FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jenny Thomas
Director, Marketing and Communications

Association of Performing Arts Professionals awards over $2 million to artists and presenters to support reopening of the performing arts industry.
APAP to distribute $2,065,000 in grants through its ArtsForward program;
performing artists to receive over $1 million.
 
March 15, 2022 - The Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) is pleased to announce that it has awarded $2.065 million from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to artists and presenters through ArtsForward, a new program to support the performing arts field’s safe, vibrant, and equitable reopening and recovery. As venues reopen, tours resume, and audiences reconnect, these grants will fuel collaborations between APAP presenter members and partnering artists/ensembles.
 
The APAP ArtsForward program awarded 47 grants of $50,000 and $35,000 to APAP presenting organizations working in partnership with an artist or ensemble. The program placed priority on funding small and mid-sized presenting organizations with operating budgets of less than $5M, and, as part of a growing movement to promote greater equity between presenter and artists, it will distribute at least half of the funds directly to artists over the course of their engagements. As the performing arts collectively recovers, grantees will also participate in peer gatherings. 

“These 47 partnerships represent a shift in the ecosystem among artists and presenters, as well as the spirit of APAP’s 10/20/30 Pledge,” said Lisa Richards Toney, President and CEO of APAP. “Thanks to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, as we emerge from the biggest challenge in our field’s history, artists, working with presenters, producers and agents, can lead the way.”

“As our peer panel observed, the special relationships between artists and presenters were evident in the applications and grounded the selection of grants,” said Krista Bradley, Director of Programs and Resources at APAP, who oversees the program. “The applicant pool confirmed that equitable relationships among presenters, artists and agents are vital to our industry, its reopening, and its future success.”

Selected by a panel of experts in the performing arts field, the 47 grantee collaborations support a variety of presenting organizations, a diverse array of artists, and a broad range of approaches to reopening. They include emerging artists who are finding their voice as well as established artists passing on their traditions. Among the 47 partnerships are presenters with a range of budget sizes, working independently as well as within colleges, universities, museums, and other larger institutions. Artists funded work in blues, jazz, vocal, pops, mariachi, world, and other musical genres; African, aerial, contemporary, hip-hop, hula, modern, tap, flamenco, and marching band dance; solo and ensemble theater; and an array of multidisciplinary forms. Engagements will take place in-person, through performances, showings, readings, classes, talks, workshops and other interactive formats in indoor and outdoor spaces, as well as virtually. Many collaborations will begin with residencies that offer artists time to create, along with opportunities for artists to connect with communities in classrooms, college campuses, festivals, parks and online. The majority of artists will tour to presenters’ communities to interact with audiences that include adults, college and K-12 students, families and the general public. Select projects are designed for specific audiences, such as the LGBTQ and disability communities.

A complete list of the grant-supported collaborations can be found here, and also at the end of this press release, including those highlighted below: 

  • Alabama Dance Council, Inc. in Birmingham, AL will premiere Wideman Davis Dance’s “Migratuse Ataraxia Reimagined” in a walking tour.

  • Arab Community Center for Economic & Social Services (ACCESS) in Dearborn, MI will present a work by Heather Raffo about Detroit as a border town including live, installation and hybrid performances.

  • Englert Civic Theatre Inc. in Iowa City, IA will present Arooj Aftab at the Mission Creek Festival with community engagement activities.

  • FUSE BOX AUSTIN in Austin, TX will present Sylvan Oswald’s “High Winds” with an interactive LGBTQ book fair.

  • The Cortez Center, Inc. in Cortez, CO will host The Spirit Coalescent‘s residency.

  • Harlem Stage in New York, NY will present Gerald Clayton’s “Piedmont Blues” with digital conversations and Blues-focused workshops for youth.

  • Links Hall in Chicago, IL will support Nia Witherspoon’s development of “Priestess of Twerk.”

  • Miami Dade College in Miami, FL will premiere PearlDamour’s “Ocean Filibuster” involving a local cast.
 
  • Queens Theatre in the Park in Corona, NY will present Phamaly Theatre Company’s “Spitfire Grill” as part of the Disability Artistry Festival.

