WaveMaker Grants, the re-granting initiative administered by Miami based non-profit Cannonball, announced its 2016 grantees this week. Fourteen WaveMaker Grants winners were selected from over 100 applicants. Each WaveMaker grantee was awarded up to $10,000 and $100,000 was awarded in total. Grants were made in three categories: New Work/Projects Grants support the creation and presentation of new work or projects that are artist-driven, artist-centric, and innovative in concept and form; Long-Haul Projects Grants support the continuation or completion of existing long-term projects; and R&D/Implementation Grants support research and development for ambitious new projects that require a longer planning period.
Launched in fall 2014, WaveMaker Grants brings critical support to the growing number of innovative, artist-driven endeavors in Miami-Dade County through a series of annual micro-grants totaling $100,000. The program is part of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts’ Regional Regranting Program, which aims to support vibrant, under-the-radar artistic activity by partnering with leading cultural institutions in communities. The growing network of re-granting programs includes organizations in Albuquerque, Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, New Orleans, Portland (OR), Portland (ME) and San Francisco.
Major support for WaveMaker Grants is also provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, and Wells Fargo
“The Warhol Foundation is delighted with the breadth and innovation of this year’s WaveMaker Grants winners. Cannonball has been a fantastic partner in our Regional Regranting Program, and we look forward to watching the 2016 projects come to fruition in Miami,” remarked James Bewley, Senior Program Officer of The Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts.
Grantees for the second cycle of WaveMaker Grants were selected by an independent juror panel of distinguished artists and arts professionals, including Meg Leary, Director of Programs, United States Artists; Diana Reichenbach, Professor of Animation, Maryland Institute College of Art; Felice Grodin, artist, Miami, FL and 2015 WaveMaker Grantee, and Rene Morales, Curator, Perez Art Museum Miami. The jurors selected the grant recipients based on the projects’ conceptual rigor and relevance to the local cultural, geographic, and socio-economic context, uniquely innovative and visionary impact on the local community, and the accessibility of the resulting project to the public.
The WaveMaker Grants 2016 winners are as follows:
New Work/Projects:
Agustina Woodgate for Wash. This $10,000 grant will support the production of Wash, a site-specific score and music video composed for a car wash.
April Dobbins for Alabamaland. A grant of $10,000 is awarded to support the creation of a 30-minute documentary film examining life on the farm over the course of two distinct seasons.
David Rohn for FELIZX. This $10,000 grant will support the creation of a performance-styled video on the life and work of deceased artist Felix Gonzalez Torres, during the last phase of his life spent on Miami Beach in the early 90's.
Michelle Weinberg for Moving Parts. A grant in the amount of $4,000 is awarded for the production of an original work of theater for a compact, portable stage.
Long-haul Projects:
Tom Virgin for Extra Virgin Press. This $10,000 grant supports the launch of the artist-run community space for the preservation of the art of letterpress printing.
Cara Despain for the sight of sound. A$10,000 grant will support the sight of sound, a project activating storm drains throughout downtown Miami with a series of audio recordings of South Florida wildlife and quotidian noises which are unexpected in such a context.
Andrew Horton for Fall Semester. This $10,000 grant supports the continuation of Fall Semester, an independent initiative for public discussion on contemporary society and culture.
Asif Farooq for Balalaika. This $10,000 grant will support the continued construction of Balalaika, a slightly-larger-than-life paper duplicate of a Soviet era MiG-21 jet fighter.
R&D/ Implementation:
Erin Elder for LOT. A grant of $6,000 is awarded for the implementation of LOT, which will activate vacant fenced lots in Miami.
Sofia Bastidas for Port to Port. This $4,000 grant is awarded to support the research of regional port cities in relation to the Port of Miami.
Elite Kedan for Alliance of the Southern Triangle. This $4,000 grant supports an experimental initiative exploring the ramifications of a speculative secession of South Florida from the State of Florida in light of current and projected State policy relating to climate change.
Susan Caraballo for The Cuba Project. This $4,000 grant is awarded for the organization of a platform for artists, curators and scholars about art from Cuba and the Cuban diaspora.
Michael Namkung for Dragan: Interviews on Drawing. This $4,000 grant is awarded to support Dragan: Interviews on Drawing, a monthly, cross-disciplinary online publication of archives, interviews, and drawings from drawing practitioners in South Florida and beyond.
Rodolfo Peraza for Pilgrim 2.0. This $4,000 grant is awarded for the research of Pilgrim 2.0, a conceptual work that explores the boundaries between data visualization and art made from data collection, creating a link between scientific infovis & data sublimation.