Announcing the 2022 Grants for Artists’ Progress (GAP) Recipients!

Published: December 8, 2022

Categories: Artists | Featured | Grants & Fellowships

We are proud to announce the recipients of the 2022 Grants for Artists’ Progress (GAP)! A total of $97,500 will be directly invested in 65 Washington State artists through unrestricted project-based grants of $1,500 each. Congratulations to this amazing cohort of artists from across the state! "We are thrilled to have increased our reach to artists from every corner of Washington State through this year's GAP program," said Mariella Luz, Artist Trust's Board President. "These 65 brilliant artists are only a small reflection of their creative communities, and we hope this funding helps them continue expanding their inspiring work." This year’s recipients represent the most geographically diverse GAP cohort in the award’s 33-year history, with funding reaching artists living and working across all of Washington State! Over half of the awards were distributed to artists working in rural areas, including counties never-before reached through our GAP program. Okanogan visual artist Salyna Gracie shared that “as an artist living in a rural, underserved community east of the North Cascades, there are inevitably less resources and opportunities for working artists. I am so grateful that Artist Trust has targeted communities like mine and made the GAP opportunity more equitable for all WA state artists, not just those in urban areas. This grant gives me a much-need boost to expand my creative practice and grow as an artist, even from my tiny perch in Twisp.” “When I was told that I was getting this award, I was shocked and then so, so grateful,” said Chelan literary artist T.L. Timpe, “To have someone believe in you and your work is amazing, and I feel so empowered and validated, to be quite honest with you. I consider this award the start of something BIG, and it has motivated me to work even harder at my craft.”

Congratulations to the 2022 GAP Recipients! Natasha Alphonse, Visual, King County Samantha Alvarez, Multidisciplinary, Yakima County Ally Ang, Literary, King County Nacala Ayele, Multidisciplinary, King County Janice Baker, Visual, Yakima County Douglas Burgess, Visual, Pierce County Nancy Burgess, Visual, Pierce County Michael Caemmerer, Performing, Chelan County Hana Choi, Literary, King County Michael Collazo, Visual, Clark County Seth Collier, Visual, Spokane County Linda Cooper, Literary, Kittitas County Jo Cosme, Multidisciplinary, King County Ryan Craig, Media, Yakima County Kiana Davis, Literary, King County Dennis DeHart, Visual, Whitman County Chris Dickey, Performing, Whitman County Jan Dove, Visual, Clallam County Tammie Dupuis, Visual, Kitsap County Denise Emerson, Visual, King County Ayn Gailey, Literary, San Juan County Maura García, Performing, Spokane County Al Gilliom, Performing, Mason County Salyna Gracie, Visual, Okanogan County Danielle Hayden, Literary, Snohomish County Denita Holmes, Visual, Kitsap County Kyung Hee Im, Visual, Kittitas County Victor Janusz, Performing, King County Kasey Koski, Visual, Chelan County Cheryll Leo-Gwin, Visual, King County Marina Lotus, Multidisciplinary, Pierce County Aaron Loving, Performing, Spokane County Robert McKirdie, Visual, Spokane County Mana Mehrabian, Visual, Whitman County Simeon Mills, Literary, Spokane County Natasha Moni, Literary, Klickitat County Elizabeth Montes de Oca, Visual, Yakima County Naoko Morisawa, Visual, Snohomish County Gloria Muhammad, Literary, Pierce County Dan Nanamkin, Multidisciplinary, Okanogan County Jeseul Oh, Performing, King County Beverly Owens, Multidisciplinary, Lewis County James Pakootas, Performing, Spokane County Shephali Patel, Performing, Lewis County Jessica Plumb, Media, Jefferson County Rubin Quarcoopome, Visual, King County J.R. Rhodes, Performing, King County Ashleigh Rogers, Visual, Benton County Lorna Rose, Literary, Chelan County Devin Sampson, Media, Yakima County Claire Sianna Seaman, Media, Chelan County Kenya Shakoor, Visual, Pierce County Juliet Shen, Visual, King County Jasmine Smith, Literary, King County Kathryn Smith, Literary, Spokane County Emily Somoskey, Visual, Walla Walla County T.L. Timpe, Literary, Chelan County Po-Yan Tsang, Visual, King County Emily Van Kley, Multidisciplinary, Thurston County Hannah Viano, Visual, Okanogan County Robert Wade, Visual, King County Rene Westbrook, Visual, Thurston County Lisbeth White, Literary, Jefferson County Er Zhang, Performing, Thurston County Parmida Ziaei, Performing, King County

The 2022 Grants for Artists’ Progress (GAP) program was created in response to feedback from Washington’s artist community, in collaboration with national and statewide partners, Artist Trust’s Strategic Vision and Racial Equity Committees, Board of Trustees, and staff. With this new iteration of GAP, we saw an opportunity to widen support of artists of all backgrounds living in areas of Washington State. Through conversations with artists, we learned of the need to build more genuine connections across the state, especially with BIPOC and rural artists. Artists also expressed that they wanted their initiatives and creative projects to be the driving factor of the process. As a result, eligibility for this year’s GAP used an intersectional approach with the goal to reach artists working in all disciplines across Washington State, with specific focus on artists who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) within King County. 2022 GAP was adjudicated and distributed regionally, with recipients from West, North Central, South Central, East, and Puget Sound (outside of King County), and BIPOC recipients within King County. “I am so grateful and honored to be one of the recipients of the GAP award,” said Kittitas visual artist Kyung Hee Im, “This award will help me to build my confidence as an artist. Also, this will motivate me to push harder to create artworks that I can share with communities and make me a worthy person as an artist and an educator.”

2022 GAP Selection Panelists

Camas Logue, Swinomish Nation/Skagit County H.R. Emi, Yakima County Betania, Chelan County Cristina Romento, Jefferson County Sharma Shields, Spokane County Thank you to our 2022 GAP artist focus group (Syd Arrojo, H.R. Emi, Shantell Jackson, Io Palmer, and Tamiko Nimura) and to thought partners in Artist Trust’s Strategic Vision and Racial Equity committees. This work was made possible thanks to generous support from Warner Media, funded by AT&T, along with Artist Trust’s individual donor community. No public dollars were used to fund this program.

About Artist Trust Artist Trust is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to support and encourage individual artists working in all disciplines to enrich community life throughout Washington State. Since its founding in 1986, Artist Trust has invested more than $15 million in individual artists through its grants and professional-development programs. As a fundraising organization, Artist Trust relies on numerous individuals and community partners to make its support for artists possible each year. Learn more at artisttrust.org.

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