  • UtahPresents in Salt Lake City, UT will support a residency with Mexico Beyond Mariachi’s “SUGAR SKULL!”

  • World Arts West in San Francisco, CA will support the creation and premiere of Latanya d. Tigner’s “5th-Quarter Bantaba,” involving Jackson State University’s marching band.
 
ArtsForward was inspired by the intensive exchanges that emerged during the pandemic among peers and working groups in the arts field, including APAP’s Building Ethical and Equitable Partnerships Working Group. The program was conceived of to build and reinforce a sustainable arts ecosystem with business practices that respect artists, support presenters, and underscores the interdependence and safety of all those involved in performance engagements. In addition to direct grants, APAP ArtsForward will provide a range of services to support the performing arts field's transition toward reopening its venues safely. Learn more here.  

Building on APAP’s long history as a regranting organization, ArtsForward’s design and activities are informed by a national team of multidisciplinary and culturally diverse advisors and peers, including artists, agents, and presenters. ArtsForward is led with senior advisor Suzanne Callahan of Callahan Consulting for the Arts.
 
Advisors
  • Terri Lyne Carrington (she/her), Artist, Producer and educator, Founder, Ajari Music, LLC, Woburn, MA
  • Sandy Garcia (she/her), Director of Booking, Pentacle, Brooklyn, NY
  • Rika Iino (she/her), Founder, Sozo Artists Inc., Oakland, CA
  • Dayna Martinez (she/her), Vice President of Programming & Education, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Saint Paul, MN
  • Christopher K. Morgan (he/him) Director, Center for Native Arts and Cultures, Portland, OR 
  • Bill Stephan (he/him), Executive Director, Lied Center for Performing Arts, Lincoln, NE
 
Panelists
  • T. Lulani Arquette (she/her), President and CEO, Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, Vancouver, WA
  • Nikki Estes (she/her), Director, Presenting & Touring, South Arts, Atlanta, GA
  • Margaret Lawrence (she/her), Director of Programming, Moss Arts Center, Blacksburg, VA
  • Jim Leija (they/them, he/his, she/her), Deputy Director for Public Experience and Learning, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, MI
  • Chris Lorway (he/his), Executive Director, Stanford Live and Bing Concert Hall, Stanford, CA

About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and we believe that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom to be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. For more information, please visit mellon.org.

About APAP, the Association of Performing Arts Professionals
APAP, the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, based in Washington, D.C., is the national service, advocacy and membership organization dedicated to developing and supporting a robust, performing arts presenting, booking, and touring field and the professionals who work within it. Our 1,700 national and international members represent leading performing arts centers, municipal and university performance facilities, nonprofit performing arts centers, culturally specific organizations, foreign governments, as well as artist agencies, managers, touring companies, and national consulting practices that serve the field, and a growing roster of self-presenting artists. APAP works to effect change through advocacy, professional development, resource sharing and civic engagement. APAP is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization governed by a volunteer board of directors and led by President and CEO Lisa Richards Toney. In addition to presenting the annual APAP|NYC conference—the world's leading gathering and marketplace for the performing arts—APAP continues to be the industry's leading resource, professional development and networking destination for the advancement of performing arts presenting, booking and touring. For more information, visit apap365.org.
 
Grantees
Alabama Dance Council, Inc. Birmingham, Alabama, in collaboration with Wideman Davis Dance of New York Inc.
To premiere Wideman Davis Dance’s “Migratuse Ataraxia Reimagined,” a walking tour of spaces that journey from enslavement to Black liberation.

American Dance Festival, Inc. Durham, North Carolina, in collaboration with Rennie Harris Puremovement, Inc.
To present Rennie Harris’ “LIFTED” with the possible inclusion of North Carolina dancers and gospel singers.

Americas Society, Inc. New York, New York, in collaboration with Rita I. Hernandez
To commission and premiere Rita Indiana‘s songbook “The Ballad of Manzanillo.”

Arab Community Center for Economic & Social Services (ACCESS) Dearborn, Michigan, in collaboration with Heather Raffo
To support the creation and presentation of a work by Heather Raffo about Detroit as a border town including live, installation and hybrid performances.

