120 organizations across the Midwest have received a total of $300,000 through the GIG Fund, a grant program from Arts Midwest. These awards will support creative projects and educational events in summer and fall 2022, helping organizations present artists in their community and offset the costs of programming and touring.
The GIG Fund provides $2,500 grants to support the arts throughout the Midwest. Each year, the fund supports a variety of performances across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and the Native nations that share this geography.
The GIG Fund prioritizes organizations that are led by or engage artists from historically underrepresented or marginalized communities, rural communities, and under-funded areas. 54 out of this round’s 120 selected organizations (47%) have never been funded by Arts Midwest in the past. 62 out of the recommended 120 organizations (54%) are from rural areas, according to the National Endowment for the Arts definition.
“In partnership with our GIG Fund panelists and state arts agency leaders, Arts Midwest is proud to support a diverse and talented array of touring artists who will be presenting at a variety of venues around the upper Midwest in communities small and large,” said Joshua Feist, Director of Grantmaking at Arts Midwest.
Learn more about the organizations funded in Round 1 of the 2022-23 GIG Fund and see if this opportunity might be a fit for your community in the future!
What is the GIG Fund?
- Arts Midwest’s Grow, Invest, Gather (GIG) Fund provides financial support to arts organizations in the Midwest.
- It is a flexible grant that helps organizations bring touring artists into their community.
- As part of the GIG Fund, organizations must present performing or visual artists via at least two public events, which can be in-person or virtual.
- For more information, visit the GIG Fund page.
How were these projects chosen?
- Applications were reviewed on a state-by-state basis by a group of panelists with diverse personal and professional experiences related to the arts and creativity.
- Review criteria included artistic excellence and merit of the proposed project, potential to deeply engage underserved community members, and the capability of the organization to carry out the project. Priority consideration went to organizations that are led by or engage artists from historically underrepresented or marginalized communities, rural communities, and under-funded areas. With limited funding, Arts Midwest was not able to award all projects.
Explore GIG Fund Projects
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Beading and Embroidery Inspired by Film
Fargo, North Dakota
The Human Family is partnering with filmmakers from The Aunties Dandelion, an Indigenous media arts organization, and OddSide Arts Collective, a cultural arts organization for Canadian artists of the Afrodisporia. Throughout the summer, participants across North Dakota are invited to take part in a collaborative art project inspired by screengrabs of two short films. They will create individual embroidery and beading works that will eventually be assembled into one piece and unveiled as part of the North Dakota Human Rights Film Festival in Fargo. During the festival, community members will be invited to a free film screening, panel discussion, and Q&A with the filmmakers that will explore the importance of civil rights, ancestry and legacy, naming, identity, language, healing, ceremony, and taking care of the environment.
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Music for Meditation and Memorial
Chicago, Illinois
The Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago (KPAC) is presenting komungo virtuoso Jin Hi Kim, who is known for her innovative solo performances featuring the traditional Korean zither instrument. She will lead a session on Cross-Cultural Music Meditation where participants will gain first-hand experience of the role music plays in meditation and the benefits it offers to develop a calm, peaceful, focused group creativity. She will also perform her original multimedia work A Ritual for Covid-19 in memory of the deceased worldwide during the pandemic. She will interweave her performance with a lecture on the process of using software to manipulate sounds and generate visual images to accompany the music.
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Slam Poetry Performances and Workshops
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City Poetry is bringing renowned poet, performer, and teacher Patricia Smith to headline their Mic Check Poetry Fest. Ms. Smith is both a highly accomplished spoken word poet, having won the title of four-time individual champion of the National Poetry Slam, as well as the author of eight books of poetry, including “Incendiary Art,” which was a finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize. Following her performance, she will take part in an audience Q & A, teach a poetry writing workshop for adults, and teach a free poetry writing workshop for youth. All programs at these venues will be offered hybrid, with in-person workshops and the showcase being live-streamed.
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Multi-Media Art Programs for Seniors
Sturgis, South Dakota
The Meade County Senior Citizens Center Association is offering additional art workshops for seniors to help improve their quality of life. Studies have shown social activities for seniors increase cognitive functions, maintain positive moods, and decrease depression. Socially active seniors tend to be more physically active as well, increasing life longevity. The Senior Center first started an art program, free to members, in 2021 to offer painting classes in acrylic, chalk, and watercolors; taught by local artists Carol Brookens, Stella Anderson, and Lynn Birk. With their award, the Senior Center will expand its art program to include a jewelry-making class, a card-making class, a craft class, and other classes based on feedback from its members.
