual Professional Artists — They provide up to $1,500 for research, development, workshops, etc. new original works, as well as for professional development and mentorship opportunities.

Project Production and Dissemination Grants for Individual Professional Artists — They provide up to $3,500 for the production and presentation of specific projects and cover costs such as artist fees, production materials, venue rentals, technical equipment, costumes, publication, etc.

Artists working in all disciplines and mediums were eligible, including those working in multi-, inter-, trans-disciplinary or community-based artistic practice, in traditional or contemporary modes.

“We are grateful to the City of Peterborough for their innovative support of this program,” said Su Ditta, Executive Director of EC3, in a statement.

“These investments in the work of our very talented and hardworking artists mean that more artists can realize their visions, contribute to our cultural and social well-being and make Peterborough a more vibrant and dazzling city for all of us.

Those receiving grants include:

MINI DEVELOPMENT GRANTS FOR INDIVIDUAL PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS

Kim Blackwell: THE AUCTION – Development of a new theatrical work exploring storage, the difficult relationship between a father and his daughter in the context of 1970s nuclear proliferation, the Cold War and the soundtrack of “Jesus Christ Superstar”.

Catherine Durst: FIRST LADY OF THE ACCORDION: MINNIE WHITE RESEARCH PROJECT — Biographical and visual research on Canadian folk music icon Minnie White of Newfoundland, with the aim of illustrating a new book based on her life.

Lesley Givens: MOVE: BEYOND COMFORT ZONES — A seasoned art educator brings her personal practice to life, drawing on her work as a visual artist with dance and movement to create a new performance work. “To occupy space with my 50-year-old body is an authentic and powerful expression of freedom.

Sarah Elise Room: STACKS — An accomplished sculptor and installation artist explores the state of our environment, pollution, climate change and our global future, using recycled and discarded plastic containers to create large sculptural pieces that reflect minerals natural and erosion.

Jon Hederwick: ONE CITY COMMUNITY UNIVERSITY: TALKING STORIES AND TALKING AS ADVOCACY — Educating people experiencing homelessness, precarious housing and economically marginalized members of our community to engage in writing, storytelling and the record.

Julia Hu?nh: nh?c xuân, ? day goes? do (SPRING MUSIC, HERE AND LÀ) — Exploration of Vietnamese migration and cultural preservation through reimagined archives, photographs, sounds and plants, leading to the creation of sound and video works.

Nicole Malbeuf: AIR ARTS: PRACTICE OF HAIR SUSPENSION — The circus performer explores “hair suspension” techniques, acts flying high in the air suspended solely by the performer’s long hair, through professional instruction, culminating to a workshop performance of a new performance piece.

Justin Million: CARRY IT ALL (POETRY MANUSCRIPT) – After years of performing and publishing collections with the Show and Tell Poetry series, the artist will research and write her first book-length poetry collection of unpublished works.

Irene Stamou: MEDIA, MEDUSA, CASSANDRA UNEARTHED — Experimenting with texts and designing theater for a new choreographic creation inspired by female archetypes found in ancient Greek theater and mythology.

Kate Suhr: GRACE — Development of a new autobiographical show that uses music and storytelling to depict the effects of addiction on children at home.

Ziysah von Bieberstein: MANUSCRIPT MENTORSHIP — Engage in professional editing, revision and consultation for the artist’s next manuscript and publication process, while simultaneously mentoring an emerging poet to develop their first self-published reading book.

PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION GRANTS FOR INDIVIDUAL PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS

Brad Brackenridge: THE LEAR PROJECT — Dance, puppetry and song come together for a theatrical production based on the life and work of Victorian absurdist poet Edward Lear (for presentation at Market Hall).

Jennifer Elchuk: TEMPERATURE AND EXPECTATION — Evolve their work with the flying “aerial canoe”, including the expansion of technical and storytelling techniques.

Karol Orzechowski: ENANTIODROMIA – Local musician Garbageface (Karol Orzechowski) is releasing a new album, exploring the polarized nature of our society, with a one-of-a-kind live performance at Theater On King in the fall of 2023, which will be documented for later digital release.

Kaz Rahman: EXPERIMENTAL DOCUMENTARY FILM: DIGITAL DERVISH (WORKING TITLE) – An experimental documentary featurette that mixes performance footage from the internationally touring Digital Dervish dance show, with interviews, truth-style footage and animated shots.

Elisha Rubacha: LOOP – Workshop process and performance underway at Theater on King for a play about ambiguous family history, intergenerational trauma, mental illness and fascism.

Matt Snell: FORTUNE COOKIE – In this unique and comedic short film, a man trying to live without a smartphone finds himself increasingly addicted to fortune cookies. A new work from this award-winning director.

Kate’s story: ANXIETY — A theatre/dance performance designed by a Governor General’s nominee of this artist exploring the Old English epic poem “Beowulf”, the current rise of white supremacy, language, the artist’s childhood and his father’s work as a Newfoundland lexicographer.

Lynda Todd: TAP: PLEASE TOUCH (TOUCH ART PROJECT) — Creating accessible tactile artwork designed for diverse audiences, including blind and visually impaired audience members, with live exhibition at the Mount Community Centre, online and on social networks.

Gillian Turnham: INTERLACED – The visual artist shares his explorations of traditional Islamic geometric art with three off-gallery pop-up exhibitions, connected to an online gallery with instructions for drawing each design using a ruler and a compass.

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