Grants for Individuals & Collectives: Stream 1 Fall 2023

Through Connections & Exchanges: A Ten-Year Plan to Transform Arts and Heritage In Edmonton, the EAC has committed to supporting a wide range of art forms and practices to foster experimentation, creative collaborations with community and public presentations, as well as activities to advance individual skills, including mentorships and professional development. 

Stream 1: Exploration & Experimentation of the Individuals & Collectives program supports an Individual artist to work on creation, experimentation, or research activities. Grant amounts are fixed at $5,000 to support subsistence and any additional costs to the individual while they take the time to pursue artistic work. 

In this cycle of the program, 42 artists were recommended for the Fall 2023 Individuals & Collectives Stream 1 grant, for a total of $210,000. Learn more about the Stream 1 recipients below:

• Beth Wishart MacKenzie will undertake the pre-production of the dramatic short film, The Messenger.
• Calvin Becker-Burns will develop a testing tank for kinetic sculptures, resolve armature issues and personally integrate more fully into Edmonton’s visual art landscape. 
• Cam Neufeld will travel to Womex in A Caruna Spain to make connections to further his career as band leader of world music band, The Gadjo Collective. 
• Charlee Queen XO will explore the archetypes of the maiden and the mother while acknowledging the differences in cultural, social and racial perspectives in how these archetypes are defined.
• Christine Tsai Taylor will experiment with creative nonfiction forms and submit five essays to literary magazines such as Hippocampus, Room, and Prairie Fire. 
• Connor Yuzwenko-Martin will draft possibilities within a script for a solo performance that tells his life story through a mix of traditional stand-up comedy, choreography, and integrated creative captions design. 
• Craig Le Blanc will complete works for one confirmed exhibition at the Esplanade Arts and Culture Centre in Medicine Hat and increase inventory to secure future exhibitions. 
• Darian Chen will write songs that capture the struggle and resilience of young Asian-Canadians during and following the pandemic, in the wake of unsettling violence. 
• Dez Edwards will collaborate with two generations of mas makers on costume design showcasing traditional mas making artistry with new age designs to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the Cariwest Festival. 
• Dustin Chok will create the documentary The Ice District that challenges viewers to question the impact of urban development on vulnerable communities and the city’s responsibility towards its most marginalized citizens. 
• Dylan Toymaker will rebuild and expand on a sculptural installation project from one large piece to a collection, and to develop a plan to create a story book and tour. 
• Elena Belyea will write the first and second drafts of the play ​“Willows” from October 2023 — March 2024, while participating in three residencies. 
• Emilie Dedrick will expand her existing mixed media art practice by experimenting in two new mediums; fiber arts and hand-built ceramics. 
• F. Randall Fraser will create an intimate portable roving puppet theatre, able to perform for individuals and groups in a festival setting or set up in a regular theatre. 
• Gail Sidonie Šobat will create a new work of fiction which is a combination of magic realism (fairy tale and realism) based on immigrants’ and first-generation experiences in Edmonton and Canada. 
• Glen The Balloon Guy will incorporate movement, sound, lighting and animation to large balloon sculpture installations and wearable balloon costumes, using mechanical devices, clever linkages, motors, electronics, miniature computers and RC technologies. 
• Greg Mulyk will compose a series of 8 technical and neoclassical pieces for solo piano. Each piece will include a high-quality studio recording and performance video, and professionally engraved sheet music. 

• Heraa Khan will merge South Asian traditional art with Alberta’s landscapes, fostering climate change dialogues and cross-cultural connections through exhibitions, talks, workshops, and community engagement initiatives.

• Janita Frantsi will focus on researching and exploring the interplay between dance and live music through improvisation.
• Jenny Keith will create a series of acrylic paintings to speak about her experience of losing her hearing in one ear while pregnant.
• Jeong Ung Song will rewrite a draft of Miso, a play about the relationship between Korean-Americans and Black Americans during the LA riot of 1992.
• Kaeley Jade Wiebe will write a full-length folk-pop album that explores the theme of turning points, the profound changes, transformations and pivotal moments that shape our lives.
• Kasie Campbell will research and explore the creation of 3‑dimensional rug-tufted sculptures that focus on women’s (health) issues and experiences.
• Kiala Loytomaki’s project Ecologies of Embodiment will investigate dissociative states and the practices of embodiment that bring us home to our bodies, exploring these practices through textiles in experimental and culturally-informed expressions.
• Kyle Beal will experiment with integrating digitally controlled mechanics into visual art/​sculpture learning/​using the Ardunio microcontoller/open-source platform.
• Kyra Heneghan-Smith will explore and research current concepts of interest through sculpture and intermedia and gain experience with research-creation.
• Linda Wright will further develop her art practice to include paintings that explore Indigenous lands, stories, symbolism, connection and reflection. Her project will consist of creation, experimentation, and research activities.
• Madison Dewar will create a large quilt using woodblock, screen-printing, appliqué, and machine sewing to explore caves as a source of fear and comfort.
• Marek Osedowski will introduce embroidery and surface embellishment into his existing painting practice through research, experimentation, and implementation.
• Matthew Lapierre will explore new substrates for his oil painting process to create iridescent supports that will enhance the subject matter and themes as outlined in his artist statement.
• Michael Watt will develop an auto-fictional play loosely based on personal and collective experiences of Queer youth in the in-patient mental health programs in the Canadian Healthcare System.
• Molly Wreakes will research accessibility practices and how they apply to musical performances. The goal is to understand what accommodations are needed to create opportunities that are accessible to the disability community.
• Mona Sahi will explore the mediums of ceramics, light, and sound to tell the story of the pain caused by the Iranian government and similar struggles personally or globally.
• Morteza Abedinifard will research and develop a book on Iranian music for the general non-academic audience, exploring diverse genres in social contexts, fostering cultural understanding through accessible language.
• Nolokus will adapt some of their solo instrumental works into multi-instrument arrangements for live performance.
• Sissy Thiessen Kootenayoo/​Stone E. Rivers will create new spoken word content after a five-year hiatus due to a brain injury.
• SOWL will create a series of sculptures that represent his Filipino ancestry and rich tradition of Filipino tattoo culture. These sculptures are inspired by a recent research trip to the Philippines.

• Steely will capture Edmonton’s seasonal beauty with natural elements, exploring various photography techniques for unique and captivating photos.
• Trevor Mann will explore new sounds and a new direction as a solo artist.
• Veronika Marks will create a series of drawings and paintings informed by community healing with grief, personal experience and technical experimentation.
• VISSIA will spend eight weeks researching and exploring immersive theatre methods and playwriting techniques, creating a first draft of an immersive concept musical of her forthcoming studio album, Surfacing.
• Yawa will create and publish an anthology of poetry that addresses a range of universal human emotions and experiences that will inspire readers to navigate their own journeys with resilience.

Learn more about Stream 2 and Stream 3 recipients from the fall cycle on the blog.