After a record applicant pool of 519 artists submitted proposals in this year’s Next Step Fund, our panelists read and rated all of the applications in round one, determining the 72 finalists. In past years we have sent these finalists to round two of review, culminating in an in-person panel review complete with significant discussion among the panelists to determine the grant recipients. With the reality of the COVID-29 pandemic, these in-person reviews would be impossible and cannot be duplicated with alternative means.
For that reason, and the reality that all artists are suffering with the limitations placed on convening and making art together, MRAC along with the support of the McKnight Foundation, the funder of this program, decided instead to name all 72 finalists grant recipients this year, awarding each artist $2,500.
Recipients can use these funds to do part of their proposed project or can use the funds to cover other more immediate needs. MRAC is not requiring reporting on the awarded funds in this Next Step Fund grant cycle.
Congratulations to this year’s grant recipients!
We also thank this year’s panelists for their time to review the applications:
Aki Shibata, Carolyn Holbrook, Christopher Harrison, Deja Stowers, Denzel Belin, Ezra Bartsch, Lindsy Halleckson, Marjorie Fedzyszyn, Markus Hoeckner, Marlena Myles, May Ling Kopecky, Nora Montanez Patterson, Pa Na Lor, Rachel Castro, Rebekah Crisanta de Ybarra, Ritika Ganguly, Tana Hargest, Taous Khazem, Tarek Abdelqader
The 2020 Next Step Fund Grantees
A. Andrews, Visual Artist, Minneapolis
Adrienne Doyle, Screenwriter, Minneapolis
Andrea Gilats, Writer, St. Paul
Andrew Neef, Film Artist, Suburban Hennepin County
Andrew Young, Puppetry Artist, Minneapolis
Andy Sturdevant, Writer, Minneapolis
Anna Stitt, Media Artist, Minneapolis
Ashembaga (Ashe) Jaafaru, Theater Artist, Minneapolis
Autumn Ness, Theater Artist, Washington County
Ayo-Ma , Craft Artist, Minneapolis
Belo Miguel Cipriani, Writer, Suburban Hennepin County
Brendan Barrett, Woodworker, Minneapolis
Cadex Herrera, Multidisciplinary Artist, Suburban Ramsey County
Candida Gonzalez, Visual Artist, Minneapolis
Catherine Licata, Film Artist, St. Paul
Christine Delp, Media Artist, Minneapolis
Christopher Palbicki, Painter, St. Paul
Daniel Dukich, Musician, Minneapolis
Deka Abdullahi, Multidisciplinary Artist, Anoka County
Donna Ray, Clay Artist, Suburban Hennepin County
Doug Little, Musician, Minneapolis
Ellina Kevorkian, Painter, Minneapolis
Eric J. Garcia, Visual Artist, Minneapolis
Essence Bonitaz, Writer, Suburban Ramsey County
Fatima Camara, Writer, Minneapolis
Ginny Sims-Burchard, Clay Artist, Minneapolis
Greg Byers, Musician, Minneapolis
Greg Grease, Musician, Minneapolis
Gretchen Wagener Burau , Painter, Carver County
Haley Paige, Media Artist, St. Paul
Hallie Bahn, Media Artist, Minneapolis
Harry Leeds, Writer, Minneapolis
Ivan Konev, Musician, St. Paul
Jay Afrisando, Musician, St. Paul
Jaysen Hohlen, Visual Artist, Minneapolis
Jeffrey Skemp, Multidisciplinary Artist, Minneapolis
Jessica Gotkin, Clay Artist, Suburban Hennepin County
JG Everest, Musician, Minneapolis
Joe Strachan, Musician, St. Paul
Josephine Geiger, Glass Artist, St. Paul
Julie Koehnen, Film Artist, Suburban Hennepin County
Karin Wolverton, Opera Singer, Suburban Hennepin County
Kay Hannahan, Film Artist, Minneapolis
Kehayr Brown-Ransaw, Visual Artist, Minneapolis
Lillie Gardner, Screenwriter, St. Paul
Linda Ramson, Quilt Artist, Minneapolis
Lindsay Schlemmer, Musician, Minneapolis
M. Hajji Ahmed, Multidisciplinary Artist, St. Paul
Margo Gray, Multidisciplinary Artist, Minneapolis
Mary Prescott, Interdisciplinary Artist, Minneapolis
Michael Alberti, Writer, Minneapolis
Mo Perry, Writer, Anoka County
Mong Vang, Film Artist, Minneapolis
Nancy M. Musinguzi, Photographer, Minneapolis
Naomi Ko, Film Artist, Scott County
Paul Hill, Musician, Minneapolis
Preeti Kaur Rajpal, Poet, Minneapolis
Regan Golden, Visual Artist, St. Paul
Rosey Lowe, Theater Artist, Minneapolis
Sadie Ward, Theater Artist, St. Paul
Sagirah Shahid, Poet, Minneapolis
Sahar Hassan, Opera Singer, St. Paul
Tahiel Jimenez Medina, Film Artist, Minneapolis
Taja Will, Dancer, Minneapolis
Terrence Shambley Jr., Writer, St. Paul
Tomas Araya, Visual Artist, St. Paul
Tommy Franklin, Film Artist, St. Paul
Tori Hong, Visual Artist, Minneapolis
Valerie Oliveiro, Dancer, Minneapolis
Witt Siasoco, Visual Artist, Minneapolis
Yan Pang, Multidisciplinary Artist, Minneapolis
Za’Nia Coleman, Interdisciplinary Artist, Minneapolis