Via PR

Chicago Artists Coalition (CAC) announces today a total of 30 SPARK Grant awardees who will each receive $2,000 in unrestricted funds during the 2021 grant cycle. In its third year, the SPARK Grant program continues to expand the number of awards, in the effort to support more Chicago artists.

The SPARK Grant began in 2019 as an annual, unrestricted award opportunity for Chicago-based visual artists who identify as ALAANA (Asian, Latinx, Arab, African diaspora, Native), an artist with a demonstrated need, an artist with a disability, or as a self-taught or informally trained artist who is striving to make their art practice a primary vocation.

In its first year, the SPARK Grant was awarded to 15 artists and in the subsequent year to 25 artists. Each year there is a continuous increase of SPARK applications indicative of the need within the artists community. With the generous support of the Joyce Foundation and an anonymous donor, the SPARK Grant this year expanded to 30 unrestricted awards of $2,000 each.

Celebrating its 47th anniversary this year, CAC has a strong recent history of supporting emerging Chicago-based visual artists through unrestricted grant funds, and has administered a total of $140,000 in unrestricted SPARK Grants to 70 artists in three years.

Congratulations SPARK Grant Recipients!

SPARK GRANTS 2021 - $2,000 per artist

A.Martinez
Ariella Granados
Cherrie Yu
Cristian Roldan
darien R Wendell
Deborah Awwad
Elnaz Javani
Hankyeol Song
Jada-Amina
Jade Wong

Janelle Miller
Jennifer Villanueva
Jiayi Chen
Jon Veal
Jory Drew
Joshua Jackson
Kris Casey
Mercedes Cardenas
Miao Wang
Qais Assali

Sasha Phyars-Burgess
Shirien Damra
Sky Cubacub
SUNGJAE LEE
Sydnie Jimenez
Tariyawn Knighten
Tattiana Howard
Youree Kim
Yuge Zhou
zakkiyyah najeebah dumas-o'neal