See all 2022-23 GIG Fund Round 1 Grantees
120 arts and culture organizations across the Midwest received GIG Fund grants in this round. Projects will take place between July 1 and December 31, 2022.
| Organization | City | State | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16th Street Theater | Berwyn | IL | $2,500 |
| Columbia College Chicago | Chicago | IL | $2,500 |
| Elastic Arts Foundation | Chicago | IL | $2,500 |
| Federacion de Clubes Michoacanos en Illinois | Chicago | IL | $2,500 |
| High Concept Laboratories | Chicago | IL | $2,500 |
| Muntu Dance Theatre | Chicago | IL | $2,500 |
| National Museum of Mexican Art | Chicago | IL | $2,500 |
| Side Street Studio Arts | Elgin | IL | $2,500 |
| Mississippi Valley Blues Society | Moline | IL | $2,500 |
| John R. and Eleanor R. Mitchell Foundation | Mt. Vernon | IL | $2,500 |
| DuPage Children’s Museum | Naperville | IL | $2,500 |
| Princeton Theatre Group | Princeton | IL | $2,500 |
| Southland College Prep HS | Richton Park | IL | $2,500 |
| Quad City Arts | Rock Island | IL | $2,500 |
| The Hub – Arts & Cultural Center | Rushville | IL | $2,500 |
| Sandwich Opera House | Sandwich | IL | $2,500 |
| Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago | Skokie | IL | $2,500 |
| University of IL – Springfield | Springfield | IL | $2,500 |
| Champaign-Urbana Folk and Roots Festival | Urbana | IL | $2,500 |
| Lotus Education and Arts Foundation | Bloomington | IN | $2,500 |
| USA International Harp Competition | Bloomington | IN | $2,500 |
| The Starbase Inc | Fishers | IN | $2,500 |
| Bridging Worlds, Inc | Fort Wayne | IN | $2,500 |
| Fort Wayne Cinema Center, Inc | Fort Wayne | IN | $2,500 |
| DePauw University | Greencastle | IN | $2,500 |
| Arthentic Arts, Inc | Indianapolis | IN | $2,500 |
| Indianapolis Museum of Art | Indianapolis | IN | $2,500 |
| Judah Ministries | Indianapolis | IN | $2,500 |
| City of Jasper | Jasper | IN | $2,500 |
| Fischoff National Chamber Music Association | Notre Dame | IN | $2,500 |
| Merrimans Playhouse | South Bend | IN | $2,500 |
| Art Barn School of Art | Valparaiso | IN | $2,500 |
| Quad Cities Chamber Foundation | Davenport | IA | $2,500 |
| City Music Assoc. of Des Moines | Des Moines | IA | $2,500 |
| Community Support Advocates | Des Moines | IA | $2,500 |
| Gateway Dance Theatre | Des Moines | IA | $2,500 |
| Earlham Chicks with Checks | Earlham | IA | $2,500 |
| Public Space One | Iowa City | IA | $2,500 |
| Iowa City Poetry | Iowa City | IA | $2,500 |
| Art Center Assoc. of Sioux City | Sioux City | IA | $2,500 |
| Kerrytown Concert House | Ann Arbor | MI | $2,500 |
| The Mendel Center at Lake Michigan College | Benton Harbor | MI | $2,500 |
| Tuba Back Chamber Music Festival | Big Rapids | MI | $2,500 |
| Real People Media | Calumet | MI | $2,500 |
| Beaver Island Cultural Arts Association | Charlevoix | MI | $2,500 |
| Cheboygan Area Arts Council | Cheboygan | MI | $2,500 |
| TeMaTe Institute for Black Dance and Culture | Detroit | MI | $2,500 |
| Wharton Center for Performing Arts at Michigan State University | East Lansing | MI | $2,500 |
| Grand Rapids Womens Chorus | Grand Rapids | MI | $2,500 |
| Good Hart Artist Residency | Harbor Springs | MI | $2,500 |
| Interlochen Center for the Arts | Interlochen | MI | $2,500 |
| Theatre North | Ironwood | MI | $2,500 |
| Kalamazoo Nature Center | Kalamazoo | MI | $2,500 |
| Kalkaska Downtown Development Authority | Kalkaska | MI | $2,500 |
| Michigan Jazz Festival | Livonia | MI | $2,500 |
| Beaumier Upper Peninsula Heritage Center | Marquette | MI | $2,500 |
