Artists 360 is proud to announce the twenty artist recipients of its inaugural project and student awards. Twenty practicing and student artists will be granted a total of $114,000 to further their work in the flourishing Northwest Arkansas area arts community, representing the four counties of Benton, Carroll, Sebastian, and Washington. These artists represent a diversity of communities, a range of Northwest Arkansas educational institutions, and a wide scope of disciplines and projects. A Walton Family Foundation grant recommended by Steuart Walton and Tom Walton allows Artists 360 to provide these direct grants, as well as professional development services for the artists.
Todd Stein, President and CEO of Mid-America Arts Alliance, said, “The Artists 360 program was designed to identify and elevate the Northwest Arkansas area’s leading artists and to address critical gaps in support by providing the funding, professional development, and networking opportunities needed for them to thrive. We are deeply impressed by the depth of talent and range of artistic expression in the region as reflected in these artists, and the contributions they make in their respective communities. We are honored to invest in their work and careers.”
The following practicing artists, organized by discipline, were awarded project grants of $7,500.
- Literary Arts: Brody Parrish Craig, Carolyn Guinzio, Molly Bess Rector
- Performing Arts: Karen Castleman, JD Clayton, Bernice Hembree of Smokey and the Mirror, Cynthia Post Hunt
- Traditional Arts: Roy Pilgrim of the Ozark Highballers
- Visual Arts: Dayton Castleman, Octavio Logo, Linda Lopez, Aimée Papazian, Kasey Ramirez, John Rankine
The following artists, organized by discipline, were awarded student artist grants of $1,500.
- Literary Arts: J. Bailey Hutchinson, Lynette Thrower
- Performing Arts: Genevieve Ryan Olson, Job Smoot
- Visual Arts: Olivia Fredricks, Hannah McBroom
Carolyn Guinzio of Fayetteville is a writer with six published collections of poetry who co-edited the online project YEW. Awarded a project grant for her multimedia, border-examining Now You’re Dreaming, she said, “I am so profoundly honored to be a part of the inaugural group of artists receiving this award, and I’m grateful to live in a community that values artists in this way. As a writer who has long been interested in combining mediums in my work, this grant will make possible the time, travel, and equipment my proposed project requires to be a reality instead of a mere dream. One of the things I love most about the Artists 360 project is how it will bring together artists working in various disciplines, creating a vital and vibrant community.”
Artist Octavio Logo’s artwork explores a wide range of topics and techniques, including public murals, graphic novels, and sculpture. His project is Exodus, a traveling exhibition that employs biblical narratives in order to show the contradictions that exist between faith, humanitarianism, and immigration in a predominantly Christian society. He says, “Every one of my projects is like a seed born from my hands; sometimes nothing grows, sometimes colorful flowers bud. Almost every time, when a little sprout emerges from the core, I don’t know if it will be ivy or a tree, if it will live or perish. After a long time nurturing my last dearest seed, Artists 360 had told me: Congratulations! You planted an oak! Are you ready to see it grow? I say: I’m ready to swing on its limbs!”
With a strongly competitive applicant pool, Artists 360 wishes to recognize the outstanding applications of a number of finalists. The following were named as finalists for project grants: Jeremy Allen, Danny Baskin, Adrienne Callander, Simone Cottrell, Dylan DeWitt, Rebecca Drolen, Will Gunselman, Araceli Lopez, Rachel Lynett, Mathew McConnell, and Bethany Springer. The following were named as finalists for student artist grants: Joy Clark, Elizabeth DeMeo, Minah Kim, Jacob Lindberg, Ziba Rajabi, Nicole Vasquez, and Florencia M. Zuloaga.