The CityArtist program supports Seattle-based individual artists/curators in the research, development, and presentation of their work. The 2022 cycle accepted proposals in Literary (including Screenwriting), Media/Film, and Visual Arts. Requested amounts available are $2,000, $5,000, or $8,000. All projects and public event(s) will be produced within two years of being awarded.
A total of 215 applications were received. The 2022 CityArtist panel selected 25 awards with total funding of $185,000.
Meet the 2022 CityArtist Artists
roldy aguero ablao
Create four regalia/wearable garments for a 7-minute fashion film that express and celebrate the queer CHamoru experience featuring nine artists. This work will culminate in a live/virtual public screening.
$8,000
Ebo Barton
Rehearse, present, and record an hour-long mix of original spoken word performances by three artists focused on Insubordinate, Ebo Barton’s first collection of work.
$8,000
Kamari Bright
Research, film, edit, and complete a 5-minute narrative poem video with three artists that speculates on the effect of societal trauma on land connection/stewardship. This work will culminate in a live public preview with a discussion.
$8,000
Dakota Alcantara-Camacho
Produce three short dance films with six Matao/CHamoru artists detailing their healing process centered on storytelling and their practices from a history of oppression. This is part of a larger project with many iterative components that will culminate in a public screening and talk.
$8,000
Brian Dang
Complete and present a manuscript of 20 poems and letters – three of which will be in Cantonese — exploring how to bridge intergenerational distance via language. Two collaborating poets with common dual language barriers will create poems that culminate in a public group reading.
$5,000
Calvin Gimpelevich
Research, write, and complete the first draft of queer historical fiction of 50,000 words about Queen Christina of Sweden that culminates in a public reading with two artists.
$8,000
Emily Holt
Complete a final draft collection of 10 essays from five artists about loss/grieving for all ages with five artists that culminates in a group reading and public workshop.
$5,000
June Ivers
Research, shoot, and produce one 5-minute multimedia video with four artists using abstract visuals that trace an ancestor who was a revolutionist during Japanese occupation in 1950s. This work will culminate in a public screening and talk.
$8,000
Michelle Kumata
Create, install, and present 15 small to large-scale new acrylic/mixed media pieces that commemorate the 80th anniversary and legacy of Executive Order 9066. This order resulted in the forced removal and incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans form the west coast of the U.S. This work will culminate in a solo public exhibition and college class tour.
$8,000
Fulgencio Lazo
Produce six large-scale wooden/metal sculptures to display in celebration of the Day of the Dead public festival with a bilingual artist talk.
$8,000
Morgan Madison
Design and create three medium-sized sculptural pieces using materials ubiquitous to built environments like concrete, glass, wool, steel, and bricks. These sculptures will create an accessible and engaging visual architectural language that diverges into the fantastical realm. This work will culminate in a public exhibition.
$5,000
Natasha Marin
Curate, publish, and present “BLACK POWERFUL”, a book with over 200 pages about Black liberation featuring 20 local artists/voices and global intersectional, intergenerational Black folks/artists from the diaspora. This work will culminate in a multi-disciplinary event featuring local artists.
$8,000
Ricki Mason
Develop, rehearse, and present a 25-minute virtual and 45-minute live country/western music performance with five artists. It will mirror The Judds and explore themes of homophobia (externalized/internalized), racism, American nostalgia, patriotism, “tolerance,” and what it means to be “good” through country parody songs. This work will culminate in live and virtual events.
$8,000
Kate Miller
Research, develop, and present a new medium-scale, mixed media work exploring mining extraction processes and their socioecological impacts. The work aims to raise awareness about raw materials used in our daily lives and related uses for rapid growth and technology via a public exhibit.
$8,000
Haruko (Crow) Nishimura
Film, edit, and act in a 20-minute film with four artists focused on cultural sensibilities, Shinto, and the natural world. The work will culminate in a public screening.
$8,000
David Quantic
Complete an hour-long podcast and a 5-minute documentary focused on queer coming-of-age/ways queer people discover their sexual preferences. The work will culminate in a hybrid, public and virtual screening.
$8,000
Tivon Rice
Complete and present a multimedia installation related to digital communication in collaboration with five artists using sound, text-based art, video, and performance for a public event and workshop. Recognizing many A.I. and machine-learning tools are based on English datasets, the installation is designed to prevent exclusion of non-English speakers from Spanish-speaking countries.
$8,000
Sudeshna Sen
Complete the post-production phase of a 90-minute film including 50 artists with themes of loss and grief focused on multiple generations, strength of community, and sweetness of childhood friendships. The work will culminate in a community presentation and public screening.
$5,000
Lynne Siefert
Develop and film an hour-long experimental documentary with three artists in Arizona that envisions and explores a near-future world where night becomes a place of natural refuge while adapting to extreme heat. The work will culminate in a live public/virtual screening of film with a closing Q&A session plus a second and longer installation screening at a gallery.
$8,000
Ellen Sollod
Complete and produce an edition of 50 small-scale, approximately 80-page-length, hardbound artist books titled “The Book of Small Regrets” with drawings, photographs, and text. It was conceived in response to the forced isolation of COVID when small slights seem catastrophic. The work will culminate in a community presentation and a public event.
$5,000
Francine Strickwerda
Film and edit the closing 10-minute segment of an hour-long feature documentary with three artists about Seattle school counselor Jamshid Khajavi who coaches immigrant/refugee children in the world’s largest Ultimate Frisbee tournament. The work will culminate in a work-in-progress public screening including a Q&A session.
$8,000
Shann Thomas
Photograph and produce eight large portraits of homeless LGBTQ+ youth using artificial/strobe lighting. Images will be informed by and will reflect rapport-building sessions with youth and agency staff that convey their individuality. The work will culminate in a public exhibition.
$8,000
Timea Tihanyi
Research and develop a new multidisciplinary installation with a performance/digital artist comprised of medium-to-large ceramic pieces, digital art, 3D printing, textile practices, and movement. The installation focuses on an embodied, human-centered approach to coexisting with technology. The work will culminate in a public gallery exhibition with Spanish subtitles.
$8,000
Adrienne von Wolffersdorff
Film and edit five videos consisting of 5-minute conversational interviews with a graphics/digital artist and women experiencing miscarriages. The work will culminate in a podcast, website, and one public screening.
$8,000
Christopher Woon-Chen
Design and complete two 7-minute animation components as an opener for a feature documentary film with three artists. The film focuses on a 5-year-old son’s survivor’s grief and remembrance of the 1995 murders of his Filipina mother and two friends, who were shot by her estranged husband during divorce court proceedings. The work will also be combined with immigrant women’s stories. The work will culminate in a public screening of the animation and film clips with an artists talk.
$8,000