| Oscoda County Library | Mio | MI | $2,500 |
| Polynesian Arts Advocacy Council of Michigan | Novi | MI | $2,500 |
| Accent Pontiac | Pontiac | MI | $2,500 |
| TempleArts | Saginaw | MI | $2,500 |
| Saugatuck Center for the Arts | Saugatuck | MI | $2,500 |
| South Haven Arts Association | South Haven | MI | $2,500 |
| Eisenhower Dance Ensemble | Southfield | MI | $2,500 |
| Great Lakes Children’s Museum | Traverse City | MI | $2,500 |
| Minnesota Landscape Arboretum | Chaska | MN | $2,500 |
| An Opera Theatre | Minneapolis | MN | $2,500 |
| Open Eye Figure Theatre | Minneapolis | MN | $2,500 |
| Ragamala Music and Dance Theatre | Minneapolis | MN | $2,500 |
| New York Mills Arts Retreat | New York Mills | MN | $2,500 |
| Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies | Red Wing | MN | $2,500 |
| Grassroots Culture | St. Paul | MN | $2,500 |
| Interact Center for Visual and Performing Arts | St. Paul | MN | $2,500 |
| Mizna | St. Paul | MN | $2,500 |
| Frozen River Film Festival | Winona | MN | $2,500 |
| Minnesota Marine Art Museum | Winona | MN | $2,500 |
| Plains Art Museum | Fargo | ND | $2,500 |
| The Human Family | Fargo | ND | $2,500 |
| North Dakota Museum of Art | Grand Forks | ND | $2,500 |
| New Rockford Area Betterment Corp | New Rockford | ND | $2,500 |
| Ashtabula Arts Center | Ashtabula | OH | $2,500 |
| Community Food Initiatives | Athens | OH | $2,500 |
| A Mindful Moment | Cincinnati | OH | $2,500 |
| Cincinnati Museum Center | Cincinnati | OH | $2,500 |
| Wave Pool Corp. | Cincinnati | OH | $2,500 |
| Cleveland Modern Dance Assoc. | Cleveland | OH | $2,500 |
| Cuyahoga Community College Foundation | Cleveland | OH | $2,500 |
| FRONT Exhibition Company | Cleveland | OH | $2,500 |
| Julia De Burgos Cultural Arts Center | Cleveland | OH | $2,500 |
| Les Delices | Cleveland | OH | $2,500 |
| Writers in Residence | Cleveland | OH | $2,500 |
| ARTFUL Ohio, Inc. | Cleveland Heights | OH | $2,500 |
| Mojuba! Dance Collective | Cleveland Heights | OH | $2,500 |
| Columbus Center for Human Services | Columbus | OH | $2,500 |
| Dick and Jane Project | Columbus | OH | $2,500 |
| Jazz Arts Group of Columbus | Columbus | OH | $2,500 |
| Maroon Arts Group | Columbus | OH | $2,500 |
| Hancock County Performing Arts Center | Findlay | OH | $2,500 |
| Darke County Center for the Arts | Greenville | OH | $2,500 |
| ORMACO | Homerville | OH | $2,500 |
| Kent State University | Kent | OH | $2,500 |
| FireFish Arts Inc. | Lorain | OH | $2,500 |
| Majestic Galleries | Nelsonville | OH | $2,500 |
| Abrepaso Flamenco | Rocky River | OH | $2,500 |
| Brookings Arts Council | Brookings | SD | $2,500 |
| Lemmon Public Library | Lemmon | SD | $2,500 |
| Rushmore Music Festival | Rapid City | SD | $2,500 |
| Friends of Levitt Shell Sioux Falls | Sioux Falls | SD | $2,500 |
| Meade County Senior Citizens Center Assoc. | Sturgis | SD | $2,500 |
| Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua | Bayfield | WI | $2,500 |
| Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts | Brookfield | WI | $2,500 |
| Thrasher Opera House Corp | Green Lake | WI | $2,500 |
| Arts & Literature Laboratory | Madison | WI | $2,500 |
| Overture Center Foundation | Madison | WI | $2,500 |
| Arts At Large | Milwaukee | WI | $2,500 |
| Black Arts MKE | Milwaukee | WI | $2,500 |
| Signature Dance Company | Milwaukee | WI | $2,500 |
| Woodland Pattern Book Center | Milwaukee | WI | $2,500 |
| Create Portage County | Stevens Point | WI | $2,500 |
| Performing Arts Foundation | Wausau | WI | $2,500 |
| Museum of Wisconsin Art | West Bend | WI | $2,500 |