May 16. Twenty-five individuals that live and work in Mecklenburg County will receive a combined $71,500 in funding through ASC’s new Creative Mecklenburg Grant program.

The grants support professional and artistic development for emerging and established artists to enhance their skills and abilities to create work or to improve their business operations and capacity to bring their work to new audiences. Funded projects include:

–The creation of new work

– The purchase of equipment and materials

– Professional development workshops

– Travel support for expenses associated with a professional opportunity such as participating in an exhibition or a conference

– Development or upgrading of promotional materials.

The grants were open to Mecklenburg County-based artists of all disciplines and provide funding of up to $3,000.

Giovanna Torres

Cine Casual, an online outlet for Latin American film enthusiasts, received the maximum amount, a $3,000 grant to attend the San Francisco Latino Film Festival in October 2023 and meet with Cine+Más, the organizers of the festival. Cine Casual founders Giovanna Torres and Alexander Piñeres live in Huntersville.

Other recipients:

Nancy Albert – $2,250 to support photographic documentation of change in a Charlotte neighborhood.

Nico Amortegui – $2,500 to support “Concrete Dreams,” a deep dive into large scale concrete forms.

Darrell Anderson – $3,000 to secure studio space to run a fashion business and produce a new fashion collection.

Brett Beasley – $3,000 to purchase a Northstar extruder to aid in the creation of handles for ceramic pieces in order to create sustainability, increase production and allow for the exploration of new techniques in creative practice.

Sheryl Brodie – $3,000 to learn metal weaving techniques to elevate portrait painting.

Melinda Bugaiski – $2,035.86 to support a debut self-recorded album entitled “Night and Day.”

Jessica Caviness – $3,000 to create and promote Jess and Rae’s debut album, “Bloom.”

Friday’s Dope – $3,000 to support the production and release of a third music project, “Courtesy Flush v.I,” a compelling exploration of capitalism slated to release in late summer 2023.

Richard Dewey – $3,000 to support Sumi-e ink wash painting.

Dionne D. Hunter – $3,000 to adapt a short story into an audiobook and improve the writer’s internet presence.

Nicole Driscoll – $2,370 to produce a photographic gif series that showcases the journey of fat bodies through a narrative of rebirth and renewal, capturing the beauty and power of transformation.

Christine Dryden – $3,000 to attend a workshop in Arizona for instruction in plein air painting, figure and light.

Blake Edwards – $3,000 to help cover professional editing services and publishing costs for the children’s book “Brave Young Samson.”

Blasdimil Gomez Jr. – $2,800 for a project that will enhance the technological capabilities of Gomez’s artistic practice.

Mary Hamby – $2,745 to purchase and set up a metalsmithing bench.

Dylan Lloyd – $3,000 to hire a local website developer to create and launch the artist’s first professional website and hire a local photographer to get updated headshots for the website.

LaDara McKinnon – $3,000 to attend the Harding Art Show in Nashville, Tenn.

Bryant Portwood – $3,000 to create an online store and bring in more sustainable income as well as to pay for art supplies to continue developing a current body of work.

Tamela Rich – $3,000 to attend the Kenyon Review Writing Workshop and the Appalachian Writers’ Workshop.

Ian Shuler – $3,000 for a short film/music video intended to instill faith in self-expression.

Janeva Tyree – $3,000 to fund the creation of a new body of work which will focus on color exploration, self-discovery and evoking emotion, which will be displayed in a gallery show.

Danielle Walcott – $3,000 to attend continuing education training for professional development in audio engineering to learn and understand the artistic and operational concepts of music recording and postproduction editing techniques.

Tamara Williams – $3,000 to support travel to Benin and Nigeria in 2024 to research traditional Yoruba dances.

Luciano Xavier da Silva $2,800 to support the purchase of technological equipment for music production.