Bethany Arts Community, Inc. Ossining, New York, in collaboration with Flyaway Productions
To present Flyaway Productions’ “The Apparatus of Repair,” including a residency with restorative justice workshops.

Black Arts MKE, Inc. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in collaboration with Kiran Vedula
To present Kiran Vedula’s “Hip Hop DNA,” including youth and community workshops.

Boom Arts Portland, Oregon, in collaboration with Kristina Wong
To present a multi-week run of “Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord.”

Cache Valley Center for the Arts Logan, Utah, in collaboration with Tau Dance Theater
To present Tau Dance Theatre in student and public performances.

Community Theater Project Corp. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in collaboration with The New Utility, Inc.
To premiere Abby Z and The New Utility’s “Radioactive Practice,” with one week of community engagement activities.

Danspace Project, Inc. New York City, New York, in collaboration with Mina Nishimura
To commission and present Mina Nishimura’s work "Mapping a Forest while Searching for an Opposite Term of Exorcist," including creative residencies.

DC Wheel Productions, Inc. Washington, District of Columbia, in collaboration with Disability Dance Works, LLC
To present Kinetic Light in “DESCENT,” with an advance residency for the disability community.

Englert Civic Theatre, Inc. Iowa City, Iowa, in collaboration with Arooj Aftab
To present Arooj Aftab at the Mission Creek Festival, with preceding community engagement activities.

Fairbanks Concert Association Fairbanks, Alaska, in collaboration with DE-CRUIT
To support DE-CRUIT in two 3-week community residencies that builds a program to benefit veterans, with a culminating performance.

FUSE BOX AUSTIN Austin, Texas, in collaboration with Sylvan Oswald
To present Sylvan Oswald’s “High Winds” at the Fusebox Festival, with an interactive LGBTQ book fair.

GALA Inc. Grupo de Artistas Latinamericanos Washington, District of Columbia, in collaboration with Entreflamenco
To present a full-length flamenco by Entreflamenco at the Annual Fuego Flamenco Festival, with school performances.

Grand Performances Los Angeles, California, in collaboration with Fountain Theatre
To present an outdoor staging of Fountain Theatre’s “CITIZEN: An American Lyric” with community outreach activities.

Harlem Stage, Inc. New York, New York, in collaboration with Gerald William Clayton
To present Gerald Clayton’s “Piedmont Blues” with digital conversations and Blues-focused workshops for youth.

Heritage Works Detroit, Michigan, in collaboration with The Philadelphia Dance Company
To support PHILADANCO!’s “Endangered Species – Detroit,” including performances, dialogues, and workshops.

Jack Arts, Inc. Brooklyn, New York, in collaboration with Raja Feather Kelly
To present Raja Feather Kelly’s "Ugly, Part 3: BLUE."

Japan Society, Inc. New York City, New York, in collaboration with Maiko Kikuchi
To support Maiko Kikuchi’s “9000 Paper Balloons” through a pre-performance creative residency and presentation.

Kings Majestic Corporation Brooklyn, New York, in collaboration with Robyn Rodgers
To support DJ Reborn’s “Four the Record,” in preproduction residency and performance at the 2022 Juneteenth celebration.

Links Hall, Inc. Chicago, Illinois, in collaboration with Nia Witherspoon
To support the creative development of Nia Witherspoon’s “Priestess of Twerk,” including workshops, performances, and community events.

Madison Project Santa Monica, California, in collaboration with Emily Johnson
To premiere Emily Johnson’s “Being Future Being,” including a residency & community activations.

Miami Dade College Miami, Florida, in collaboration with Lisa D'Amour and Katie Pearl
To premiere PearlDamour’s “Ocean Filibuster” involving a local cast, with a preceding residency.

Minnesota Shubert Center for Dance & Music Minneapolis, Minnesota, in collaboration with The MIXTAPE Collective
To premiere The MIXTAPE Collective’s “MIXTAPE 5G: The Sound of Movement,” including masterclasses and workshops.

National Museum of Mexican Art Chicago, Illinois, in collaboration with Nancy Garcia
To present a public reading of Nancy Garcia Loza’s “Macha.”

