Past
Grantees

DANSPACE PROJECT, New York City, received a two-year grant of $57,000 in support of the participation of emerging choreographers in its Commissioning Initiative. The Danspace mission is to stimulate, promote and present challenging new work in dance from a broad range of artistic voices within a distinguished and nurturing environment. Jerome Foundation support enables Danspace Project to make commissions to support the creation and development of new work by emerging choreographers who will present that work at Danspace.

ELIZABETH MANDEL and BETH DAVENPORT were awarded support for their documentary film about the tense relationship between a Congolese woman named Rose Mapendo and her daughter Nangabire. In the late 1990s, Rose Mapendo lost her family and home to violence that engulfed the Democratic Republic of Congo. She emerged from the suffering as a strong advocate of forgiveness and reconciliation. In a country where politically engineered ethnic violence has created seemingly irreparable rifts among Tutsis, Hutus and other Congolese, this remarkable woman remains a compelling voice in the beleaguered nation's search for peace and harmony. Now, Rose is confronted with a new challenge, teaching one of her most recalcitrant students how to forgive-her own daughter Nangabire. The film tells the harrowing story of this extraordinary woman and her now 17-year-old daughter as they are reunited in the United States after 12 years and a lifetime of sorrow.

LIZA DAVITCH received a grant for Czar of Cinema, a documentary on the life and work of Al Milgrom, founder of the University Film Society and the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival. The 85-year-old Milgrom has devoted more than half his life to bringing obscure films and directors from around the world to Minnesota. He travels each year to international film festivals to find new films, most of which would otherwise not be seen in Minnesota. He is a legend in film circles worldwide, hailed as the Henry Langlois of the Midwest. He is also a cantankerous, grumpy old man. According to his family, these are character traits that began in his youth with the onslaught of Attention Deficit Disorder. The toll that both his onerous character and compulsive commitment to film has had on his family, friends and colleagues will be explored in the film. Czar of Cinema will be an intimate portrait that focuses on three aspects of Milgrom's life: film programmer, filmmaker and father.

DIXON PLACE (a.k.a. Open Channels), New York City, received a two-year grant of $57,000 in support of Mondo Cane! artists' commissions and Under Construction artists' fees. Jerome support is directed toward emerging creative artists based in New York City and/or Minnesota. Dixon Place, a laboratory for performing and literary artists, supports the creative process by presenting original work of theater, dance, music, puppetry, literature and performance art at all stages of development. Through Mondo Cane!, Dixon Place commissions artists or ensembles to develop and produce new works of theater and dance. Each receives a commission, designer, director, and performer fees; funds for production materials; free rehearsal space; technical staff; and marketing support. Under Construction presents new and developing work by innovative emerging artists, over 12 to 15 nights each month. The program features diverse disciplines and perspectives, and encourages risk taking in a supportive, intimate and professional environment.

THE DULUTH ART INSTITUTE, Duluth, Minnesota, received a grant of $13,720 in support of the participation of emerging artists in the Exhibition Program. The Institute is a multi-service non-collecting visual arts center whose mission is to enrich daily life with dynamic, innovative arts programming that upholds excellence and promotes active community participation. Its purpose is fulfilled through the program tracks of exhibitions, education and artists' services. The Exhibition Program nurtures the careers of regional emerging artists, inspires regional artists through exhibiting exemplary work from outside of the region and showcases the work of its region's seasoned professional artists. Exhibition programming features a broad spectrum of art forms and mirrors the artistic activity of the region. Jerome support responds to the significant commitment of the Institute to emerging artists.

A grant of $14,000 was authorized for the DULUTH ART INSTITUTE, Duluth, Minnesota, in support of the participation of emerging artists in the Exhibition Program. The mission of the Institute is to enrich daily life with dynamic, innovative arts programming. The Institute operates three program strands: exhibitions, education and artists' services. One of the primary purposes of the Exhibition Program is to nurture the careers of regional emerging artists. Individuals and groups may submit exhibition proposals and work samples to the Institute. An Artist Search Committee aids in identifying artists. Some of the exhibitions are invitational and some are thematic. The Institute has a longstanding commitment to the artists of its region and a growing commitment to identifying emerging artists in that region whose works are a vibrant part of the Exhibition Program.

