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This month, 12th grader Niveah Glover of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida was named the 2024 Poetry Out Loud Champion! She will receive a $20,000 prize as the National Champion.
The second and third place 2024 winners are 10th grader Tiana Renee Jones of Whitefield Academy in Georgia, and 10th grader Nyla Dinkins of Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, DC. They will receive a $10,000 and $5,000 prize, respectively.
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The other six national finalists will receive a $1,000 prize. They are:
Grisham Locke (Louisiana)
Ariana Kimball (Minnesota)
Jessie Leitzel (South Carolina)
Grace Powell (South Dakota)
Oluwabori Fadairo (Texas)
Willow Peyton (West Virginia)
Additionally, the schools and organizations representing all nine finalists will receive $500 to purchase materials for poetry. A big round of applause to all finalists!
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(Left to right): 3rd place winner Nyla Dinkins from Washington, DC; 1st place winner Niveah Glover from Florida; and 2nd place winner Tiana Renee Jones from Georgia. Credit: James Kegley. | |
National Leaders of Color Fellows Spotlight | |
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Annie Y. Saldaña and the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico's (MAPR) Community Development Initiative
The Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico (MAPR) announced a new Creative Community Development Center (CEDE) and artist-in-residence initiative, led by 2022-2023 National Leaders of Color Fellow, Annie Y. Saldaña, and MAPR Director Dr. María Cristina Gaztambide. This initiative offers support to artists and workers in Puerto Rico's creative industry.
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We spoke with Annie to hear about the creation of the CEDE initiative and the needs of Puerto Rico's creative communities. | |
Dr. María Cristina Gaztambide and Annie Y. Saldaña. | |
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National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) Fellows
In February, the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) announced their 2024 Advocacy Leadership Institute Fellows. Among them is 2023-2024 National Leaders of Color Fellow, Pablo Regis de Oliveira!
Pablo and the other NALAC Fellows will take part in a virtual program focused on advocacy and policy actions for arts and cultural workers, then convene in Washington, DC to meet with arts industry leaders, including federal arts agencies, Smithsonian leaders, and Congressional representatives.
Learn more about the NALAC Fellows here.
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Fabiola R. Delgado, 2022-2023 National Leaders of Color Fellow, curated a new exhibition opening at the DC Arts Center on Friday, May 31.
Between, Through, Across showcases diasporic identities, migration, memory, and belonging through ten different artists. This project was a part of Delgado's work as a Mentor Curator for the DC Arts Center's Curatorial Initiative.
The opening reception takes place on Friday, May 21 from 7-9pm ET at the DC Arts Center. The exhibit will be on display until June 30, 2024.
Learn more here.
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Program Updates and Opportunities | |
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Mid Atlantic Tours Roster Artist Interest Form
The 2025-2026 Roster Artist Interest Form for Mid Atlantic Tours is coming soon!
Tour-ready performing artists based in one of Mid Atlantic Arts' ten regional states/jurisdictions are invited to join a webinar (register at this link!) to learn about the Roster Artist Interest Form process for the FY26 Mid Atlantic Tours program.
The Roster Artist Interest Form is not a grant application, and selection to the Mid Atlantic Tours roster does not constitute a grant award from Mid Atlantic Arts. Artists selected to the roster will work with a tour manager (engaged by the artist) and Mid Atlantic Arts staff to determine subsidy awards made directly to presenters in the mid-Atlantic region for presentation of the roster artist for projects touring between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.
The FY26 Roster Artist Interest Form will be open for submissions from Wednesday, May 29 - Monday, June 24, 2024.
Learn more about Mid Atlantic Tours here.
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Every day, we are inspired by the creativity, boldness, and dedication of the artists, partners, and organizations that call our region home.
Your generous donation to Mid Atlantic Arts is crucial in nurturing creativity. By supporting us, you ensure that vital funds reach artists and organizations in need through a variety of grant opportunities and services.
Thanks to supporters like you, last year alone over 450 artists and organizations received grants from Mid Atlantic Arts, empowering them to continue their valuable work. With a cumulative total of $3.8 million in funds redistributed, we’ve made a significant impact—but there’s still more to be done.
Join us in fostering a thriving, creative community by helping us reach our $10,000 goal. Make a gift today!
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Image: Mid Atlantic Arts supported artist, BANDALOOP. Credit: Basil Tsimoyianis. | |
AAPI and Jewish Heritage Month | |
May is both Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, and Jewish Heritage Month! This May, we celebrate only some of the many AAPI and Jewish artists and cultural workers who make up our region's artistic ecosystem. | |
Parangal Dance Company is a Bay Area-based Filipino Folk Dance and Music Company. They perform globally, host workshops to raise awareness of Filipino folk culture, and emphasize the continuity of indigenous Philippine traditions. In 2022, Parangal received support through USArtists International to perform at the Folkart International Festival in Maribor, Slovenia. We spoke with Artistic Director Eric Solano about their engagement on our Artist Spotlight blog (link below). | |
Image: Parangal Dance Company at Maribor Festival in Slovenia. Credit: Eric Solano. | |
Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum | |
The Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum explores Washington DC area’s Jewish culture, history, and experiences. In 2023, the Capital Jewish Museum (CJM) received support from the Special Presenters Initiative to host the Sephardic ensemble, Minnush, to headline their inaugural block party. We spoke with Education Manager for Programs Lisa Del Sesto about Minnush’s performances, the CJM block party, and community partnerships. | |
Image: Close up of Gina Sobel performing with her band Minnush at the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum's Block Party, September 2023. Credit: Chris Ferenzi | |
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Miami-based Locust Projects has an open call for large-scale new work in its main gallery. Locust Projects will provide project support, artist fees, per diem stipends, travel and labor support for these new works. Visual artists working in any medium, at any stage in their career. Artists addressing social justice issues such as racial justice, gender, climate change, and more are especially encouraged to apply. Deadline: Wednesday, May 29, 2024. Learn more here.
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The Oak Spring Garden Foundation is accepting applications for the Eliza Moore Fellowship. This is an annual award for an early-career visual artist, literary artist, dancer, or musician creating new works on plants, gardens, or landscapes. Deadline: Friday, May 31, 2024. Learn more here.
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Our colleagues at South Arts are accepting applications for Jazz Road Tours, a program providing grants of to $15,000 to support small site tours at venues underserved in the jazz. Artists may apply for a three-to-six site tour comprised of connected (contiguous) dates anywhere in the United States and its territories. Deadline: Saturday, June 1, 2024. Learn more here.
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The Headlands Center for the Arts is accepting applications for its Artist in Residence program. Fully sponsored residencies will provide a monthly stipend up to $1,000 to artists across disciplines: visual artists, performing artists, videographers, writers, musicians, and more. Deadline: Monday, June 10, 2024. Learn more here.
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The University of Maryland is accepting submissions for the David C. and Thelma G. Driskell Award for Creative Excellence. The award supports global emerging artists to create new works using The Driskell Center's collections and archives. A $5,000 and lodging at University of Maryland's College Park campus will be provided to the awardee. Teams of artists are eligible to apply. Deadline: Monday, July 1, 2024. Learn more here.
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Image: San Jose Taiko demonstrating for children and families at the Children's Museum of Oswego at an ArtsCONNECT engagement. Credit: Lowell Hutcheson. | | | | |
