Poetry. Circus Performance. Improvisation. Sewing. Video projections. They're all part of innovative projects moving forward thanks to funding from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, which announced late last month the names of 13 artists receiving 2015 Artist Research and Development Grants.

Ninety-five artists applied for the grants, which provide up to $5,000 in funding to each recipient for research and development leading to the creation of new works of art. The awards went to four visual artists, three performance artists, three multidisciplinary artists, two literary artists, and one digital media artist. Four hail from Tucson, and eight from the metropolitan Phoenix area.