North Carolina State University Raleigh, North Carolina, in collaboration with CONTRA-TIEMPO
To premiere a work by CONTRA-TIEMPO, including an advance technical residency and community engagement.

Ocean County College Toms River, New Jersey, in collaboration with Foundation for Independent Artist
To present Ephrat Asherie Dance’s “UnderScored,” with legendary elders from the underground dance community, including an advance creative residency and engagement activities.
 
ODC Theater San Francisco, California, in collaboration with Marjani Forte-Saunders
To present Marjani Forte-Saunders’ “Memoirs of a… Unicorn” with engagement activities.

Original Music Workshop, Inc. Brooklyn, New York, in collaboration with Michela Marino Lerman
To present Michela Marino Lerman and her band, Love Movement, including community engagement programs.

Pack Place Performing Arts Asheville, North Carolina, in collaboration with Carolina Jasmine, Inc.
To support a residency of the American Patchwork Quartet, including a performance and other activities.

Performing Arts Serving Acadiana Lafayette, Louisiana, in collaboration with New Dance Theatre, Inc.
To support the development and work-in-progress showings of “Sacred Spaces?” by Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, with community engagement.

President and Trustees of Bates College Lewiston, Maine, in collaboration with Fist and Heel Performance Group
To support the presentation of Fist and Heel’s “Power,” and a creative residency culminating in an outdoor site-specific work.

Queens Theatre in the Park, Inc. Corona, New York, in collaboration with Phamaly Theatre Company
To present Phamaly Theatre Company’s “Spitfire Grill” as part of the Disability Artistry Festival featuring a range of disability services for patrons.

Sun Valley Center for the Arts Sun Valley, Idaho, in collaboration with Las Cafeteras
To support, as part of a Día de los Muertos celebration, free and ticketed performances of Las Cafeteras and an extended school residency.

The Cortez Center, Inc. Cortez, Colorado, in collaboration with Delbert Anderson
To present The Spirit Coalescent‘s multi-week residency involving performances, community workshops and other activities.

The Pennsylvania State University University Park, Pennsylvania, in collaboration with Michael Mwenso
To present Mwenso & The Shakes’ in performances and residency activities with University students and the community.

The Zeiterion Theatre New Bedford, Massachusetts, in collaboration with Young at Heart Chorus, Inc
To support a performance of Young at Heart Chorus with 2 children’s chorus and online work.

Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in collaboration with The Negro Ensemble Company
To support a year-long residency with the Negro Ensemble Company involving a one-act play festival and the creation of a new poetry theatre piece.

UtahPresents Salt Lake City, Utah, in collaboration with Mexico Beyond Mariachi Inc.
To support a residency with Mexico Beyond Mariachi’s “SUGAR SKULL!” including creative development and activities for students.

Weis Center for the Performing Arts at Bucknell University Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, in collaboration with Micaela Grace Taylor
To present Micaela Taylor/TL Collective, including advance virtual and in-person residency activities for youth.

Wesleyan University Middletown, Connecticut, in collaboration with Toshi Reagon Black Elephant Music
To support a creative residency with Toshi Reagon as she develops her new “Disco Project,” and specifically to expand a work-in-progress showing into a staged concert.

White Bird Portland, Oregon, in collaboration with Dallas Black Dance Theatre
To present a mixed repertory program by Dallas Black Dance Theatre, with community engagement events.

Wisconsin Union Theater Madison, Wisconsin, in collaboration with Shasparay Irvin
To support Shasparay in co-producing the Black Arts Matter Festival, which includes onsite and online programming.

Works and Process, Inc. New York, New York, in collaboration with Music From The Sole, Inc.
To support the development and premiere of Music From The Sole’s “I Didn’t Come to Stay” with residency activities.

World Arts West San Francisco, California, in collaboration with Latanya d. Tigner
To support the creation and premiere of Latanya d. Tigner’s “5th-Quarter Bantaba,” involving musicians from Jackson State University’s marching band.

Yerba Buena Arts & Events San Francisco, California, in collaboration with Marcus Shelby
To support the creation and premiere of the Marcus Shelby Orchestra’s "Blues in the City" as part of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival with educational programs.

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