KATJA ESSON, Brooklyn, New York, will travel to the Kanatsiohareke Mohawk Community on the Akwesasne Reservation, to reach a deeper knowledge and understanding of the Mohawk people: their past, culture and everyday life in the 21st century. In 2003, Esson began Skydancer, a documentary project about the Mohawk Indian tradition of iron working and a spiritual reflection on a people building the cities of the future while rebuilding their own traditions. She is investigating a new type of documentary and has made specific inroads with the Kanatsiohareke Mohawk.

EYEBEAM, New York City, received $14,700 in support of the residencies of emerging New York City-based artists in the Artists @ Eyebeam residency program. Eyebeam is an art and technology center that supports the creation and presentation of art works produced with digital technologies; expands the public's appreciation of new media and art through public programs for all ages; improves artists' access to digital tools; and researches and develops new technologies that will catalyze the creation of these tools and artworks. Jerome support is directed toward the participation of emerging New York City-based artists in the Artists @ Eyebeam program, in residencies lasting three to six months, with stipends, access to facilities, laboratories, equipment and other resources. An open call and selection process takes place twice a year to select artists.

FilmNorth (formerly Independent Filmmaker Project Minnesota), St. Paul, Minnesota, on behalf of itself and consortium partners Walker Art Center Film/Video Program, Twin Cities Public Television and Intermedia Arts, received a two-year grant of $66,000 in support of the television broadcast series MNTV. IFP Minnesota, a center for media art, advances a vibrant and diverse community of independent film and media artists through networking, education, funding and opportunities for showcasing their works. MNTV's mission is to provide a television broadcast venue for makers of film and video work, and to nurture an audience for this work. This series nurtures creativity, advances difficult issues, allows creative risks and represents non-mainstream point of views. Aired on Twin Cities Public Television, MNTV involves three hour-long episodes that highlight new and creative short films made within the last 18 months by Minnesota filmmakers. The curated programs are augmented by interstitial materials that feature interviews with the filmmakers and profiles of individuals, activities and organizations that contribute to a vibrant filmmaking community in Minnesota.

FilmNorth (formerly Independent Filmmaker Project Minnesota), St. Paul, Minnesota, received $20,000 in support of programs and services for emerging film and video artists, with half of the grant funds designated for subsidized access to production and editing equipment. IFP Minnesota, a center for media arts, supports and promotes the work of artists who create screenplays, film, video and photography in the Midwest. IFP Minnesota serves emerging artists by offering opportunities to gain and develop skills, providing accessible equipment and facilities, enabling artistic and financial success, ensuring access to technological tools, and increasing audiences for their work.

FIVEMYLES, Brooklyn, New York, received $7,840 to support the participation of emerging artists in the 2008-09 Visual Arts Program. FiveMyles, founded by curator and performance artist Hanne Tierney, is an exhibition and performance space with a threefold mission: to advance public interest in innovative and experimental art work, to identify and exhibit the work of under-represented and emerging artists, and to engage the local community through participation in the arts. The Visual Arts Program encompasses four to six exhibitions each season, many of which include emerging artists. Nearly all of the work shown is selected through artist studio visits by the curators. Jerome dollars support the selection and exhibition of works by emerging artists.

