- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Phoenix and help keep the future of New Times free.
Arizona Commission for the Arts announced on January 11 that 10 Arizona artists had been awarded a total of $50,480 in research and development grants, as well as the Bill Desmond Writing Award.
Valley-based artists who received up to $5,000 in funding include Juan Freitez of Phoenix, Carla Keaton of Tempe, Cristóbal Martínez of Mesa, and Lois Roma-Deeley of Scottsdale. Tucson's Annie Guthrie, Melani "Mele" Martinez, Lisa Molomot, and Milta Ortiz were awarded grants, too, along with M. Jenea Sanchez of Douglas and Shawn Skabelund of Flagstaff. With the exception of Melani “Mele” Martinez and Ortiz, who are performing artists, the grantees are visual, digital media, and literary artists.
Guthrie is also the recipient of the Bill Desmond Writing Award, which grants $1,000 to "excelling nonfiction writers."
The grantees were selected from a pool of 102 applicants by a panel that included ASU's Hilary Harp and Jacob Meders, Leah Marche of Black Poet Ventures, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum poet in residence Eric Magrane, Safos Dance Theater co-founder Yvonne Montoya, and Helen Padilla, owner of Helen Padilla Studio. Lisa Barnes chaired the panel as the Governor-appointed Commissioner of the Arizona Commission on the Arts.
Keep Phoenix New Times Free... Since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Phoenix with no paywalls.
