Poetry Out Loud 2022 took place May 8-10 at Lisner Auditorium in Washington, DC. Sreepadaarchana Munjuluri, a junior at Columbus North High School in Indiana was named the Poetry Out Loud National Champion with Edward Wilson Jr., a senior at Jackson Preparatory School in Mississippi taking second and Madison Harris, a freshman at Indian Creek School in Crownsville, Maryland clinching third. The other six national finalists were Victoria Laine Jelks (Kansas), Stella Wright (Minnesota), Wica-ta-wi Hoksina Brown (Montana), Abby Sullivan (North Carolina), Mariam Botana de Armas (Texas), and Morgan Sprouse (West Virginia). Each will receive a $1,000 prize.

In addition to the Poetry Out Loud recitation contest, all 54 state champions had the opportunity to submit either an original written poem or spoken-word piece to be judged by poet Mahogany Browne through the Poetry Ourselves component of the competition. Natasha B. Connolly from Rhode Island won for her original written poem and Stella Wright from Minnesota won for spoken-word.

The 2023 National Finals were hosted by actress Joy Sunday with musical guest Alisa Amador.

Poetry Out Loud annually involves over 300,000 students from schools across the U.S. Students compete at the school, various regional, and state levels before one student from each state progresses to the National Finals in Washington, DC each spring. Mid Atlantic Arts produces the three days of events that make up the National Finals competition.

Photo: The top three Poetry Out Loud National finalists. From left: Madison Harris, Edward Wilson Jr., and Sreepadaarchana Munjuluri. Credit: James Kegley Photography.

The 2023 Disability Justice Virtual Resource series is part of an ongoing effort by Americans for the Arts (AFTA) and Mid Atlantic Arts to provide resources to support individuals and organizations in the mid-Atlantic region engaging in the essential work of accessibility and disability justice in their communities.

The pre-recorded videos and live conversations focus on intersectionality, accountability, and budgeting through a disability justice lens.

View the pre-recorded videos on your own time, and feel free to share them with your networks! Then, if you want to keep the conversation going, join us for a candid live conversation on each topic. Live conversations will not be recorded, and there are registration caps– so sign up today! ASL interpretation and live captioning will be provided for live conversations.

The final webinar of the series is taking place on Friday, May 19, 2023.

Budgeting & Disability Justice

View the recorded conversation & register for the live conversation at this link.

First, listen to Vanessa Cruz and Beth Prevor discuss, in a pre-recorded 30-minute video, how an organization can be proactive in addressing accessibility and disability justice in their budget.

Then, join Vanessa and Beth for a live conversation on May 19, 2023 at 2 PM ET!

Please only register for the live conversation if you plan to attend as there is a 50-person cap on registration.

Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects Grants - Applications Due June 6, 2023

Mid Atlantic Arts’ Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects grants fund projects designed to support the vitality of traditional arts and cultural communities in the mid-Atlantic region. Non-profit organizations in DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA, VA, USVI, PR, or WV which seek to engage folk and traditional artists, practitioners, or culture bearers in community-based projects are eligible for funding in amounts from $1,000 to $7,000.

The Federal Valley Resource Center (FVRC) in Athens, Ohio, in partnership with a group of local folk arts and culture organizations and traditional artists, has announced a series of five community events focused on "living traditions" with support from Mid Atlantic Arts' Central Appalachia Living Traditions (CALT) program.

The CALT Folk Arts and Culture Community Anchors Initiative provides targeted resources and support to select community anchors of folk arts and culture in the region with the goal of dramatically impacting the sustainability of traditional practice and cultural knowledge. Three participant communities, including Athens, OH, were identified in consultation with state folklife program partners and other constituents. A Community Folk Art and Culture Team is leading project planning and implementation of a Community Folk Arts and Culture Plan that details strategies and activities to increase the sustainability of folk arts and culture in Athens County.

FVRC is seeking practitioners of living traditions in Athens County to perform, conduct workshops, or provide lectures/demonstrations on their practices the last Saturday of each month May-September. Traditions include, but are not limited to, weaving, quilting, food preservation, blacksmithing, dancing, music, and woodcraft. The event locations were chosen based on area school districts, and are tentatively scheduled as follows:

● May 27th - Albany Fairground (Alexander school district)

● June 24th - The Plains and Uptown Athens (Athens school district)

● July 29th - Glouster (Trimble school district)

● August 26th - Nelsonville (Nelsonville York school district)

● September 30th - Federal Valley Resource Center (Federal Hocking Local school district)

Interested artists, or those who know of folk and traditional artists in their communities, can email livingtraditionsathens@gmail.com.

You can find updates about the event series on social media @LivingTraditionsAthens.

Image: Old Savannah to Tablertown event. Credit: Courtesy Talcon Quinn.

Jazz artists! The next application cycle for Jazz Road Tours grants is now open. You can receive up to $15,000 to tour your work and connect with audiences across the country. The next application deadline is June 15. Visit the South Arts site for details start your application today.

Please join us in welcoming Stephanie Reyes, as our new Program Associate, Fellowships and International! Steph will be providing support for the Delaware and New Jersey Individual Artist Fellowships and our international programs - Iber Exchange, Performing Arts Global Exchange, and USArtist International.

Steph has experience working with various nonprofits including her most recent position with the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts as a program coordinator. Steph’s education includes a BA in Dance and a MGA in European Devised Performance Practice from Columbia College in Chicago, IL.

You can reach Steph at 410.539.6656 x118 or sreyes@midatlanticarts.org.

Opportunity Quick Links

• The Lewis Prize for Music invites applications for the 2024 Accelerator Awards. Through the program, multiyear awards of $500,000 each will be awarded to creative youth development music organizations seeking to influence youth-serving systems so that all young people have access to learning, creating, and performing experiences that reflect their culture and identity. By applying for the Accelerator Awards, organizations are also eligible for funding ranging from $15,000 to $75,000. Deadline: June 2, 2023

• The Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Initiative grant program is designed to fund visual art on roadways, pedestrian spaces, and city public infrastructure. Through the program, 20 cities will be awarded grants of up to $25,000 each and on-call technical assistance from the tactical urbanism firm Street Plans. The grant program is open to all cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Deadline: June 12, 2023.

• The Prairie Ronde Artist Residency, hosted by The Mill at Vicksburg, aims to offer independently driven artists to explore and grow their craft while creatively engaging with the space. The artist residency program is not limited to any specific medium but seeks diverse artists who can creatively interact with The Mill. Fall residencies will be held from September 15, 2023, through December 15, 2023. Deadline: June 15, 2023.

• McLean Project for the Arts currently seeks submissions for the 17th Annual MPAartfest, a one-day juried fine art and craft show and sale featuring the work of more than 40 local and regional visual artists. This year’s festival will take place on Sunday, October 1, 2023 from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm in McLean Central Park. Artists retain 100 percent of in-park sales. MPAartfest 2023 is made possible with the help of the McLean Community Center, and their partnership with the Fairfax County Park Authority. Deadline: June 17, 2023.

• Grand Canyon Conservancy's Artist-in-Residence program supports contemporary solo artists who wish to contribute to the cultural and aesthetic legacy of Grand Canyon. The Artist-in-Residence program is directly tied to the National Park Service's priority of expanding equity and inclusion through storytelling and the Grand Canyon Conservancy's mission "to inspire generations of park champions and to cherish and support the natural and cultural wonder of Grand Canyon." Deadline: July 31, 2023.

Image: Arden Concert Guild (DE) hosted Dakhabrakha (Ukraine) with support from the Special Presenter Initiatives in October 2022. Credit: Joe Del Tufo.