FORECAST PUBLIC ART, St. Paul, Minnesota, received $31,800 to support the Artist Grant Program. The mission of Forecast is to strengthen and advance the field of public art locally, nationally and internationally, by expanding participation, supporting artists, informing audiences and assisting communities. Emerging artists seeking support for the development and production of works of public art submit applications that are reviewed by independent panels. The program has grown and evolved to reflect the changing needs of artists as well as capitalize on opportunities and interests within communities throughout the State. The three categories of the Grant Program include research and development awards for artists to develop concepts and designs, research and negotiate sites, connect with community stakeholders and create renderings and models. The second category provides larger awards to artists to create temporary or permanent public art works. The third category subsidizes the creation and installation of new works for sites along the University Avenue corridor connecting Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Jerome Foundation Directors authorized a grant of $24,000 to THE FOUNDRY THEATRE, New York City, in support of the creation and production of new works by emerging artists. Created in 1994, The Foundry Theatre is a cross between a producing theatre and an artists' think tank. It commissions, develops, premieres and tours theatre works in tandem with dialogue events that bring artists together with other public thinkers to investigate issues of contemporary resonance. Jerome subsidy is directed to the creation, development and production of works created by emerging artists. The Foundry's investment in works and artists outside of the theatrical mainstream; its commitment to emerging artists; its attentive, long-term developmental strategies and the breadth of its curatorial vision distinguish its work.

THE FOUNDRY THEATRE, New York City, received $23,520 in support of the creation and production of new works by emerging artists based in New York City and/or Minnesota in the 2008-09 season. The mission of the Foundry is to assemble a community of artists with revolutionary ideas for the theatre and the world in which it is situated. The Foundry commissions, develops, premieres and tours new theatrical works in tandem with public dialogues that bring artists together with public thinkers to formulate new questions for these changing times. Jerome funding will be directed to the production of one premiere, developmental projects and commissions. The Foundry values the germination of an idea and attentive nurturing through a thoughtful process, placing a high value on work that challenges form.

FRANKLIN ART WORKS, Minneapolis, Minnesota, received $20,580 to support the participation of emerging artists in the 2008-09 exhibition season. Its mission is to present cutting-edge contemporary work by emerging artists from Minnesota and New York City. There is an annual series of 15 one-person exhibitions presented in three galleries, arts education programming and collaborative projects. The exhibition program commissions and presents innovative, high quality work by diverse artists whose careers are at various stages of emerging.

FRANKLIN FURNACE, Brooklyn, New York, received a two-year grant of $80,000 in support of the Franklin Furnace Fund. The mission of Franklin Furnace is to present, preserve, interpret, proselytize and advocate on behalf of avant-garde art, especially forms that may be vulnerable due to institutional neglect, their ephemeral nature or politically popular content. Merging two previous programs, The Future of the Present and the Fund for Performance Art, Franklin Furnace is now offering one program that provides grant support to emerging experimental artists. The fund is open to artists creating work in performance, emerging technologies and variable media art. A majority of the artists receiving support will be based in New York City and Minnesota. This is an open application process with selections made by an independent panel.

AKIVA FREIDLIN, Brooklyn, New York, will travel to Cherokee, North Carolina, to conduct interviews and gather information about the developing tourism economy of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, in order to document the political and cultural effects of the marketing of Cherokee history and culture. He will interview key figures, conduct research at cultural sites and attend Cherokee tourism events. This will feed the development of a long narrative nonfiction piece.

ARACELIS, GIRMAY, Brooklyn, New York, will travel to Eritrea to explore Eritrean history as it relates to war, memory, art, hybridness and mythologies. Girmay will begin work on a new and experimental collection of poems and essays. She will gather pieces of experiences, stories, voices, answers, questions and reference points.

THE GIVENS FOUNDATION FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE, Minneapolis, Minnesota, received a grant of $18,000 to support the Givens Black Writers Collaborative Retreat. The Givens Foundation works to enrich cultural understanding through programs that promote and celebrate African American literature and writers. The Retreat is a four-day writing and critique immersion program for ten emerging African American writers working in a diversity of genres, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting and spoken word. The purpose is to provide mentoring and peer support for the writing life, the honing of literary craft and the creation of new works. Writers will engage in a structured mentorship with two established writers, one national and one local, leading workshops and meeting one-on-one with participants to review and discuss their work and progress.

SAMANTHA Y. GOODNER, Minneapolis, Minnesota, will spend three months in the Yunnan Province of China, to research a network of relationships among petty bureaucrats and low-level schoolteachers posted to rural or remote locations. Through focused immersion, she will gain impressions and information to inform a semi-fictional narrative on which to base her next film. She will discuss her proposed work with filmmakers in Kunming, and pursue collaborative relationships.